Not that we celebrate Xmas, but since it was a holiday, my aunt decided to cook roast turkey and invite a few of us over for lunch. The meal was so good it brought memories of my time studying 'A' Levels and my degree in the UK. After lunch, my cousin and I went to take photos of the neighbourly birds....
View my aunt's family after their turkey lunch.....
Our office colleagues gather every month to celebrate birthdays, listen to some official announcements, and have a nice lunch. Sometimes we say hello to new employee, and other times we bid farewell to those that leave the division or company. Generally, a good break from work.
See our monthly gathering.....
My brother was driving my Alfa Romeo 146 when the timing belt snapped! Luckily it happened near a petrol station, which was where the car died. It had to be towed and eventually sent to the workshop.
See the Alfa towed to the workshop....
My relative got married and I drove a few of us to Dewan Ahmad Razali in Klang where the ceremony was held. It was a good thing we came early as there was little carpark available. The stage was adorned with the Pelamin surrounded by bouquets of flowers.
Witness my relatives' wedding.....
My friend Sharmala, who now lives in Sweden, returned to Malaysia for her annual holiday, and had asked me to take a candid photoshoot of her family. We got another friend to let us use her apartment for the photo session. There were some indoor scenes, but mostly I had taken them outside by the pool, which was kinda fun to do.
View the pictures from the family photoshoot.....
One of my office friends invited me to dinner as part of her New Year and Christmas celebrations. We savoured her delicious home-cooked steak and roast chicken, plus excellent nutmeg-apple crumble with ice-cream. Got acquainted with her friends and had a good time.
Take a peek at the dinner party.....
It was time for a morning getaway to a local waterfall situated in Ulu Langat at Sungai Gabai. My brother's family wanted to have a picnic and enjoy the natural surroundings. We had to climb over 300 steps to reach the waterfall summit (thank goodness there were concrete stairs) and although it was kinda taxing, the effort was worth it. The best part was to get massaged by the strong waterfall itself - I highly recommend it!
Watch us enjoy the waterfall outing.....
A close colleague of mine has decided to leave our company to be with her husband who is working overseas in Saudi Arabia. She joined our company about the same time I did, so I've known her for almost twenty years.... All the best to her and family.
See our farewell to her......
As part of my current project, I organised a workshop for selected executives and managers at a local hotel. We got the ballroom that had nice decor, and the food that was provided was pretty good too. All in all, I'd say it was a successful event.
See the participants of the workshop....
Two of my officemates decided to tie the knot and a few of us attended their reception in the state of Perak (silver in Malay). It was a simple affair but they were dressed in gold. Those who followed me in my car got a taste of what my VW GTi was capable of, and were pleased to be passengers on the trip.
Delight in a few pictures of the glittery wedding.....
I'm now an animal hunter.... shooting with my new evil bazooka-like Sigma Monster..... this time, I'm ready for the kill.... even if the beast is perched faraway on a treetop..... or sneaking steathly in the river..... that creature won't escape me now.....
See some of the animals shot by me......
My brother and I took a drive to the village town of Janda Baik and snapped away several pictures of the tropical landscape found there. You can find lots of rainforested hills, watery streams, pretty kampung homes, and a few animals fielding for food....
You can see more of Janda Baik here.....
This time is was with my sister-in-law's relatives, who are Johorians. They had a family gathering cum birthday party. The light was kinda dim and thanks to my Nikon D700 and Sigma 30mm f1.4, I managed to photograph the whole event without using flash.
Fun and laughter at the Johorian open house.....
My mum's kampung is Bentong, and she decided to make a visit to meet the relatives there. Tok Busu has a new home, which he acquired recently after selling his land. The new home is actually quite near to his old house. Needless to say, I took the opportunity to grab as many pictures of the nice bungalow.
Take a look at Bentong's new home.....
Well, I managed to be invited to two office organised open house events, and savoured a few dishes, like Nasi Kerabu and Top Hats. My tummy now is definitely showing and I better spend a bit more time at the gym :0
Join me in the open house celebrations....
My car was due for its second maintenance service, which is at its 30,000km interval. All went well at the Volkswagen Service Centre in PJ, and then I sent my car for wheel balancing and alignment, at my usual workshop in TTDI. They found two nails in my rear tyre, which they repaired by patching, but other than that, my car was in tip top condition.....
See my car's wheel being serviced.....
My boss' other son got married and I was invited to be the photographer. This time it was the main ceremony (akad nikah) so it was a rather important event. It took place at the bride's home, and the proceedings went along smoothly.
Take another look at a Malay wedding.......
More pictures of my relative and home......
Every year, before the fasting month is over, my brother and I would make a trip to the cemetery where my late-Dad was buried, to say some prayers and clean up the grave area. My brother's kids would tag along and help in the cleaning up too. I somehow find graveyards very peaceful and comfortable.
More graveyard photos here.....
This is my boss' son's wedding, and I was selected to be the official photographer :) With the blistering afternoon sun, by the time the ceremony was over, I was pretty knocked out. I had taken mostly snapshots and group pics, but managed to grab the key scenes.
Have a look-see of a typical malay wedding.....
Again, I was invited to be the photographer for one of the department's event, this time people came in various costumes and outfits, and there were group performances, singing and dancing. All in all, a most fun and memorable moment.
View lots more fashionable costumes....
We organised another team building session at the same place in Trolak, and had lots of fun.
Loads of pics of teams in action....
You can view more birthday photos.....
I'd planned to buy a new PC for ages. When Dell announced their latest XPS 730 with hybrid liquid / thermoelectric cooling system (the H2C), I immediately ordered one online, and got it delivered to me two weeks later. With a high-end quad-core CPU and four gigs of RAM, this monster breathes fire!
Have you seen a Ferrari made of Lego? Well, this is a large one on exhibit when I went to One Utama shopping complex.
My friend Anush, who wedded with her hubby Andrew in Australia on a scenic beach, repeated the ceremony Indian-style, at home in Malaysia. This was done traditionally complete with Sari dresses and priest rituals. It was pretty challenging trying to take photos!
Right after the birthday party, I headed for another family function, this time a relative's wedding. I arrived with perfect timing, just as the bride and groom walked into the hall. I met two of my cousins who were also into photography and we chat a bit about our hobby.
My brother's wife's niece celebrated her son's first birthday with a party where guests are to dress in a tiger theme. It was a fun event where relatives from all over the country met up. There was even a clown magic show for the kids.
My mum accidentally twisted her foot while watering the garden. A visit to the clinic showed the fracture clearly on the X-Ray, and the doctor advised her to see a specialist. Thankfully, the fracture was not painful to my mum, except for some swelling, so the specialist said no plaster cast was neccessary, and that the fracture would heal naturally in about two months.
My cousin had free tickets to see "Indiana Jones : Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" and took me to see it. I rarely go to the cinemas, so I'm like my usual tourist self. The movie had excellent sets and pretty good effects, but some parts were a bit longish in dialogue. Overall pretty good.
Today the wiring contractor came to replace the telephone wires. The condition of existing wires were pretty bad - it had water inside the insulation! No wonder I was getting poor Streamyx performance, especially on rainy days. Now, after the repairs were done, the phone line is clear and Internet surfing is fast and reliable!
My phone line, which I also use to surf the Internet via broadband, has been suffering lately due to background noise. I called Telekom and their technicians who did a check confirmed that it was a wiring problem. I'll need to get a contractor to rewire the link, as the job is not done by TM....
Taking pictures of a futsal game is quite difficult. There's the dim lighting, the fast moving action, the obscuring netting, and the narrow walkways between courts. Not to mention the long and sweaty hours. This was an all-girls game, and you can view more interesting action pics....
I'm helping my brother take some photos of a futsal tournament. Today, we visited the futsal centre to check out how to photograph inside it. The lighting is quite challenging with dim lights and contrasty backgrounds. Well, hope for the best tomorrow....
