Show me the money!

Money fuels consumption and consumption drives society. Don't tell me that is not true. Take for example the recent rush for the release of X-Box 360 which is slated to be the top selling Christmas want list item this year to the point that people are willing to bid for it on e-bay, high demand low supply equals a happy Bill Gates. Well this is the season to weep for my poor bank account, lots of birthdays this month which means gifts and also the festive season is creeping near, Christmas, New Year and Chinese New Year are just around the corner. Well I'm broke, stupid treasury still hasn't bank in this months payment yet (**deleted swear words**) so have to make do with what I have at the moment. As for the picture above well lets just say I wish that were mine and the first thing I'll do is spread it on my bed and wallow naked on that moolah but alas that is bit a fantasy long to come. Anyway anyone want to try and guess how much cash that stack amounts to? Good luck.

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Tranquility at Dawn

Dawn breaks over the calm waters of the beach, twin boulders seen in the background is the only visible objects marring the smoothly washed coast. Patar Beach, Bolinao, Philippines, 2004.

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What is going on with our police force?

The Malaysian police force has never been the crowning glory we all hear about. So much have been said in whispers such as the rampant corruption practices infecting a large part of the force that its no longer just coffee shop talk but acknowledged as fact. How often have we been stopped over for some infraction and the datuks discreetly demand a 'gift' to let the summon lapse or there are more blatant one which just asks out right and later even enter negotiations to agree on the final amount of bribe to be paid. Recently a lot have been going on for the Malaysian Police Force with the anti bribery campaign where all police personnels are required to wear no bribery badges to the mistreatment accusation by Chinese nationals on mistreatment to the recent spate where a policewoman was seen giving orders to a naked lady to do squats. Far from eradicating bribery wearing a badge stating such is just plain hollow moreso if the person wearing one still actively seek out favours without care. Another incident highlighting the fact that the public is being stiffled in advancing any complaints as such was the case of Foo Sze Kuan, 18, who reported to the Anti Corruption Agency (ACA) on the fact that she was coerced into giving a bribe by a policeman, who later sought to press charges on the said person. Luckily cooler heads prevailed and the force was asked to drop any such actions.

Now today we hear that another whistle blower who sought to expose such happening as the naked lady MMS is to be prosecuted for doing their bid of investigative journalism. If anything they should be commended for their efforts in exposing something that we thought only happens in places like Guantanamo Prison or Abu Gharib. It is people such as them and politician Teresa Kok that prevents such abuses from ever continuing to be carried out. This came no less from Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Musa Hassan himself. It's to say punish the do gooders and let the wrong doer go free. I wonder if the MMS was never shown would the individual pictured have her rights protected or fade into memory just like that? Perhaps it is time to set up a commision for the public to voice their complaints lest we suffer the same fate as well as to initiate a whistle blowers act to safeguard people who testify to abuses. At least there must be clear guidelines about who and when can such treatment be warranted and that stricter and unhumiliating procedures be prescribed such as having a lawyer present or only with consent from certain parties to prevent abuses. Maybe the force should take a good look at themselves and clean up their act before they pass such judgement on others. I believe the Malaysian faith in their police forces to safeguard them is at an all time low and they should buck up to dispel those misgiving and not to persecute in a futile attempt those that have exposed their shortcomings.

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Priceless Smiles

They may not have much in terms of monetary wealth but they can still find happiness with each other's company enough to afford a smile in their trials. A trio of beggars, irrespective of race, seeking alms during Wesak Day, Mahavihara Temple, Brickfields, Kuala Lumpur, 2003.

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Yellow Rose

Yellow rose, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 2005.

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Noisome Melodies

A couple of traditional musicians during a local puja session at an Indian Temple, Kuala Lumpur, 2004.

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Orange Bloom

A bird of paradise flower blooming, Kuantan, 2004.

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Digi Amazing Malaysian

Syed Alattas Mansion prior to restoration works, Armenian Street, Georgetown, Penang, 2004.

When I first saw the contest for Digi's Amazing Malaysian I instantly thought of someone I felt was deserving of such an honour as well as a role model in the conservation and promotion of Malaysian heritage and history. Problem was the nomination needed me to know the details of the said person or at least have some contact with him/her. This I did not have not even a contact number nor does the person know me in the least. Besides I did not feel it was right to nominate the person without her tacit approval of such. So what did I end up doing?

I went to the Penang Heritage Trust website and contacted the current director of the trust and asked for help in bringing me into contact with the nominiee. I swear that I didn't expect a reply more less a positive one but hardly a day has passed and the person I was trying to reach actually sent her reply to me in person. Not only that she reacted positively and was helpful in providing her credentials for filling up the nominaton, to the idea of working with children she was absolutely beaming to begin working with them. After several correspondence we worked out what would be included and as of this morning the nomination has been sent to Digi.

I have always admired her work as well as that of the various organizations she chaired or had dealing with ever since the first time I set foot on Penang Island and entered the Popular in Komtar and got hold of her guide book. I confess that I am a history buff and also view conservation efforts in Malaysia as a pressing matter and not to be taken lightly. People nowadays care little for our history and often it is a neglected subject compared to say making money and obtaining the latest gadgetry. Malaysia is also far behind most nations in preserving our natural treasures and more often old buildings and significant cultural trades and practices are dying out faster than we can preserve it. What is lost is a unique part of our multiracial culture that is mostly lost forever in the sands of time. At worst is the whole scale conversion of historical sites into tacky money collection tourist spot without disregard of their role and conservation.

Penang and Malacca has often facinated me as two of the most significant enclave of Malaysian history for their unique roles as ports, administrative centers and also points where foreign nations held sway for a time in our history, what results is a blend of culture that to me can't be found elsewhere. But why can't both evevn qualify for a listing under the UNESCO World Heritage listing? Conservation laws and heritage protection has always been low priority, buildings can be demolished in the middle of the night and no action is taken, the repeal of the rent control act in Penang quicken the decline of the vibrant Georgetown area and many of the current generations are not interested in continuing much of the tradition and cultures passed on from generation to generation. Many Penangites can attest there is nowhere else but Penang in Malaysia, for better or for worse.

Thus I believe it is imperative to safeguard what is left before its all gone and that is the main reason I nominated the said person. I will keep the name secret for now, though everyone is free to guess. I really hope the organizers consider her for the award as she is truly deserving of the mention and would also further Malaysia's effort in protecting our heritage.

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Man's other best friend

An Indian man with his companion a monkey he walks in the parks every other day. From the attention he lavishes on it and he in turn stay faithful both share quite a bond. Its quite a common sight especially for those who owns and trains monkeys to pick coconuts or for pets. Esplanade, Kuantan, 2003.

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Floating Leaves

Fallen leaves in a pool of sulphurous water, Poring Hot Springs, Kinabalu Park, Sabah, 2004.

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Fewer postings?

It's a bit sad that of late I've found it harder and harder to write due to contrains like work and also the devotion of the better part of my free time to complete Forsaken Realms, my NaNoWriMo entry novel. Thus postings for this month might be a bit slow though the daily snapshots will be making its regular appearance. The current situation is not all too endearing for me but I'll post up something substantial once in a while. I must apologize to the commentors that left word and me without furnishing a reply, I promise to get back as soon as I am able to. Since I've finished the bulk of writing for the novel so expect more frequent posts from now.

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What a week

Things have not been going too well lately, no its not concerning health, money or relationship, just feel bumed out for no reason at all. A lot has been happening of late, some good others not. Two of my collegues are graduating soon or at least finishing up their thesis writing, one already secured a job as an engineer running High Percision Liquid Chromatograms (HPLC) and Gas Chromatograms (GC) for a whopping monthly pay of RM2,300 starting with fringe benefits, not bad. Another went for an interview in Kl for a cancer research associate at Subang Jaya Medical and we have high hopes that she will land the job. Another ex university coursemate recently changed jobs and is now working at a lab with a company servicing and consulting on fishery products. In a few weeks it will also mark my one year anniversary being stuck in masters as all the whole world passes me by and another year to go. Laura's masters is starting next month as well and in another few I will have to look for new housemates as well as a roomate to replace all the graduating tenants, a job which is never easy nor fun since you never know what traits your future roomie will have until you have actually lived with them. It's not like you can ask them in a questionaire whether they snore or have odd fetishes that I should be aware of beforehand.

My research is progressing ahead and I hope to finish all lab tests by March and begin procesing the data and writing up, hopefully before the same time next year I'll be heading back home and landing a job as cushy as those of my collegues. Besides the recent passing of a friend and the ever cronic and slow degradation of my laptop (the battery just breathed its last a few nights ago) I decided a much needed break is called for, made easier for the fact that my supervisor has just left for Penang until end of the month. I'm going to buy my Canon S80 today (if the crummy shops still hasn't sold off their limited supply) and watch Harry Potter Goblet of Fire today as well as attend a birthday party of another collegua tonight. Man I need a break.

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Forsaken Realms have reached its target

Working Title: Forsaken Realms
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/ Humour/Fiction/Romance
Chapters completed: Prologue, Chapters 1 to 8
Current Task: Chapter 9, Rewriting on unsatisfactory parts
Chapters in Progress: Chapter 9
% Completed Challenge: 100 %
Word Count to Date: 50,264 words
Days to go: 11
State of Mind: Done! Complete!

The novel has reached its target of 50,000 words on the 19th of November 2005, though it is by no means finished.

I am going to release the entire first 5 or more chapters online for public viewing and the rest will be excerpts. The final reworked Chapters after final edit will not be shown or again published only in excerpts format. This is the only way to prevent wholescale copying of this copyrighted work. To all readers, thank you for your cooperation.

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You know something bad happened when…

A day or two ago I was in quite a depressive state, at first I thought it must have been the weather since it was all gloomy and dark and rained. But that could not account for me being severally under the weather because the entire week has been such. Towards the evening the condition didn’t improve, throughout the whole day I just didn’t feel like doing anything not even relaxing with games and work took a backseat.

That very night as I left Laura’s house and walked back to my place I had a message from my friend Zun Wei. In it was a short message informing me that one of my secondary school friends, one who was a board member of the librarians that I was part of was involved in an accident in which he was killed instantly and his father too was the other fatality while two workers in the same vehicle survived. It was to say the least saddening and depressing to hear of such.

I haven’t met Tan Si Sing for almost 7 years already and we lost contact after SPM, he going to TAR College and I went to do my STPM. Even if we were not close he was a friend that I knew and we had our times together. The accident took place in Balok somewhere off Kuantan, several versions were given and all sources cited a different incident to the point that I still don’t know what really happened. They were on the way to work around 7 am, from one version it was told they lost control of the Toyota Hilux when the car in front of them pulled his emergency break all of a sudden and their car went tumbling and overturning several times. The only news that was confirmed was that both he and the father died in the crash.

Today will be the funeral in Gambang, I recall they are survived by a brother and mother so it is a tragic loss that both he and the father met their end in the same accident. It is sad that I cannot make it to pay my respects but forwarded my condolences via a friend. The thing that shook me most is to know that a friend my age passed away in such a manner. Somehow that makes you question your own mortality, that your life could be cut short just like that. All your plans and dreams and hoped gone in a puff. Though I have seen relatives passed away, most are already in their old age and often of natural causes so a violent end for a friend is a bit shocking. You always hear of it happening in the news to others and never did give it a thought that it could happen to someone you know.

So I wish my condolences to the family for their loss and from this day on I’m appreciating every day of my life as best as I can.

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Worn Diety

A wood carving that has succumbed to wear and rot, left outside the Carpenter's Guild. Yet it still retains its beauty as when it was carved by its creator's hands. Georgetown, Penang, 2004.

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Shadow form

Various shadows cast from the sunlight hitting the blinds, BMRI, Kota Kinabalu, 2005.

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Canon S80 or Sony P-200?

I've been cameraless for the past 2 months and the Aaaarrrrggghhhhh I missed a shot factor is creeping up to unbearable level. Well I've been shopping around for cameras since then, the first choice that had been on my mind was for Sony P-200, an upgrade on the P-100 that went under the ocean. I've been a brand loyal customer to Sony since my first two cameras (a P-9 and P-100) were from them and the results they have given me were admirable. I've managed enquiries on the new model and was quoted for RM1,400 with an additional upgrade to a 1 Gb Memory Stick and an extra battery the final price came to RM1,980 at the cheapest. I have no complains for the model but the upgrades from the P-100 to P-200 were depressing at most, only an additional megapixel to 7Mp which is not really that useful an upgrade as well as a larger screen which also does not really help me in taking better photos.

So what next? Adrian introduced me to two different models (okay so he did quote a lot more like the Panasonic Lumix and Canon Ixus series but too compact and not enough control for my liking) one was the Panasonic FZ30, a SLR like model and the Canon Powershot S80.

So my mind is now hinging on the S80 when I managed to finally test the model as they entered Kota Kinabalu last week and was impressed. The specs were a major upgrade from any Sony compact cameras in the market now and offer a range of possibilities. Of course the only difference was that the S80 costs a hell of a lot more than the P-200 but the SD media storage was a whole lot cheaper which resulted in the quoted price given to me for the same package was around RM2,300 not bad for a few extra hundred for the features packed in.

Okay the S80 is a 8 Mp camera which is not always a selling point but is ok. The best part about the camera is that the new lens offer a wide angle option, 28mm wide zoom thus giving opportunities to experiment with wide angle shots. The zoom too is better off than the P-200, a 4x optical zoom compared to Sony's 3X (I don't ever use smart zooming, ruins the shots). The macro shooting range has also been improved to 4cm while Sony's is a 6cm. Shutter speed is also superior with a minimum of 15 seconds to max of 1/2000. Flash range was also an inprovement to over 4 meters but still found it a tad too low for my taste. The selling point to me was the manual control for the S80, almost all features such as aperture and shutter is manually adjustable using the dials and this allows for more control and creative tinkering for shots. Plus the view screen is large! Well the finally analysis is that I'm most probably getting this baby the coming Saturday. Too many events are happening next month such as parties, birthdays, farewell, planned trips and Christmas to miss not taking pictures. Sob my bank account is going to crash soon.

Too bad Sony, you just lost a customer to Canon.

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Where art thou my prince?

Johleen, daydreaming near the rocky cliffs and wave beaten shores of Patar Beach, Philippines, 2004.

Far in the land, vast is the sea,

My heart feels for thee,

Come oh prince, here I wait,

Let us be together in fate,

Love, bliss, happiness,

Lies ahead for us.

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Back Straining

Coolie carrying heavy load, Alaminos market, Philippines, 2004.

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Pure heart

Statue of Mary, St. Thomas Church, Kuantan, Malaysia, 2004.

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Yellow Kayak

Yellow kayak, Karambunai Beach, Kota Kinabalu, 2004.

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Worn footwear

Well travelled pair, Kota Kinabalu, 2005.

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Human race

Neighbourhood kids racing against each other in a friendly game.Kota Kinabalu, 2005.

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Swinging apes

A duo of orangutans making off with bananas during feeding time. These rescued primates are slowly being reintroduced and taught to be independent in an effort to enable them to be released in the surrounding forest reserve. Most are either abandoned pets, rescued from illegal traders or caught from forests destined to be turned into palm oil plantations. Sepilok Orangutan Rehabilitation Center, Sandakan, Sabah, 2004.

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Cleansing fire

Puja ritual, cleansing fire, Kuala Lumpur, 2005.

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Time Pieces

Watch display at local watchsmith, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 2005.

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Raya Wishes

Masjid Putra in Putrajaya, Medan Putra in foreground. 2004.

Wishing all Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

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Artistic Touch

Street artist putting the finishing touches on her watercolour work, Gaya Street, Kota Kinabalu, 2005.

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