C(a)D Ramblings

Quick Update...

2009-12-13T04:24:00.000-08:00

Cheerss...

Just a quick update here. Since my paid domain has expired recently, I'm switching back to blogger hosting - http://cadramblings.blogspot.com for the time being until I renew my subscription when I'm ready with the new concept / look for this blog.

Some good & bad happenings while I was MIA :

1. Got engaged in November recently.. :)

2. My vi got burglarized - front spotlight and sport rims centre cap got stolen in
in the same month.

3. Girlfriend's car exhaust rear end got smacked on purpose(bingkuk bah)
- suspect the same scums that targeted my vi.

After what had happened, I'm wandering whether these incidents were just random attacks or am I being targeted on purpose. Now I'm feeling insecure wherever I parked my car within the apartment area I'm currently renting. Worst still I'm yet to hear good news about when my new apartment unit is ready to be occupied. The 2 years period has ended early this month, the building has been completed way longer than that, all the facilities look to be in order and yet the developer still giving excuses for the late delivery...WTF. This developer in another kind of scum..only know giving false marketing promises to get people buying the property and didn't keep to their words in the end...Bullshit developer.

Anyway, this post supposed to be just a quick update so I won't be venting my anger and frustration here. Rather than ranting here, I need to take some action regarding this matter asap. I just hope as this year started quite prosperously (with big bonus from my bos),I wish that it would also ends the same...God willing. Amen.

One Cheap Lens but It's a Keeper...

2009-07-11T20:09:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

After my recent sale-upgrade, I've been left with only one lens to play with my new Canon 40D body. Well, would have been able to squeeze in the 18-55mm IS kit lens during the buy but somehow maybe my brain was tired of getting mix up feelings again about jumping ship into the Nikon system, I totally missed out on the point that I could get it for only extra RM200 as standard kit package...Damn. The truth is with my initial budget RM3000-4000 (cash), I was aiming for the Nikon D5000 due to its similarities to D90. But then after being poisoned by the shop's taukeh cum so called camera expert (he talked a lot as if he knows everything), I was forced to decide between D90 and 40D. It's a decision between latest very high end entry level Nikon camera and the seasoned semi-pro level Canon camera. I most probably would have straight away chosen the D90(offer RM4100 including freebies) if it wasn't because of my need for a flashgun as well which was totally out of my budget and the pro over entry level body logic finally made me decided to stay with the Canon 40D body (RM3000) plus 4GB CF Extreme memory card (RM150) and a Sunpak P242X (RM600).

Now, if I want to buy the kit lens alone, it would cost me around RM600-700 new...Damn again. But then again, maybe I don't need it anymore. My past experience with the budget lens has thought me what kind of things that I actually need in my arsenal to get the kind of pictures that I want. I want SHARP images and that means better lens. I'm not saying that the budget lens is bad as the pictures coming out from my previous 1000D kit lens were decent enough to my satisfaction in those days. It's only that I think it's natural that as you go deeper into your tools, you'll start discovering and wanting more things eventually.

Enough said on that wasted opportunity buy, let's go back to this one lens that I've bought since my early venture into this DSLR realm and permanently stucked on my new Canon 40D now.Well, at least until I've enough money to fund for new better lens that is.. Hahaha. It's the cheap(RM300 only) Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II prime lens which easily became my favourite lens since day one due its spot on sharp images and really nice bokeh effect when stopped down to f/1.8. Its the lens that made me wanted to explore more into portraiture photography. I can't say enough good things about this lens here and I was more that happy when I stumbled upon this great article summarizing all the wonderful features about this lens. Check it out here guys.

p/s : WOW!!!This lens also can be used for macro photography..2 in 1,it's a real keeper!!!

Faces of Tamparuli kids...

2009-07-10T16:35:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

These are just some pictures of local kids that I took during my friend's recent engagement day in Tamparuli. Joining in such a wonderful trip like this one would normally comes back with a wonderful memories. Well, not entirely a smooth sailing journey as we had to cross a river by a hanging bridge (jambatan gantung) then climbing a steep hill on our way to the girl's house. We were already well warned ahead about this feat but thinking that I'm myself used to kampung life, these kinda things wouldn't be a problem. Wrong!!!...I was sweating like hell when we finally reached the girl's house...Hahaha.

It was almost noon time, the sun was shining fiercely as it should be on bright sunny day and there I was... still sweating non-stop outside the house when I spotted these kids gathering nearby a small shed or 'sulap' as i fondly like to call it. They were busy playing with each other when I made my exit and approached them to take some pictures.

The 1st picture was taken spontaneously when I reached them, 2nd picture when I asked them to pose for me and the 3rd picture was taken when I spotted these three budding tanakwagus at the house's balcony on my way back to join the engagement ceremony.

I find that taking pictures of kids is actually fun. What I like the most is their innocent expressions and sometimes candid moments as they tend to get either blurred or erratic when faced with a camera.

p/s: tanakwagu - anak muda in Malays

The Short Trip Home...

2009-07-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Just some pictures that I took on my recent short trip back home last Monday. It was a last minute decision made as I had something urgent to settle with the bank there regarding my new account. Started my journey around 5.30am from KK and I stopped for while in Tamparuli hoping that I could catch the early morning sunrise there.Damn... Didn't get any sunrise shots there but I discovered that the town's hanging bridge would be a good subject to shot next time around.

I was looking forward to have my breakfast at my usual favorite shop before continuing my journey again. Too bad, it was still closed and it was already around 6.00am.Mmmm...Another disappointment there. Anyway, I found this one Malays shop opened so I just parked nearby the pasar area and walked my way there. Then when I went back to my car, I saw this little fella (pic below) on my window. Mau tumpang kali ni?... Hahaha. Surprisingly, it didn't budge when I was driving away and it only flew away when I was about to reach the roundabout junction going to Ranau.

Arrived at Ranau around 8.30am and I was back in KK around 1.30pm going straight to office since I had to attend a meeting at 3.00pm that day. Would have taken the whole day leave if it wasn't because of the last minute notice meeting... :(

Something to remember by...

2009-06-27T19:03:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

It's has been almost a month already that I 'parted ways' with my Canon 1000D to upgrade into a much better camera body, Canon 40D.

It all happened when my sister telling me that she's interested in getting a DSLR camera herself.I've been rambling about upgrading before and seeing this opportunity, I decided to sell mine for quite a nice bargain for her actually. Adik-beradik punya diskaunla ni kira-kira..Hahaha.

I remembered the last time I used it was during the trip to Kg. Luanti,Ranau and Tenom (kit lense only) back then. I should have at least taken a few good pictures of it as momento maybe before that but somehow I didn't. Anyway, I stumbled upon this picture in my archive recently of my friend holding it in a funny way. He's a funny guy most of the time and I'm not sure if he did this intentionally or not. I didn't realize it 1st time but there it is...A noob's way of holding beginner's DSLR camera..Hahaha.

'Toning' Mt. Kinabalu...

2009-06-26T15:12:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

I've taken a few images of Mount. Kinabalu during my many trips back to Ranau with my DSLR. Some were quite nice especially during the early morning trips and most of them are simply quick snapshots along the road when it's not blocked by the clouds as most of the time. Until now, I'm yet to capture the magical moment of this great nature's beauty and will keep on looking for it. Meanwhile, for some of these 'on the fly' dull pictures, I experimented with some color-toning techniques trying to make them more interesting.

Blue seems to be the right choice of color for the subject and somehow the vignette effect really adds more to the mood of the whole picture. Bulila kampung-kampung... :)

I liked the last picture the most. What do you think?...

Rafflesia Blooming at Kg. Kokob, Ranau...

2009-06-22T11:17:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Continuing from my 2nd trip to Kg. Luanti, we stopped by at Kg. Kokob, Ranau to see 'live' rafflesia flower blooming. Yes... you heard me right. IT'S RAFFLESIA...Hahaha.

Being a skeptical one, I found it's odd at first since I know this particular flower is rare due to its 'choice' of habitat and to see it blooming basically just 'around my backyard' is another rare chance hard to miss. We actually saw the banner on our way up, missed it on our way back then making a u-turn to enter the road junction going into the village.

It's my 1st time there, so I just drove through the graveled village road as we were looking left and right at the same time for anymore signboard or whatever until we saw a tourist van passing us by. It's a good sign meaning that we were on the right track and soon we saw the signboard before driving further up to the so called Taman Rafflesia.

Turned out the place just looked like any ordinary kampung house with a lot of bamboo trees at its backyard where the rafflesia is I suspected and after paying RM2.00 (local rate) to our guide (BTW his name is Jackson), we were brought to walk behind the house to see the rare flower. We saw two if I'm not mistaken, but only one is blooming. So, apalagi bergambar2 la kami buat kenang-kenangan.. Hahaha. Here's just a few snapshots of the 'live' flower itself..

Kg. Luanti Revisited...

2009-06-22T10:17:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

I didn't think that I would be visiting this place so soon after the recent trip there, but anyway, gf punya pasal I brought her to jalan-jalan see the friendly fish there again during the recent weekend. Just want to show off how interesting Ranau is bah.. :)

Too bad, it's the same spot that I visited the last time. I was hoping to see the main spot since it got bigger fish I heard. It was closed that day for mud cleaning after the flood the night before.

Anyway, yang penting, she's happy..hahaha.

Canon Lens Rebate in Malaysia?...

2009-06-19T00:41:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Wished we have something like this here in Malaysia...
Those 'L' lens really 'poisonous'... :)

Brother Dino...

2009-06-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

Cheers...

Sometimes a nice background is all you need to make a simple shot looks special. So, I was really happy when I shot these pictures of Dino (my other brother) with the Mt. Kinabalu as the background in 'bokeh' while we were on the way back to Ranau during the recent school holidays. I guess we were just lucky that day because we chanced to see Mt. Kinabalu in its full glory and such rare opportunity is something worth taking pictures for.

Fishy Outing to Kg. Luanti, Ranau...

2009-06-09T08:53:00.001-07:00

Cheerss..

Just to update on some of the pictures that I took while on a 'fishy outing' with friends to Kg. Luanti, Ranau during the recent Kaamatan holidays. Located just nearby the Sabah Tea Plantation, the place is well known as being tourists attraction for its currative fish massage.

Pelian... the 'friendly' local river fish protected by the 'tagal' practiced
by the villagers in Kg. Luanti.

Eating frenzy... the fishes all swarmed at my friend's hand after being
attracted to the smell of the food hidden inside his palm.

There you go... the lucky one which got the food at the end.

Something to remember by... the red mark left a big fish when it
sucked on my hand for the food.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Animal Pictures...

2009-05-29T14:16:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Continuing from my previous post on my outing to the wild life park in Lok Kawi recently, here's the highlights of some of the animals that can be found there.

In deep slumber...Too bad all the tigers were sleeping like this one. Kalapik ba...Hahaha

Mama's calling...It's great to be able to get a close up picture as this one with the elephants.

Eagle's pride...Standing outside the eagle's cage, I took this picture while trying to blur the cage in front.

Head and tail... Just cropped it from the original picture to this composition.

The above are just the selected ones from several pictures that I snapped that day as I only had my 18-55mm IS standard kit lens on. Snapped only a few since nothing much I can do if taking pictures from afar. Frankly for this kind of photography, it's best to use a zoom lens. Too bad I already sold my 55-250mm IS zoom lens, so I had to make the best out of it. Got a chance to try my Canon friend's Tamron 55-200mm lens, but it's not as good as my old zoom lens. It's without VC (vibration control) feature, so my pictures were not really sharp with it. Not blaming the lens, I guess I'm simply so used to the IS (image stabilization) feature on all my lenses. One needs to have steady hands to hold the non IS/VC zoom lens due to its weight while in action. But still the outing was great. Sharing ideas and tips from friends were the best part of it.

I guess my other Nikon friends were enjoying their time more there with their zoom lenses, especially my friend who just bought his Nikon D5000. The outing was his idea to get us together to try out his brand new DLSR camera. The next week, he bought himself a new zoom lens. Once you are in, photography really can be addictive and that can only means more money starts pouring out...Hahaha. Matai la gila sudah ni dia bilang...Hahaha.

I'm also is getting excited all over again and looking forward to buying new gears soon for our next outing...or perhaps an upgrade?...mmm

The Journey So Far...

2009-05-28T03:01:00.000-07:00

Buying the 1000D has been a good learning experience for me. Going from just plain point and shoot camera to DSLR camera has really opened up a new world to me. DSLR realm is really about unlimited possibilities with only the sky as the limit..Hahaha. Well, literally speaking, I can reach the moon through the zoom lens, so I think it still limitless when it comes to photography. If anything, it’s all depend on your creativity and imagination on using the tools at hand. As the saying goes, it’s the man behind the camera that matters.

Speaking about the man, I’m still learning the curves with my entry level DSLR camera. It’s a mixture of satisfaction and frustration throughout the learning process and I still have a long way to go. Brought it along for several outings and the pictures have been mixture of sharp and blurry images here and there. I think it’s acceptable for any newbie, as it’s all about trial and error whenever handling one of these toys. By that time, I already bought the 55-250mm IS and 50mm f/1.8 II lens to add to my collection. The prime lens is sharp and I have no problem with it. The zoom lens is just an extension to my 18-55mm IS standard kit lens so the built and picture quality is more or less the same.

Earlier on, the basic manual book does come in handy as a starter to learn about the camera functions and settings. On paper, everything looks simple and easy with all the dedicated buttons and settings for whatever you wanted it to do. Reading magazines and surfing through the many photography community and forums online have given me more knowledge and confidence on what my beginner’s DSLR camera can do. Yet it felt so miserably agonizing at most of the times when getting some poor quality pictures when you expected otherwise with all the settings correctly done. Not satisfied with it, I was in dilemma as whether to keep it or moved on to a higher spec and different brand, the Nikon D90. At one time, convinced that it wasn’t good enough, I posted it for sale online.

Well, I actually got a buyer, but the deal turned sour when he backed off the last minute. The reason being he claimed due to the sudden drop in camera and lens prices, he could get a better camera and lens package with the same price that we agreed upon before. Just not meant to be I think. As bad as it sound, the guy did come back for the bargain again but only after I already sold my Canon 55-250mm IS to a lucky lady. Lucky her, pity him because my offer was really good for the entire three lens combo (after more discount la).

After that, someone did offer to buy the body only but the price was too low so I decided to keep it though I was thinking to buy the 40D body as an alternative after the sale. It’s an old model yet it’s a semi-pro model, better than the 1000D (on spec wise). But nothing materialized also and everything went slow motion for me with my photography quest until my other closest friends started getting interested in photography also. They are into Nikon D90 and D5000. It’s a great feeling having your closest friends also sharing the same interest as you and the recent outing has rekindled my old flame for photography. I’m getting excited again and I’m planning to endure this journey this time with a clearer mindset.

I know what I was lacking in the past and what I’ve been missing all this time fooling around about the small petty stuffs. Photography should be fun and unrestricted. It doesn’t really matter what brand or model that you have in taking the pictures, it’s what you are doing with your camera to get the desired pictures that counts. Again, it’s the man behind that matters. So, stop complaining, go out and start shooting la!...Hahaha.

I guess I’ll be keeping the 1000D for a while until I feel restricted by its limitations and move on to higher level once my need is there. One thing that I learned also is that buying an expensive camera body doesn’t always guarantee sharp pictures. It’s the lens that matters the most. An expensive Canon L lens on my 1000D body would be something interesting to behold with.. That would be the ultimate setting for it..For now, I guess I have to buy myself a new 55-250mm IS again … Matai start gila balik suda ni…Hahaha.

Lok Kawi Wildlife Park Outing

2009-05-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Just a quick update...

Today I went to the Lok Kawi Wildlife Park for photography outing with my friends. First time being to the place actually (for me only la I think) and I almost lost on my way there if not thanks to the big 'guiding' signboards along the road.

In short, we had great fun taking pictures of the animals inside the park under the hot sun for almost half of the day !..Hahaha. But it was worth it.

Will update on the animals pictures on the next post. Till then...

Vulcan...

2009-05-23T05:29:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Though I don't own one yet, like most boys out there, I like big bikes especially the cruiser type. It's not that I'm a speed junkie but I just like the idea of cruising on a big bike while going through the winding road of KK-Ranau on my way back to kampung during the weekdays. On a perfect sunny day, with just me and my ride, added some more with the wind blowing as I cruises along the road, the feeling then would have been really great.... Hahaha. Angan-angan la dulu ni. But, yes one of these days, once everything settle down, I would surely buy one and among my favourites is vulcan... Vrooommm...See ya!

Contagious Hobby...

2009-05-21T02:56:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

Its funny but I think that photography can be contagious also macam tu virus..hehe. It seems everyone of my friends is eager to jump into the DSLR realm. About 2 months ago a friend of mine bought his D90 and just 1 week ago another friend just bought the Nikon 5000D...and here i am still with my beginner's 1000D..huhu. More news, in a couple of months, another friend is also expected to join in the club...Hahaha. Gila!!...

Well, I got attracted to photography in the first place due to my interest in blogging as well as I needed a new fresh hobby to escape from my hectic working life..or was it because i saw my friend owning one earlier before also?... Hahaha. Macam sia pun kena jangkitan juga ni mangkali...Hahaha.

Sleepy Head...

2009-05-15T18:38:00.000-07:00

Just to sum up this whole week, I've been a lazy sleepy head with 'I don't know what blissful dreams' at night...Hahaha.

Not because of booze, but because of my big appetite lately. I don't know why but I've been eating quite a lot during dinner time since a few weeks ago and it's affecting my productivity at night.

In my line of work, I usually have to continue doing my design work at home during night time. But ever since I'm always over full almost every night, I cannot help myself from falling into deep slumber on the sofa even with the TV in front of me...causing me to miss watching CSI and my other favourite TV series the whole week...Hahaha. Worse, It seems some of my planned works also have to be dragged to next week since I couldn't commit to them in time.. :(

Anyway, I know it's bad for my working routine but I could not help myself to at least continue this blissful feeling only for this weekend with my few cans of beers ( 1 crate actually) waiting for me in my room since Wednesday... Aramai Tiee..Hahaha

Doing my part ...

2009-05-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Cheerss..

This post is long overdue but anyway here goes,...I was on a short trip back to Ranau last Saturday actually. It’ s not the end of month yet but I just couldn't postpone it till early next month, since its regarding a meeting with the church committee members about this new church building that they wanted to build. It’s not the 1st time I’ve done similar jobs before, only this time it’s a bit special since its for the community in which we lived in.

The weather was good, all bright and shiny when I started my journey back to Ranau from Tamparuli around 8.00am after having my breakfast. I had my usual mee sup sasau at my favorite Chinese shop there...Sadap Orr... Hahaha. On my way up, I stopped for a while to take some shots of a nearby church building just after the big roundabout. It's rather a small building as compared to others I've seen, compact but beautifully designed. It has nice proportion to its overall design with interesting small detailing that makes it pleasing to the eyes. If I’m not mistaken it was designed by one of my ex bosses when I first started working at Chan & Shahriman Architect firm years ago. Sadly, he passed away a few years back due to brain tumor I think. Anyway, it’s just about the same size as the one I’m working on so it will be a good reference to me.

my inspiration

Made another stop along the way, just to enjoy the good scenery under the good weather and with camera at hands I just took some shots of whatever I found interesting while I was at halfway of this massive retaining wall. Panat & bergagar jugala kaki sia naik tu tangga naik atas or... Hahaha. I found out that I'm gayat juga rupanya whenever it comes to high places. I had very unforgettable experience about this place as when the 1st landslide happened, me and my friend had to sleep in my car the whole night there. We were supposed to be back in Ranau to attend a friend's birthday party but ended up stucked with the rest of other cars around us. We couldn't even drive back to KK, so we had no choice but to endure the cold night with only my towel as my blanket... Hahaha. Besok pagi terus balik KK. So, when the 2nd landslide happened again, I just returned back to KK. Jarah suda ba pasal tunggu-tunggu ni.... Hahaha.

notice all the pointing pipes.. macam tu fortress pula with guns blazing...Hehehe

The staircase to the heaven ka ni?... Hehehe

Being at this position.. Feels like I believe I can fly...Hehehe

I arrived in Ranau around 10.30am and waited at my friend’s cyber station before joining in the committee meeting after the church service has ended. It was a brief meeting just to update the latest status on the proposal and land as well as some design amendment to my draft proposal. Looks like it’s a green light to proceed with the actual final design and I’m expected to come out with the final design soon for proper council submission and approval. Maybe, I’ll be posting the final design here once it’s done…:)

We spent some time looking around the actual site before heading back to the town for lunch together and finally returning home. Before going back to KK, I spent some time at home looking into another small project. Recently all the drainage system within our housing area are being upgraded to concrete drain. So taking this opportunity we asked the contractor to shift our access road to a new location, in order for me and my father to implement our plan to do some extension to the existing car porch as well as building a proper fence around the house. By doing so, it will help to keep people from taking 'short cuts' through our compounds and allowing more cars to be parked properly inside under the shed. Hope this one goes well too...

P/S : Inda la buntut my vi sia asyik terkeluar ja dari car porch every time sia balik Ranau…Hahaha.

All is Well ...

2009-04-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

Cheerss...

I started this week with a rather sad entry due to my misfortunes and I would like to end it on a happier note. Well, after going to 2 different workshops for repair quotation, I decided to send in my vi for repair on Wednesday's afternoon and just now, I've just came back from the workshop with my vi.It looks just like brand new!...horayyy...Hahaha (Kasi senang-senang hati ja ba ni pasal at the same time, koyak bah juga bah wallet sia membayar... :( )

I was in a bit of dilemma at first though, since the two workshops offered me 2 different quotations for the repair work, but I finally decided to send it to the expensive one mainly because I could get my vi earlier. Though RM100 cheaper, the other workshop can only start work this Saturday and finish in 4-5 days time. That would mean 2 weeks of waiting and I just cannot wait that long.

With the repair work costing me RM800 for 3 days job, time sure is 'expensive' and I'm expecting 1st time good job that's worth my money from the workshop.( It was recommended by a friend of mine who works in the insurance & loss claim company).When I arrived around 1.00pm to check on them, they just finished baking my vi in the oven and I had the opportunity to check on the repair & repainting work on the spot. It looked good and statisfactory to me, only left to dry some more. So, I told the taukeh that I would came back around 3.00pm.

The workshop is actually located just nearby the place where I lived (another reason why I chose it), so I decided just to walk back there and picked my vi around 4.00pm. Feels great to be driving it back again and hopefully this one time incident will never happened again in the future. Frankly, I consider myself as a careful and civilized driver and never ever in my years of driving history before that I've been in any road accident. Mati enjin kreta di tengah-tengah jalan pernah la...Hahaha. That's also another funny and stupid story. But there's a saying la that once accident, the 'curse' will haunt the vehicle forever??...Ada betul ka ni? palis-palis...

p.s:/ It was a double trouble incident actually. After the 1st accident in Api-api centre, another dent happened to the bottom left section of my vi (just below the door panel) when I bumped into a wooden stump (it's more like a wooden marker for surveying purposes) while I was on a site visit to Beaufort on Tuesday. That's why la it costs me that much as the 2nd damage need special machine to pull the dented metal back to its original state. Lesson learned - always be very aware of your parking surroundings and don't simply park your car sembarangan ja...hahahaha.

Shitty Monday....

2009-04-20T07:52:00.000-07:00

You gain something, yet you loose something at the same time.

Do you guys ever in such situation?

Maybe in the past I've been in more or less the same situation but not as tragic as what I've been through now...

If you read in my previous post, I've been eyeing for a new hp to replace my current one for quite some time now and I've finally decided that it's time to go for it while I was in CP last Saturday. Funny thing was, I did buy a new hp but it's not my 1st choice, rather it's something that was totally different. From music hp to being business hp or in other words, rather that getting the 5800 Xpress Music, I chose to buy the business oriented Nokia E63... Really sott kan!!..Wakakaka. In case you don't know, it's the cut down version of the already famous E71.

Why the sudden change of mind you might asked. Well, to put it simple, my logic is rather than spending my money (RM13xx) on something that's mainly meant as a music oriented hp, I would rather have something that gives me the benefits of both worlds: entertainment and work. And Nokia E63 with its much much cheaper price tag as compared to 5800 XM and its big brother, E71 is the obvious choice for me.It's about time also I need to get myself more organised in my work since I can be forgetful at times and I need something like a pda to keep all those important tasks and meeting dates close by for quick reference and remainder. Furthermore, I think it's the cheapest nokia's blackberry clone around that still includes wifi feature which is a must have in my list and basically my 1st qwerty hp ever (something that I've never used before and curious as to its usage).

So, I think I made the right decision in the end and now biasa la macam orang kebaruan, I'm still exploring all its features and functions since I got it. Changing themes and downloading softwares those sort kind of things. So far, it works as good as I expected and feels like being on the moon pula rasa-rasa dia with this new hp, though I wish I can have both....wakakaka.

Anyway, all those feelings just evaporated today when, somehow, blame it on my stupidity, I scratched my vi door panel. Not 1, but 2 doors sekaligus. WTF!!!... That was my first expression when I heard the strange sound while I was reversing my vi somewhere in front of the Kedai Nasi Ayam Malaysia (or was it Singapura?) along the Api-Api shoplots. I was actually waiting for my gf there and everything was ok until I reversed my car to allow a toyota hilux to come out from his parking ( I was actually blocking his path). What happened was that I was too close to the parking metal baricade that I didn't see it while I was reversing until shit happened. It's just one of those days that you would be cursing yourself for such a silly mistake. Itu mata mana? Tarang-tarang tu benda sana pun ko pi langgar ka?... Those kind of mad thoughts just came up in my mind as I tried hard to keep my cool all the way while driving my gf back home.

On my way back, I decided to double check the damage again at the nearest Karamunsing petrol station and I was kind of relieve a bit that it's not as bad I thought. It's only been 1 year plus old and already 'injured' like this, it still hurts somehow. Thinking of it now, it's entirely not my silly mistake as hidden in the driver's blind spot, I definitely couldn't see where the barricade was from my driving position. Blamed it on my poor judgement then since despite knowing those things ( parking barricades) being there I still want to park there. Now padan muka, pigila parking sana lagi next time....Wakaka. Mau kasi blacklisted suda tu area sana. If sia betul-betul kapanas ni, maybe I'll go complain to the management for putting up such devices that could actually damage people's car if accidentally knocking into one of those things. A more flexible plastic version should be more appropriate. At least not so damaging even if kena langgar sikit...

So, there you go my long awaited trip to the moon was cut short due to some my shitty driving skills...Wakakaka. Despite saving the money from my hp budget for other purpose, I actually have to spent it on the repair work...:(.

It's really my shitty Monday...

p/s : Back in my mind, is this some kind of 5800XM curse? If I actually go ahead with my plan to buy it, would the accident still happen?...Tidakkkk...Wakakaka

4 Ministers, 5 Deputies...Buli Ka Dorang Ni?

2009-04-09T23:15:00.000-07:00

So finally, our new PM has officially announced his new cabinet and at the glimpse of the list, I would say it's more or less the same faces (or jokers as I like to call our politicians). Only change of portfolios with the inclusion of few new faces notably Datuk Mukhriz, the son of Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohammad (Malaysia's 4th PM) as the deputy minister for International Trade and Industry.

Though the father denied that he got his says on the cabinet selection, most people (including me) would agree that his selection is kinda expected as a 'consolation' for his defeat to Khairy Jamaluddin ( the son -in-law of former Malaysia's 5th PM, Tun Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi) in the recent Pemuda UMNO Chief's selection. At the same time, people would be glad to know that the latter was not in the list despite his win though (anybody who's in the top position within the party would normally be in cabinet as well).

Well, maybe not for now but nobody wants an 'obvious' corupt leader ( he was found to be guilty of money politics by the UMNO Supreme Council, yet 'forgiven' and controvesially won the top post) to be holding any important role within the government and I think even our new PM sees the impact it would have on people impression of his new cabinet as he is currently trying to win back the people's trust (especially the Malays) with his so called agenda for change. Cabinet with corupt politicians, that's a big no-no. The people would surely retaliate more and maybe another mass defeat again in the next national election??..If that happens, that would be the biggest flop in Malaysia's history,..PM's agenda of change that eventually bring in the change of government to the Opposition!.. That would make a great entry in Malaysia's Book of Records though.

As for us sabahans, it seems that we got ourselves plenty of opportunities through our 4 ministers and 5 deputies to fight for our cause in the Parliment and actually bringing in more progress and most importantly justice to our beloved land.

Ministers:

Tan Sri Bernard Dompok (PLANTATION INDUSTRIES AND COMMODITIES)
Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (RURAL AND REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT)
Datuk Dr Maximus Ongkili (SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION)
Datuk Anifah Aman (FOREIGN)

Deputies:

Datuk Lajim Ukin (HOUSING AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT)
Tan Sri Joseph Kurup (NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT)
Datuk Rosnah Rashid Shirlin (HEALTH)
Datuk V.K. Liew (PM'S DEPARTMENT)
Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri (TRANSPORT)

Seeing from the list above, Yeah.. Durang-durang juga bah ni balik-balik kan...hehehe... except where is our Huguan Siou? And why is that Kurup still got selected?..Anyway, they are veterans with years of experience serving our state and nation (except for Datuk Rosnah I think which is again, a no surprise addition since she's the new Puteri UMNO Chief. Infact, majority of them are with UMNO). And with their vast credibility, a naive sabahan would believe that such politicians would be doing their best in serving the people of Sabah.

However, in our very own Sabahland, it's a well known fact that most of our politicians are well known for their 'surviving skills' in paddling their ways through the nation and state political currents. Either it's for the sake of the party kunun or for their own personal interests. Worst, suka makan sendiri and inda suka tengok orang lain maju (walaupun sama-sama dusun/kadazan...bikin panas ni).That's why, we have many YB katak last time until we lost hold of the helm of power over our own land until now. Though on the surface, developments are booming here and there but who's reaping the real benefits? One thing for sure, mostly not sabahans and even so, they are the 'elite' sabahans.

I never really like politics, as for me politicians are the last persons that you should believe in this world...Hahaha. I'm not saying we should hate our politicians especially our own and I personally don't have any grudges with them ( by writing this post anyway, its my only 2 cents opinion). So far, I'm quite content with my life in Sabah, though I wished we could have more by reaping what is rightfully ours in our land in the 1st place rather that getting it 2nd handed from the federal government. My point is that we are not 'blind' anymore with all the politicians antics that we couldn't see or differentiate the truth from the lies that being thrown at us. Yeah, right... So you were selected but we know who you are.

Knowing the stories of some of these veterans, I hope that this lineup is aware of their own need for change and will bring in the much needed change for us sabahans. Apa-apapun, Buli Ba Kalau Ko!!!...Hahaha

Mixed Feelings...

2009-04-04T03:19:00.000-07:00

I'm having a mixed feelings now...

I'm happy because that my once congested table is now 'free' and a little bit sadden also because I'm currently without my desktop pc anymore as I've recently 'donated' it to my youngest brother in KL for his studies. Well,... It's about time anyway since I've been saying that I would passed it to him since last year...Sorry bro, lambat...hehehe.

It just so happened that his friend was going back to KL on Thursday last week, so he smsed me whether the offer was still on. Took me a few minutes to decide before I finally said yes and then eventually made the arrangement to meet up with his friend to 'kasi kirim' the pc only with him. It wasn't easy though, as because of the short notice, I had to stay up the whole Wednesday's night till early morning to backup all my data before packing it nicely to be put into kargo. I've used up about 10 DVDs all together for my data!!!... That's a lot considering all my project drawings, pictures, downloaded movies and animes were inside there...hehehe.

Last time, a friend of mine lost his DVD rom and graphic card when he brought his pc back from Sarawak through kargo. Luckily the motherboard and CPU were still intact and basically he had to fork out money to buy those missing items afterward. Pity him for the unfortunate incident and actually there is a good lesson to be learnt from his experience. Fearing that the same might happened to my pc, I took the hard disk out and left the rest within the casing but I made sure that the box was securely taped all around...Bungkus mati punya...hehehe.

I met up with Azrun ( my brother's friend) at Terminal 2 around 6:00 am and passed him the package. Fortunately, he took the extra 20kg luggage limit when he booked his flight. So, I ended up paying nothing for the 'delivery' since his total luggage was about 16kg only altogether including mine. I jokingly informed him to ask for 'belanja' from my brother once he arrived in KL for all his help ( My brother is waiting for him there at KLIA). Thanks man....were my last words as I bid him farewell and I was glad when I recieved sms later that day from my brother saying that everything was OK.

So, I'm stucked with my laptop as my workstation and blogging platform from now on... It will be quite some time when I'll be buying a new desktop again. Maybe wait until I move to my new house.... :)

Fast and Furious 4

2009-04-02T17:24:00.000-07:00

Cheers...

AWESOME!!!... I went to watch the Fast and Furious 4 movie last night at Cathay Cinema, KK ( my 2nd time watching movie there) and it turned out to be another great sequel to one of my favorite movies ever. Plenty of fast paced racing and drifting actions, crazily modified cars and super sexy girls...all the right ingredients for another box office movie and great viewing pleasure for all those Fast and Furious movie fans out there. The wait..it's worth it.

In short, it was all-action packed right from the start till the end with a bit of humor by the occasional super cool remarks / dialogue from the man, Van Diesel. So, if you haven't watched it, go and watch it this weekend. You won't regret it...Enjoy the trailer below !!!

Helping Out ...

2009-03-29T03:21:00.000-07:00

Cheers...

It's the month of March and it's harvesting time for the folk back in kampung and as usual my parent is among the few who still carry out the rice planting & harvesting tradition every year. I missed helping out last year due to my busy working schedule, so this time around when my mum asked for help, I promised them that I would help out during this weekend.

Supposedly, I planned to drive straight back to kampung on Friday night but due to the heavy rain and 'banjir kilat' somewhere along the Telipok area (which I only knew when I got stucked in traffic jam when I visited my friends at Putrajaya), I decided to make my journey early morning on the next day.

Somehow, maybe due to sleeping quite late last night after the gathering with friends, I woke up quite late and only started to move from home around 8:30am and I managed to reach Ranau around 10.30am. It's not as early as I wanted, but at least I'm back in kampung. By the way, my dad has been calling me twice while I was still on the road asking when I'll be reaching home since they wanted to wait for me. As not to waste time, I told them to go ahead since I'll be arriving quite late. So, after dumping all my stuffs at home, I quickly got into my 'working suit' ( baju & seluar khas untuk kerja sawah la ni) and drove down to the Kg. Marakau to join them.

For years, I'm not exactly sure how long already, but as far as I can remember, my parent, especially my mum has been working on the field ever since that our whole family moved back to Ranau. It's a family land on my father's side, shared between siblings and my parent has been planting padi on our own lot to supplement our source for rice every year.

I was told that my other aunties also joined in the week before, but there were only three of us this time around. Thankfully, the weather was good during the whole day yesterday and though the sun was quite hot (jarang berjemur bah ni..hehehe), it was cooled down by the occasional breeze of wind. I even managed to take a nap at our recently extended 'sulap' after having our lunch before finishing off the left over work at the padi field. I left earlier with my dad since he got something to do elsewhere. My mum continued with the remaining work before she came back home later that day. I admired her for her spirit and determination working on the field to support our family all this time. Thanks to my parent, I can enjoy having free rice supply whenever I came back to kampung. Thanks mum and dad... Hehehe. It's not that we couldn't afford to buy rice, it's more to do with continuing the family tradition that has been going on ever since we were young. Furthermore, it's a waste to leave the land undeveloped.

Sometimes I do wonder, who would continue carrying the torch for this seemingly dying tradition as I and my other siblings, nowadays rarely have the luxury of time being at kampung to help out start from the beginning until the end. We are all pretty much scattered all over the place with my brothers being in Peninsular Malaysia and only me and my sisters are in Sabah. Mmm... It's tough but somebody has to do it someday.

All in all, though it was quite a tiring day, (panat bah melalapos padi & angkat 4 karung padi balik ke sulap), I'm glad that I made the trip back home and had a good day helping out my parent in the field. If nothing urgent, I hope I'll be coming back home to help them out again next weekend.

While I was there, I took the opportunity to take some pictures during my 'break' time. Enjoy!!!...

Green among the golden ones...

'Golden' rice...our must have food...

Dragonfly... A coincidence encounter with this fella
while I was squatting on the ground for shots...

The recently extended 'sulap'... peaceful resting place...

Scooter Airbrush Artwork

2009-03-20T05:44:00.000-07:00

For those bikers or scooter fans out there, do you fancy some airbrush artwork on your beloved ride? For inspiration, these are just pictures of some airbrush artwork done on scooters that I've managed to snap during a recent car & scooter showcase at Tanjung Aru Plaza open space (the area where all the food stalls are) about a month ago. I like the Transformer artwork the most...Great colors and detailing there...

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T00:57:00.001-08:00

...HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY...

Love is in the air ba kan time-time begini, so apa lagi go out with your love
ones and just be romantic under today's auspicious weather...Hehehe

Well, at least in KK la, no rain orrr... Hahaha

For those still single, don't worry...
here's a g ood guide to keep you sane through the day.... Hahaha

See My Inside

2009-02-04T23:37:00.000-08:00

Haha...So, now you know how's the inside of my body looks like. Wondered if architects are all boring people, this architecture t-shirt design just show how we can be funny at times...

Something to get me thru this weekend

2009-01-31T17:15:00.001-08:00

Today it's the end of my 1 week 'compulsory leaves' since the office is closed for
1 week for the CNY celebration and heck I'm still stuck with these fellas...

I bought 2 cartoons for the celebration, finished 1 with gf uncles last monday
at kampung and brought back 1 for other ocassion. I had good time knowing
my 'bakal-bakal' ipar over 4 cartoons of beers that day. It never fails to
amaze me how aramai tie can bring strangers so close together. I think that's
show just how good we are sabahan at 'ice breaking'...

Well, I actually wanted to simpan for my coming birthday but heck...just
couldn't resist my urge while lepaking at home and yess..I'm drinking alone
and at the moment I'm down to 12 more cans to go. Just buy again la next
time when to celebrate and right now just enjoy it...

Why am I drinking alone?,..Well, It's one of my new things nowadays...
Layan diri sendiri... It helps me to 'think' over things. Recognise the
fake handphone? I purposely put it there to 'think'. It's the latest Nokia
5800 Xpress Music handphone and I'm considering replacing my old SE
handphone with it. It's so cool, a smartphone with touch screen almost similar
to the Apple 3G iphone. Fell in love with it when I saw my friend using it the
other day and until now I'm still bugged of owning one. To buy or not
to buy? To buy or not to buy? To buy or not to buy?...

Heck, hard decision huh?... Maybe once I'm finished with the last can,
I'll make my decision or maybe I just go...

and ponder about it again until my birthday comes... my birthday present
anyone please?...Hehehe

'Scary' Kampung Path

2009-01-30T04:21:00.000-08:00

Took the original picture above during bright daytime somewhere in kampung
area and thought it's a good material for an 'evil' project that I've in mind.

So,I played around with it in Photoshop to get the effects that I wanted.
A dark, scary path macam waktu petang di kampung time kecik-kecik dulu.

Anyway, maybe I just overdone it with this image (1st try)..what you think?

New Year's Freebies

2009-01-13T05:05:00.001-08:00

3 Free Calendars & 4 Dairies from Suppliers/Contractor

Favourite Calendar & Dairy from Nippon (orange kaw-kaw)

Feeling bored in office, I just couldn't help myself from snapping these ~~crappy~~ pictures (taken with my modded SE K750i ) of all these freebies on my table that I've received early this new year...Hahaha. It's just that I found it funny when suddenly I was given so many of these calendars & diaries from our supplier/contractor friends...macam durian runtuh pula...In fact the whole office also find it kinda weird why lately everything seems to be going so well with the company with most of the projects' payments have been coming in since middle end of last year making my bos basically a rich man now..tapi still luki..Hahaha.

It has been quite a rewarding decision for me, since I joined back the company somewhere early last year. Within the short period of time, I've achieved quite a lot as compared to my previous years with the company before. I don't believe in superstition, but maybe are all these signs of more prosperous things to come for me personally in this year?.. *fingers crossed*...Hopefully a big ang pau for everyone in the office for this coming Chinese New Year... Hehehe.

The Not So-so New Year Celebration

2009-01-10T22:54:00.000-08:00

As far as I can remember, I think 2009 is the 1st time I literally didn't do anything to celebrate the coming of a new year... To be exact I was asleep alone at home when the whole world were celebrating the beginning of a new year..Hahaha.

Well, blame it on my tiredness or simply of my laziness to go out and actually celebrate it with others and basked in all its happening....Hahaha. It's just that I think I was just too exhausted with the amount of driving, travelling and aramai tie during the long holidays that I couldn't be bothered with another party or aramai tie session... even if it means the end of a year? Hahaha.. Yeah, That's me, being me sometimes,..I just simply don't care. Even though I had two invitations from my brother, wel and my gf that night, either way, I'm bound to drink and I was really not in the mood that night.

More importantly, I just wanted to get myself relaxed after the journey back from Tambunan that evening. I was thinking to go to Bukit Bendera to take pictures of the fireworks display but then canceled it when I thought of the crowd and traffic jam afterward. I really don't like to be stucked alone in the middle of the traffic jam at night. So, I decided to stay at home, main-main komputer and simply fell asleep around 10pm till the next morning.

The next day I woke up quite early, feeling fresh from enough sleep last night so I thought of doing something at least something special for the 1st day of 2009. So I decided to go for a movie marathon..Hehehe. Yeahh...I watched 2 movies straight, 'Ip Man' and 'The Spirit' starting from 12 noon till around 3 something....Crazy huh?..Hahaha. 'Ip Man' was a great kung fu movie, the best in 2008 I would say, nothing less but the best one would expect from the 'Iron Monkey' actor whereas 'The Spirit' was a disappointment to me. It's in the same graphic movie style as the previous 'Sin City' and '300' but really boring to me, though it was directed by the same director. Would have gone for 3rd and 4th movie if wasn't for my gf sms. Well, at least I've done something memorable for the new year..Even though it may sound boring because I was alone the whole time...Hahaha.

Enough with that ~~lame~~ story, something worth sharing here is this great song from Nickelback which I think would be a fitting start for anybody who wants to be or in need of somebody in this new year as part of their resolutions..Enjoy guys!!!

Gotta be somebody - Nickelback

This time, I wonder what it feels like
To find the one in this life, the one we all dream of
But dreams just aren't enough
So I'll be waiting for the real thing, I'll know it by the feeling
The moment when we're meeting, will play out like a scene
Straight off the silver screen
So I'll be holding my own breath, right up 'til the end
Until that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There's gotta be somebody for me like that
Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There's gotta be somebody for me out there

Tonight, out on the street, out in the moonlight
And dammit this feels too right, it's just like deja vu
Me standing here with you
So I'll be holding my own breath, could this be the end
Is it that moment when, I find the one that I'll spend forever with

Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There's gotta be somebody for me like that
Cause nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know they're not alone
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There's gotta be somebody for me out there

You can't give up, looking for a diamond in the rough
You never know, when it shows up, make sure you're holding on
Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on
Cause nobody wants to be the last one there
And everyone wants to feel like someone cares
Someone to love with my life in their hands
There's gotta be somebody for me, ohhh

Nobody wants to do it on their own
And everyone wants to know their not alone
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There's gotta be somebody for me out there
Nobody wants to be the last one there
Cause everyone wants to feel like someone cares
There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere
There's gotta be somebody for me out there

Memories of 20-12-2008

2009-01-04T02:42:00.000-08:00

Just some pictures of last year's 2nd gathering with friends at Alveen's house...These are among great memories of 2008. Yearghh..We had a really good time that night. Drinking, eating and chatting macam lama indak jumpa kawan... Hahaha. Expecting more friends from Ranau to join in the fun this time but at last minute inda jadi datang pula whereas some got clashed plans on the same day so they couldn't come. My brother, Wel was back in Sabah on that day and after meeting up with his friends earlier,he later joined us late that night...Mabuk suda time sampai and soon he also kalapik.... Hahaha. Well,..actually, I was also drunk that night...hehehe..sampai ilang ingatan after picking up my brother at Putra Jaya Giant Superstore. The last thing I remembered was that my friend, Stanly (juara bertahan tu malam) woke me up around 4:00am to go back to KK. Since I was still feeling dizzy, he drove my car until we reached home and then my other friend, Ray (he went back earlier) sent him home at Bundusan. The next morning, while I was still feeling kegutan, I met up with Alveen to fetch my brother (I left him sleeping at Alveen's house that night) in Menggatal and got to know a fellow blogger, Mr. Gee who happened to be Alveen's childhood friend and also a keen photographer. I remembered that he was with us also that night but he came late and I was like almost 'there' already when we chatted about camera...Hahaha.

Enjoy the pictures below... :)

The aramai tie geng at the beginning...

The special for the night... met uncle Jack Daniel & mr. Black Label

Pusas for the night... the usual ayam panggang & hot dog....

The jokers in action... Ni time mau kick-kick suda ni

Yeahhh... Jobil, peace to you also my friend...

Alveen kissing uncle JD...mau kick suda mangkali ni...

The fallen ones...dewa-dewa yang kecundang...Hahaha

New Year Wishes

2008-12-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

... May God Bless All Of Us For This Coming New Year...!!!

Christmas & Family Gathering 2008

2008-12-29T18:48:00.000-08:00

I know it's a bit late but anyway, Merry Christmas Everyone!!!...

Like the years before, I was in Ranau during the recent Christmas celebration and it's just feel great to be celebrating it this year since we're almost a complete family (without my two brothers who's still in Peninsular Malaysia) when we (my family members) gathered for the celebration and family gathering this time around.

My older sister, Giding (nama kampung) and her husband with their children were already at my parent's home earlier when we (me + my brother) arrived home on the night of Christmas's Eve. My younger brother,Wel is back in Sabah on holidays leave for two weeks and we have been aramai tie since he first landed ...Hahaha...1st night sudah kalapik...Alalala...Dewa aramai tie Penang tewas di Sabah juga...Hehehe. It has been 2 or 3 years already I think since his last trip back in Sabah and sampai saja already kena poisoned... Hahaha... Inda rugi balik bah kan... My younger sister, Indut (also nama kampung ni) arrived on the 26th with her bf after celebrating Christmas in Tambunan with her bf's family and with everyone at home, the house felt like alive again, especially with my sister's children around.

The highlight of this year's Christmas would be the grand family gathering (on my father's side) which was held at my auntie's house (my father's younger sister) in Kg. Marakau, Ranau. Met (al)most all of my uncles, aunties,cousins, nephews and nieces there. Some of them were familiar faces whereas some were new faces to me.. and there are so many of them. I really need a lot of time to catch up and remember about all the 'new' relatives that I've just known.

A funny and good thing was that it turned out that my two uncles whom have been working together at the same place in Telupid without realizing that they are actually related until they met up each other again on that day...Sad but true kinda story jugala ni. It's that kind of situation what the family gathering was all about...getting to know your own roots so that everyone know each others as to keep the family ties strong through the generations.

It was only the 2nd such family gathering being organized after the 1st gathering was initiated by my parent at our house last year and it would be a an annual event in years to come. Among the activities were gotong-royong for preparing food and dishes, eating lunch together, brief 'sembahyang', families introduction (suai kenal), families photo session with me being the 'official' photographer..matai la, our grandfather's (the only one left) birthday celebration and finally exchange gifts. It was both exciting and tiring experience...

Even though not everyone was there, it was still a successful gathering considering being only the 2nd time around and we are expecting it to improve over the next gathering at Kg. Bongkud (my 'new' datuk's house) in year 2009.

P/S: I'm still going through all the pictures that I've taken and will post them here once I'm done.

Sabah F2000 World Cup Powerboat Race 2008

2008-12-19T18:59:00.000-08:00

Just some (crappy) pictures I've taken during the recent Sabah Powerboat Race event held along the KK waterfront esplanade (in front of Promenade Hotel) recently. Didn't bring my zoom lense on my 1st day and totally missed the action on the last day. Planned to test my zoom lense actually for the final but somehow woke up late and later cancelled the trip as I had to travel to Papar in the afternoon.

The entrance to the stage & VIP seating area

One of the race schedule banners as put up along the street

Some of the stalls/tents being setup for the event. Not many
visitors around and some of them still empty...

The demo powerboat being displayed next to the organiser's stall (tent)

One of my favourite toys..they are NAZA bikes but
the one I'm interested in ..NAZA GTR 150 was not on display

It was around noon time when I was there and the sun was really hot. I saw the souvenir umbrella was selling like hot cakes due to the hot weather. So, I just had a quick tour around the area, snapped some pictures and made my way home...Really cannot tahan the hot sun these days...

16th Dec...Last Trip to Sandakan in 2008

2008-12-17T21:00:00.000-08:00

Just came back from outstation trip to Sandakan yesterday for another project's meeting there and it came across in my mind that it's actually my last trip to Sandakan in this year... which I think worth penning it down here.

There will be still more Sandakan's trip to come next year but let that be another chapter left to be told when the time comes. Was it the 7th or 8th trips altogether already since I was assigned to handle this particular project when it started a few months back?...I seem to have lost counts already the exact number but this one would surely the most unforgettable one as I was 1 HOUR LATE this time around...Quite an embarrassing experience.

The story started the week before when the 1st notice of meeting was issued to be on 2:30pm but last minute the client changed it to 10.00am with another notice issued on Friday's afternoon, being the reason... oleh kerana desakan kerja yang tidak dapat dielakkan (typical government department reason). The office already booked my flight earlier at 9:05am KK-Sandakan based on the 1st notice, so I was thinking no need to change as I thought I still can make it on time not realizing that my flight was MASWings (fokker) which took longer flying period (55 minutes) and I only knew then that it has a bad habit of being 'delayed'. So, when I arrived at the airport after rushing from office-home-airport, (I didn't sleep the whole night as I was busy preparing drawings to be given to the contractor), to my disappointment our flight ( I was with the C&S engineer on that same plane) was delayed to 10:10am...Matai la...Didn't expect such thing would happened when to our assumption that the sudden meeting was supposed to be a 'strict' one since the project's work progress was not so good during the last recent meeting (actually only about 2 weeks ago). We were expecting the main contractor including us, the in-house consultants would be under fire for the slow progress on site. Everything seemed to be wrong from the beginning and my hunch was that something really 'bad' going to happened in the meeting.

So, we flew from KK-Sandakan on time (finally) and it was raining when we arrived at the airport. Only the main contractor's supervisor was there to pick us up and went straight to the meeting place. As expected, all the others already arrived and were waiting for us... the 'YB'... as they jokingly 'greeted' us when we arrived. So I just put up my widest smile (sambil tahan muka tabal la ni) and apologizing to everyone for the unexpected delay...apa bole buat kan. Luckily, the client was 'lenient' in their remarks and though the contractor's progress was still behind schedule during the presentation, we were left spared from anymore 'verbal embarrassment' during the meeting...nasib baik inda kena tembak lagi... The client's return flight was on the 2.00pm plane, so the meeting was conducted quite fast considering that only a few minutes left for a quick lunch at their favorite place (kedai mamak) before making their way to the airport...leaving me alone behind with the contractors' geng since my return flight was on 6:50pm...huhuhu.

Went down to MPS at the town centre with the contractor to submit drawings for other project then later we lepak at the Servay Supermarket somewhere along Batu 8 (if I'm not mistaken)...minum-minum...just to burn some time before finally the contractor sent me to the airport to go home..That's how my last trip to Sandakan this year was like and maybe I'll be rambling more about this particular project next time as it got something to do with preparation for a big event next year, June 2009. So, stay tune...

P/S : I meant to post this right on the night after I arrived home from the airport, but I felt asleep halfway through..hehehe. I really need the sleep after staying up the whole night before.

What Type Is Your Blog?

2008-12-15T07:49:00.001-08:00

Found this interesting tool over the internet called 'Typealyzer' which analyze a blog for the blogger's so called 'self-percieved personality'. Here's mine:

ESFP - The Performers

The entertaining and friendly type(1). They are especially attuned to pleasure and beauty and like to fill their surroundings with soft fabrics, bright colors and sweet smells(2). They live in the present moment and don´t like to plan ahead - they are always in risk of exhausting themselves(3).

The enjoy work that makes them able to help other people in a concrete and visible way (4). They tend to avoid conflicts and rarely initiate confrontation - qualities that can make it hard for them in management positions(5).

This is what I think about these so called analysis :

1. Guess so,.. I''m more like the quiet type actually but depending on the mood (aramai tie la ni ), I can be 'really' entertaining and friendly but mostly among friends la... (Too friendly lain pula orang bilang, bikin malu ja)

2. Guess so,.. I like creative and good things in life and that maybe include the soft fabrics,...etc.(sounds macam pondan ja ni..alala)

3. Not really,.. Though I'm enjoying my present life as orang bujang now, I do have plans ahead. If not, I wouldn't be at where I'm now.

4. Yeah,.. Who wouldn't like such work? Helping to shape Sabah into a better place would have been my ultimate goal if I become a successful architect. (planning ni..hehehe)

5. Yeah,.. I'm just a simple, peace loving guy, but does it really affect one's performance as a leader?...mmm

Interestingly, the results do resemble most of my so called 'qualities' even though its note did mention that writing style on a blog may have little or nothing to do with a person´s self-perceived personality. So what type is your blog?

Freedom

2008-12-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

Quicksilver's tag line at 1Borneo.
Loved the idea of being free to do anything and don't mind getting dirty for the sake of having fun.But at the moment, feeling more like...
Freedom is 'Cuti-cuti Krismas'...:)

071208 Gathering

2008-12-09T05:26:00.001-08:00

Boleh Bah!... That's my first expression when my two friends, Ray and Edmund contacted me when they wanted to arrange for friends gathering at another friend's (Alveen) house in Putra Jaya, Telipok during the recent weekend(7/12/08). Actually just last month, we also had a small gathering there when Alveen and his wife just finished moving into the house and that day we finished off 1 and 1/2 bottles of his chivas for the house warming... :) Anyway, for this 2nd gathering I 'm supposed to prepare the special Tambunan tajau (my auntie's home made special) for the ocassion...You see they all already kena 'poisoned' during our previous visits to my auntie's house back in Tambunan...As one of my chinese friend used to say 'kick leher' ba minum... Hahaha...Tajau jugala menjadi pilihan...Sekali mensiop mau lagi...2 kali mensiop terus kondem...inda jerah-jerah dorang ni...Hahaha.

Back to my two friends, so who are they? My two 'cikgu' friends who have just finished their KPLI program at Maktab Perguruan Tawau and this gathering is something like a celebration for finishing the program and finally becoming 'cikgu'...something like 'Prison Break' jugala ni because the place really-really secluded (tengah-tengah oil palm estate ba) and damn boring according to them. Anyway, congratulation to them for escaping from 'Alcatraz' and back to civilization...Hahaha. They are enjoying their holiday now until early January next year when the school break is over and maybe go separate way to their respective posting place...Hopefully, they all kena posting dekat-dekat Sabah juga as personally I think being away too long from your 'beloved' ones is really frustrating and tempting at the same time...Huhuhu.

Other close friends who also joined in the gathering were Agang (nickname ni) and Kiong (ngam ka ni ejaan ni?) who drove down from Ranau to KK on that day and the last person to came quite late that night was Stanly with his bakuteh sup especially tapau from Foh Sang. Not forgetting, our 'new' friend (sorry I cannot recall his name) whom I got to know that day, Alveen's colleague which also happened to be Edmund's long lost friend during university days last time. What a small world!...Kecik ja ni Sabah rupanya.

The ladies present were Alveen's wife ,Agang's fiance and Ray's girlfriend. Me?...I prefer lone ranger for this kind of occasion...Hahaha. Alcohol consumed were tapai Tambunan ( unfortunately, only mensiop for awhile as somehow it became ahanau sudah after several rounds, salah atur la punya pasal ni mangkali..:( ) 1 botol of Chivas and 1 botol of Swing (compliments from our 'new' friend). Aramai tie session started as early as 3.00pm and lasted until about 10.00pm because no more drinks...macam air ja ba tu kalau haus...Well, have to stop anyway as some of us still have to drive back to KK. The rest slept at the house before going back to Ranau the next morning. Below just a few candid snap shots (taken by my friends) of us having fun that day.

Kiong, Edmund & Alveen-3 dewa in action

The ladies yang always setia menanti

Ray & Girlfriend-Yearghhh... Ancol punya ini.... Hahaha

Alveen & Wife - Expecting their 1st child soon.
Knock-knock, who's your daddy?

Agang trying to look cool while Stanly
always with his happy smile

Me & Agang...Mau ngantuk or 'kick' sudah ni?...

Alveen & our 'new' friend- Empty bottle for the winner
& a good sleep for the loser ....0-0
As always either one of these 3 guys musti kena 'rogol' &
that day it's Agang's turn...Hahaha

One of Kiong's body tattoos... do you see the resemblance?

A big big thanks to both Alveen and his wife for having us there and being so sporting in organizing the gathering at their house. Next gathering will be on the 20th before the Christmas Celebration at the same place and this time around we're expecting more friends to join in the fun with more drinks (tuan rumah sponsor 2 botol chivas) and more happenings. Balakang rumah belum rasmi BBQ lagi tu, so that will be the best time for it... :)

Architecture Makes Me BALD!

2008-12-08T08:17:00.000-08:00

It's December , the last month of this year and this entry is about self portrait as remembrance of myself in year 2008. I've been in this architecture profession for almost 8 years already now and beside the ups and downs over the years, I'm glad to say that my career has been constantly improving and evolving. But all that time spent or wasted is not without any sacrifices and in this particular case, it's more like a side effect on my head. All the pressures, stress and headaches that I've endured all these times have finally taken its toll on my head. Architecture makes me bald!!!... and this self portrait is taken the day after I've went to the barber shop to get the usual no.3 haircut. There were times when I even tried the no.2 in the past but later stick to no.3 only after a funny experience when I was mistakenly thought as some guy looking for 'amoi' in segama (or was it sinsuran?) area when I was actually looking for a shop around the 1st floor area there... silaka ... Do I looked like a sex maniac ka ni?...hahaha. Being me, not wanting to waste money on those lengthy and expensive hair treatments , it's the only solution as I'm gradually losing my front hair...huhuhu... so I have to do something or else I'll become like 'apek' before I reach 50 years old...hahaha. By now, I'm used to it already after 3 years with this 'botak' look (I'm getting more 'botak' after each passing years) and being 'botak' does have its own advantages. No more hairstyle/ haircut nightmares and no need to buy those expensive hair gels and shampoo anymore (lap ja pakai air for the wet look) In short, Bald head is hassle free, low maintenance and always in trend ... :)

Becoming a Wedding Photographer?

2008-12-07T20:58:00.000-08:00

Me...Becoming a Wedding Photographer?.. I just laughed at the idea of it when my friend ( owner of the BROTHERHOOD) asked me to take pictures during his sister's wedding day a couple of weeks ago and I quickly declined his offer saying that I've just recently bought my DSLR camera and I'm way-way far from ready for that kind of photography yet ( baru balajar ba ni). Anyway, My friend, Steve was free to help out and he's the camera cum video man during the wedding day on 29-11-2008 recently. It was on Saturday and since I left home quite late, I drove straight from KK to the SIB Pekan Ranau Church where the wedding ceremony was being held. It was almost to end of the ceremony already when I arrived there and I only managed to take some shots while the newly wed couple made their way out of the church and returned to the bride's house at Kg. Marakau for the wedding reception. I've taken many wedding pictures with my compact camera in past but somehow I still felt like nervous a bit while taking pictures with my DSLR camera. Anyway, I just hantam saja so here's a few snap shots during the wedding day for sharing here.

On that day, I've just realized that my friend, Steve actually making some good side income from doing this part time job as a wedding photographer and he just started serious photography not too long ago. Just so happened, I was chit chatting with him when this person approached us and asking him about his service for his coming wedding day. I overheard my friend saying that his service is around RM500 like that (photos including video) and bla,bla,bla as he went on with the details of his service to the guy. Whoaa... that's really lucrative for someone who just started doing this business and looks like a pro already while explaining about his service. Unfortunately, the timing was not right as the guy's wedding date clashed with my friend's next job. So, again my friend recommended me and same thing,.. I declined also..hahaha.

The BROTHERHOOD

2008-11-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-28T09:44:00.001-08:00

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

2008-11-25T05:59:00.000-08:00

Wooden Geckos

Wind Chimes

Nabalu Little Blue Stalls

2008-11-23T03:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-20T07:18:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-18T14:54:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-05T06:16:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-02T15:04:00.000-08:00

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.