The Babyboss Story

My PADI Open Water Certification Dive @ Perhentian Island (April 22-26, 2010)

2010-05-02T15:26:00.011+08:00

It was some 15 years ago that the idea of taking up scuba diving popped into my mind. Well, I finally did it last weekend. Signed up for the course at Global Scuba (1Utama), attended all the classroom and pool sessions and finally made my trip to Pulau Perhentian to complete my certification for PADI Open Water.

The experience of first time descending into depths of 9 metres underwater (the sea, actually) was memorable. I did most of my certification (4 dives) between the depths of 9-12 metres. Once all that got out of the way, it was time for some leisure dives as certified divers! The next 4 dives took me to maximum depths of 19 metres.

We dived at D.Lagoon, Shark Point, Tukas Darat, Batu Layar, Tanjung Butong and Tanjung K K, all around the Perhentian Island vicinity. It was rather disappointing that we couldn't dive at Tokong Laut as the sea was very choppy with waves up to 1 metre high! I was told that Tokong Laut was the "highlight" of Perhentian diving. Sigh...

Being an absolutely new diver, I saw all sorts of fish, big and small, long an short, fat and thin! But I am not able to recognise them all. I can identify a few namely stingrays, "Nemos", cushion starfish, sea turtles, trumper fish, lizard fish, barracuda look-alike fish and many many more! I think I saw a black tip shark too! Saw a huge 1m diameter stingray on the seabed...magnificent.

But for some funny reason, the visibility that weekend at Perhentian was rather poor, moderate at most. I could only see as far as nothing more than 3 metres! The water was filled with plank tons. Not exactly satisfying, I must say. In fact, rather disappointed as I was kinda expecting something like Sipadan or at least give me 10metre visibility lar! Sigh...

First time diving, obviously I didn't have an underwater camera, so all my pics here are "above water" pics!

The welcome signboard that greets her visitors to Flora Bay Resort

Part of the white sandy beach of Flora Bay. Great for evening strolls with lover!

The dive centre at Flora Bay Resort...a 5-star PADI centre

The makan place...very nice and relaxing to eat under soft sea breeze

They also have these table and chairs by the beach for people to hang out and chat over a beer

Our dive equipment...all geared up, ready to go!

Briefing before jumping into the sea

Me, in my Bare Ignite 3/2mm wetsuit

The privilege of sticking close to my instructor during the leisure dives was being able to have my own underwater portraits taken with his camera!

Resurfaced after the 3-minute "safety stop" at 5 metres. During my first leisure dive after certification, I kinda slowly and automatically ascended all the way to the surface with no "safety stop". Really embarrassing!!!

The first one to get on board. Managed to get the boat man to help me capture myself in full gear!

The eagles have landed!!! Coming back on shore after a dive. Pretty tiring, I must say. I had 8 dives altogether and was almost poofed off on the last day.

Me and my instructor, Soo, who took another group to Tenggol the following weekend!

On some occasion, we brought with us extra tanks for the next dive. The 1-hour "surface interval" was spent relaxing on the boat in the middle of the sea. Nice!!!

That's it...done for the day!

From left : Tai Hau (my dive buddy), Soo (my instructor), me and Tan (an avid underwater photographer). Erm, the kid...belongs to a French couple in our group

On our last day, while we were loading our stuffs onto the boat heading back to the Kuala Besut jetty, it rained cats and dogs! Naturally, I was all wet throughout the entire boat journey.

The final group picture. Not everyone was in...4 left a day earlier and my dive buddy stayed back for snorkel ling!

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Overall, it was an awesome experience. Being officially certified is definitely a great thrill. I had problems equalizing during descends. I guess I may have "stressed" my left ear cause its now (and still is) kinda stuck (like as though I am wearing an earplug).

Definitely looking forward to the next dive trip, perhaps Tenggol...cheap and easy. I will, eventually one day, make my dives at the renowned Sipadan, Layang-Layang and the likes.

Scuba Diving with PADI

2010-03-05T20:25:00.007+08:00

I have always wanted to get certified as a scuba diver and be able to dive all the cool sites here in Malaysia and perhaps, move into underwater photography. Well, my first step into the underwater world just began on Feb 26, 2010 when I officially registered myself for the PADI Open Water Diver's Certification with Global Scuba.

Coincidentally, they were having this joint promotion between Global Scuba (the dive shop) and TUSA (a manufacturer for diving equipment). For RM850 (normally RM900), I will be given all the diver's manuals for self reading, dive log book, chart, tutorial DVD and of course, the exam fees. During this promotion, I also get a free mask (RM199) and a free snorkel (RM109).

I am to do 5 classroom sessions and 5 pool (confined water) sessions before heading to the sea for the Open Water certification, a.k.a. "the exam"!!! The sea trip, likely to places like Perhentian or Redang or Tenggol, is another separate cost of approximately RM1,000 (by flight), everything inclusive from makan, hotel (normally chalets), diving equipment (tanks and BCDs), boat, dive masters, etc.

Above all that, I should also get my own set of basic gears like the mask and snorkel (which I already have), wetsuit (<>RM600), fins (<>RM200) and booties (<>RM150). Once more advanced, I am expected to get my own dive computer (a wrist watch with many digital readings like depth, pressure, air, dive time, etc) at around RM1,500. Also my BCD (buoyancy control device) at around RM2,000. Then, my regulator (the breathing apparatus) at around RM1,500.

Gosh, its an expensive hobby! This one belum kira my underwater photography equipment!!!

But it was a good start today. I did my first confined water (pool) session and it was an awesome experience. Struggled a bit with the finning...not used to swimming with fins! And the wetsuit I wore today...was definitely too small for me. My instructor gave me "XL", the biggest size they had there but I needed XXL, I was informed. So, I really looked like a big "ham yuk jong"!!! Nonetheless, a great experience. Had lots of fun. My arms burnt red from 2 hours of hot afternoon sun (I wore the short-sleeve wetsuit)!

Well, next session...next Tuesday!!! Woohoo...

Harlo 2010

2010-02-20T17:08:00.004+08:00

Blessed greetings, I bring to you. And a Happy Chinese New Year and Gong Hei Fatt Choy. It has been exactly 2 months since I last wrote on this blog. There are so many things I want to say but just don't know how to put them to proper words. And I know I am weak in wisely using the right and appropriate words in my messages.

November 2009 to Jan 2010 has been very busy months for me with events and shoots (both photo and video). And yes, I made some pretty good money in these last few months but I guess, as usual, they are for "reserves" in quiet months like March to June. It is almost a "holiday semester" break for me in these few months. Business will pick up again by mid-year and will climax in December and table off after Chinese New Year the following year.

I have wanted to blog everytime but everytime, there is always something to put me off, either work or mood. I hate to write when the mood is not right cause I know I will write something unpleasant and that would not be any good for any reader anyway. A lot of things have gone through my mind, some are very promising, some are rather depresing while some are just a pure waste of time. Right now, I happen to be free and I suddenly felt like writing something. So, I quickly started before I "change my mind". But I am not sure what I want to say...I have too much to express.

What is "life without a life"? Life without meaning? Or life without direction? Or life not living it worthy? Whatever it is, I sometimes wonder if I have lived mine in a worthy manner. There are so many things I want to do but never got close to trying them out. I want to play the drums profesionally and do concert tours and tour the world...maybe perform with Celine Dion? I wanted to be vocally trainned and be able to sing professionally...not for a living but for pleasure. I want to be a better professional photographer. I want to have the latest Nikon D3s gears and lens. I want to be back to driving a BMW...I like the M3 and X6. I want a MacBook! I want a 3,500 sqft luxury condominium in places like Bangsar, Bukit Damansara, Kiara, etc. I'd like to have RM50m sitting in my bank accounts all over the world. And I'd like that money to generate for me RM50k every month without needing to work. Well, that's the materialistic side of my "wants".

I also want to build / run a high-end cafe that turns into a church on Sunday mornings. I want to be a better preacher, preaching the Word of God that will impact lifes. I want to be a better manager of things given to me. I want to operate orphange homes that teaches the children good and important morals and values in life, and prepare them young to impact the world. I want them to know that they are not loosers by birth but winners by choice! I want to start a foundation that gives out scholarships to people who really needs and deserves it.

I want to be a better person in character and attitude. All these are not easy to come by but I want them all. I don't know how but I just want them all. Partially for myself, partially to be a blessing to others. Hmmm...I have already gone out of my original context of what I initially wanted to write!

Scuba Diving...something I wanted to do some 15 years ago! Now, out of the blue, I just felt like I should get it done! Its not difficult at all for me to obtain my diving license. Course fee is RM900. Then I'll have to make a trip to say, Redang, to do my open water dive exam and be certified. That trip is another RM800. Basic gears to have will cost around RM800. Total is around RM2,500. My only procastination is money. Do I want to spend this amount of money some getting my scuba diving license? Do I "need" it? Could I have spent that money for something else more "useful". Sigh...

Just had lunch with a friend. He tells me that he's kinda no longer in love with his long time very steady living together girlfriend. Suppose to get married end of this year. He said he kinda liked another girl...a Korean, someone whom he had known for a few weeks. This guy is a risk taker. He holds some of my projects. I hope things work out for them because I think his girlfriend is truly an awesome girl.

On another note, I realised there is this "Murtadza Mokhtar" guy who left harsh remarks at my shoutout box and literally cursing the "Cina people". A check on his blog, "Islam - The Way Of Life", seem to show that he is somewhat religious and "holy". But why does this holy "Murtadza" Muslim throws such harmful and unloving remarks on the Chinese people? Does "his" Islam teaches him to do so and anchor hatred on non-Muslims? Is this really the "way of life"...by throwing insults and verbal assaults? Would his action promote unity and peace? Does this bear a good testimony? I truly wonder. I sometimes tend to agree with what Raja Petra Kamarudin says in his blog, "The Muslims are the greatest enemy of Islam".

I am not into religious debates, in fact, I am not into any kinds of debates. I rather withdraw myself from the limelight and just stay low profile and enjoy what I have been blessed with. I have thought of migrating from this "Boleh Land". Too frustrated and too disappointed with the Government, people and culture here. Look at our neighbour, Singapore...just a fraction of Malaysia but excels 20 times far greater than us. I'd like to think that Australia or New Zealand is a good place to migrate and settle down. People say that I will be 2nd class citizen over there but hey, I am already 2nd class here in Malaysia anyway. At least, I will be treated EQUALLY over there. Here, the "Ketuanan Melayu" says it all. It is so obvious! I guess I better stop before ISA come and arrest me! So much for freedom of speech!!!

My Macs are not here yet. So many hiccups! Most frustrating thing is I can't do anything about it. I hope to get them next week though. Everytime I walk pass Machines, I'd spend some 20-30 mins playing with the MacBooks wondering when I can get mine! Sigh...

I want to spend a month or two touring Europe. Can ah?

MacBooks

2009-12-19T02:21:00.005+08:00

The day has finally come for me to go collect my MacBooks and all those who ordered under me. And all I got was just 3 units of MacBook White 13"...no MacBook Pro 13", no Pro 15" and no Pro 17"!!! Aaaaaaaargh!!!!

Nevertheless, it was a joy to hold and carry 3 Macs at one time and releasing them one by one to my "buyers" and seeing their joyful faces as they open up the sealed box for the first time and majestically pressing the "Power On" button and booting up the OS.

I feel good too. Well, I guess I'll just have to wait for next week to get my other MacBooks! Here is the MacBook White 13" straight from the box!

My New Adidas

2009-12-10T21:02:00.006+08:00

I am now doing an event here in J W Marriot Hotel. As I write, the event's MC is cracking jokes and the crowd shouting. I was here since 10am to get things ready. I am doing the video shooting and also supplied the LCD projector. But I have my crew running everything and that leaves me rather free.

My aged Adidas shoes are showing much signs of "breaking down" with holes everywhere. And since I had so much free time, I decided to just walk across to Pavilion and shop for a new pair. I checked out shoes from Adidas, Nike, Reebok, Puma and New Balance.

And I decided on a pair of Adidas "Response CHS 18" running shoes at RM297 after discount. Woohoo...

I've Got A Feeling...

2009-11-27T18:40:00.003+08:00

Suddenly I just feel excited about life and the things that are coming in the next few days, weeks, months and years.

Its Hari Raya Haji today...a public holiday and I don't feel like doing anything productive. Had a great lunch at Segambut's seafood noodle. And its now 6:45pm...raining very heavily. Walked out to my balcony, 17 floors above ground and just starred at the faraway lights, letting the strong breeze and rain drops lightly showering on me. Its a good feeling...a feeling of peace, comfort and assurance.

This is when I suddenly felt good about the coming days and weeks ahead. I should be getting my MacBook Pro 15" within the next few days...next Friday, to be exact. That is my Christmas wishlist #1. Once I get my MacBook, then its off to Machines to get the wireless Magic Mouse and to KLCC's Crumpler to get a good bag for my new toy.

Nov-Dec are also a busy months for me. Got a few big shoots and events lined up, some confirmed, some not. But nevertheless, its still very exciting. Holding on to the faith that God will provide all my needs.

My mega project which has been postponed and delayed since April this year will "happen"...I was informed...sometime in end-December. Should be around the 3rd week of December. If that is so, then I can expect big payouts from the project and have a GREAT Christmas and Thanksgiving. Hmmm...I wonder if I can make enough for my white Beemer. Haha...

Well, I just feel like thanking God for everything He has done in my life. The goods and the bads...they are all for a reason. Whatever it is, God knows what He is doing. All I know is that the Bible says in Matthew 6:33, "Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Thank you, Jesus.

Christmas Wish List

2009-10-26T01:47:00.008+08:00

Christmas is just around the corner and I think its now about time to start planning and drafting out Christmas "wish list". I don't ask for much...just that few same old stuffs all the time. Its obvious that I can't exactly afford any of them, thus my wish list. You may contribute any of the items listed below, you may also give cash, either in full or part. Of course, if you so wish to, you can also use your credit card and enjoy up to 24 months interest free installments.

Here are some of the items that I know I can't afford to buy myself. Maybe you may want to consider?

MacBook Pro 15" @ around RM8,000+

Nikon D3S with AF-S 24-70 f2.8G ED @ around RM23,000

Nikon AF-S 14-24 f2.8G ED @ around RM6,000+

Nikon AF-S 70-200 f2.8G ED VRII @ around RM7,000

Nikon AF-S 200-400 f4 ED VR @ around RM26,000+

Feel free to leave me your feedbacks regarding any of the items above. I am an easy man, very flexible too...so, no worries. Oh ya, I still have not gotten my BMW335i and if anyone of you feel gracious enough...its RM497,000 on the road, without insurance.

Merry Christmas!

Money

2009-10-21T23:12:00.002+08:00

Truths about money...

With money you can buy a house, but not a home.
With money you can buy a clock, but not a time.
With money you can buy a bed, but not sleep.
With money you can buy a book, but not knowledge.
With money you can see a doctor, but not good health.
With money you can buy a position, but not respect.
With money you can buy blood, but not life.
With money you can buy sex, but not love.

But without money...I also die. That's why we need to strike a proper balance in everything we do. That is also why we need...GOD.

Beyonce's Concert "Postponed"!!!

2009-10-20T02:41:00.005+08:00

Beyonce has closed the door on Malaysia...yet again. And frankly, I actually don't blame her.

According to concert organizers Marctensia, a much anticipated and embattled concert set for October 25 has been postponed until further notice. Issuing a statement Monday, Marctensia told media outlets that the decision was solely Beyonce's and her management's call. "The postponement is solely the decision of the Artiste and has nothing to do with other external reasons," said Marctensia.

"The Organisers sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused." Refunds are available for fans who purchased tickets to attend the October 25 show via Ticket Axcess. As previously reported, Beyonce had faced much opposition from local Muslim groups who deemed her choice of dress inappropriate.

"We oppose the holding of such concerts and we will take action to prevent it,' a spokesman for PAS said in a statement earlier this year. "Her skimpy attire and behaviour onstage are immoral and lead to unclean behaviour." Beyonce canceled a concert here in KL two years ago but had vowed to return. A statement from Beyonce and her management is expected to be provided at a later date.

What a blardy blow...yet again!!! "Malaysia Boleh"...my foot!!!

Run For Your Life lor...

2009-10-18T18:09:00.002+08:00

I had to delete my most recent blog post because I just found out that the client I was referring to in the post is now reading my blog and my Facebook shouts outs.

Hahaha....lari ooo...

SkyTrex Adventure

2009-09-27T14:44:00.009+08:00

A few weeks ago, I was commissioned to cover a NuSkin event. They made a trip to SkyTrex Adventure at Bukit Cahaya, Shah Alam. It was an awesome 3hrs spent there despite the scorching hot sun (though the tall trees formed good shelters) and the mosquito feeding sessions! It was a great place for such group outings as the environment there was clean and organised.

SkyTrex Adventure provides varying aerial trails which guarantees hours of fun and excitement for people of all ages, though the recommended age is 10 to 50, depending on your physical fitness level. The challenges are not killing but they do require some form of body fitness to complete. So, if you have never done any kind of sport in your life, then this may not be for you.

SkyTrex Adventure is certified by cete Apave Sudeurope, the maian body of control for high rope course and for rock climbing equipment in France. The circuit was constructed and is managed in conformance to AFNOR standards for high rope course.

There are basically 3 adventure trails and 1 "Jump Start" trail where everybody have to go through as part of the introduction and training session. The 3 adventure trails are "Little Adventure" for kids (though adults can also do, if they so prefer to), The Big Thrill and The Extreme Challenge.

You need to be at least 140cm in height and not more than 100kg in weight. The rates are RM25 (Little Adventure), RM35 (Big Thrill) and RM40 (Extreme Challenge). For more info, you can visit SkyTrex Adventure.

Here are pictures from the event.

The group picture before taking up the challenges!

First, everybody take their gears and get themselves strapped up. This is compulsory for everyone who wants to take part in the challenges.

A staff helping a participant strap up her gear

These are really heavy duty gears

All strapped up, ready to go!

The guy in white t-shirt is Julian, the person-in-charge of SkyTrex Adventure, giving a technical briefing to all the participants. Obviously, not everybody was listening.

One last photo before embarking the challenges ahead

SkyTrex technical staff doing a demo on how to use the equipment

Everyone watched attentatively as the demo is conducted

This is the "Jump Start" station where everybody have to go through before taking on any of the actual challenges.

Here you go...doing a "flying fox" stunt some 100-over feet from tree to tree

I think this is the tallest tree you'd ever get to climb safely. Here it is...the first challenge of "The Big Thrill"

A participant completing her challenge

Mid-way of "The Extreme Challenge"

Flying fox in action!

A team after completing all the challenges

The main entrance to SkyTrex Adventure. There is also a "Sky Deck" (on the left) for hanging out.

Overall, an awesome outing. If you want to organise something similar to this, you can contact the management of SkyTrex directly and make your booking appointment. Bookings are highly recommended as they are always very busy in the weekends.

Have fun!

Money Killer

2009-09-19T22:48:00.004+08:00

I realised that a few of my close friends and associates are beginning to "avoid" me by not taking up my calls, not replying to my text messages and emails. All because of the same reason...MONEY.

Yes, all these guys owe me money, mostly from events and services that I rendered and my due fees not paid. The smallest amount was a few hundred bucks and the biggest is RM2,300. One guy even blammed me for being pushy [he owed me RM1,500 from a Feb 2008 event]. He said I was "penny wise pound foolish" and have lost several big jobs from his company because of my chasing for the outstanding 1.5k. Gosh...its over a year outstanding...what am I suppose to do...sit and wait? Dur!

One guy, after not picking up my calls, sent me a text message saying that my money is only available end of the month. But my purpose of calling him was not to ask for the money but to give him an event job! He is now either really soooo busy and not being able to call me back or simply just "avoiding" me. It is such a pity that things have to turn out this way.

I am ok if you tell me the truth and admit that you don't have the money to pay me now. Give me a date and I can wait. But don't let the outstanding amount float aimlessly and as it is now...to and extend to "avoiding" me. Don't let money come in the way of a good working relationship. Be accountable and deal with the situation "head on".

Sometimes, money can really turn up the dark side of a person's personality and forcing him to respond with unwise actions. Well, I want my money, no doubt...but I also want to retain that working relationship that we had.

A Day Trip To Malacca

2009-09-17T00:43:00.008+08:00

Two weeks ago, my church organised a day trip to the historical town of Malacca. The day's agenda consist of two primary objectives, i.e., to attend Ps Edmund Smith's church service on Sunday morning and also to feast on the yummy food of Malacca. Altogether, 14 of us joined the trip and it was awesome. Thanks to my borrowed GPS, we drove around Malacca confidently.

We departed KL at around 8:30am and reached Malacca around 10am. We parked our cars at Mahkota Parade and walked over to church service. And spent the rest of the day waling around the Malacca town hunting for good food everywhere we went. Pictures taken mostly by Mabel's Nikon D80 and some with my Canon IXUS70.

Ps Edmund's church, "Real Love Ministry" (RLM) was a small church of around 20+ people, something like my own church. It was located on the 1st floor of a business area just 5 minutes walk from Mahkota Parade, where we parked our cars. The worship was simple but awesome. The message was "entertaining" but spiritually meaningful.

Ps Edmund was an ex-gay and have lived a lifestyle of homosexuality. But God transformed his life some many years ago and he is now living a happily married life with 2 beautiful children...and one wife. His current core ministry is reaching out to the marginalised community of the gays and lesbians, proclaiming God's sexual wholeness back into their lifes.

After church service, we headed straight for lunch...the famous "chicken rice balls" at Jonker Street. Actually, its nothing special besides the rice being served in the form of "golf balls". Taste wise...ok ler.

Walking along Jonker Street, one will surely bump into this guy...a wooden statue with a grinning face!

And there it is...just bought my new Japanese Samurai "Katana" sword. Two years ago, I bought a Chinese kungfu sword from this same shop in Jonker Street. This Katana looks great with superb carvings on the holder and awesome craftsmanship. Most of all, its only RM25!!!

Colorful flip-flops on display along Jonker Street, a place where you can find lots of beautiful things from handycrafts to t-shirts to girls' accessories to cool shades and of course, flip-flops!

This is the famous "Famosa Chicken Rice Ball" shop.

After a good long walk up and down of Jonker Street, its good time for some superb cooling ice-kacangs topped with awesome "gula Melaka". Again, this shop is full and jam-packed with people but we were lucky enough to find two separate tables for all 14 of us.

And yes, my ice-kacang with "red beans and jagung only" tasted great in a hot sweaty afternoon.

But that was not enough, at least not until I have a go at their Baba Laksa! Considering its a tourist spot, it was not too expensive at RM3.50 a bowl.

A "Malacca trip" will not be complete, not unless a picture is taken here at the famous Christ Church near the clock tower.

Here is most of us, up at St Paul's hill. Everyone seem to be pointing at the same angle...not bad.

The sword means "violence" while the Bible brings in "peace and love". And me...brings in joy and happiness! haha...

Here it is...my Katana fully drawn out in full length. Its coated in black for superior durability and strength!

Oh, here it is again. haha...

Our second last item in the agenda was the visit to Menara Taming Sari. The picture says it all. It takes you all the way up and offers one a superb view of almost the entire Malacca town!

The bird's eye view of Dataran Pahlawan and mahkota Parade

The Eye of Malaysia in Malacca

Part of the Malacca town...the Jonker Street area

An aeriel view of the only public swimming pool in Malacca...a view 100+ feet above ground

Inside the cabin of the Menara Taming Sari

A random pic I took of Shaun using Mabel's Nikon D80. I think its nice...

And the last agenda of the day was a good baba nyonya dinner before we leave. Did a search on the internet and we were led to patronise this restaurant called "Bibik Neo". Funny name it is but the food was no doubt...awesome!

We left Malacca town at 8:15pm and the GPS faithfully guided us through the roads of Malacca town and we all reached home safely.

An Evening With Elvis Presley

2009-09-09T17:54:00.008+08:00

Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. A cultural icon, he is commonly known simply as Elvis and is also sometimes referred to as The King of Rock 'n' Roll or simply just "The King". Elvis began his career in 1954. He had a versatile voice and he had unusually wide success encompassing many genres, including rock n roll, gospel, blues, country, ballads and pop.

Of course, as we all know, Elvis is dead. But his legend still lives on until this day with many die-hard followers of his impersonating The King. And in Malaysia itself, we have a few of such impersonators, two of which are my personal friends.

About a month ago, there was this special gathering where all the local Elvises came together and made a simple concert. I was privileged to be the events photographer. Here are some pics.

Some of Elvis' posters and albums on display at the event

The event host was His Sanctuary Glory Church at OUG, KL

Two "Elvises" meeting together. The one of the right is H T Long, my friend and probably the best Malaysian Elvis.

This was the 1st Elvis to perform. Not too bad but movements were a lil slow and voice so-so only lar.

The crowd at the event

This is Alex, also my friend. He is the latest and the youngest Elvis in Malaysia. I think, in my personal opinion, he is probably the best Elvis impersonator thus far. He has great Elvis moves and a superb Elvis voice. Go and search for images of the late Elvis and you will find many similar postures...the bended right leg called "the twist"!

This is "Michael Jackson". And I have no idea what's he doing here!

Another Elvis impersonator. Hmmm...so-so only lar. Weak voice.

This is my bro...H T Long! Probably the 2nd best Elvis impersonator in Malaysia after Alex. But Long is very experienced and a long time Elvis impersonator while Alex is new. But Alex is much younger and always displaying more aggressive moves.

And here we have another Elvis...the senior pastor of HSG Church, Rev Christopher Long!!! Cool, pastor!

"Old Elvis" giving a brand new pair of Elvis shades to "young Elvis". The shades are original merchandise from Graceland, US.

Here we have young Elvis "Alex" in his jump suit, doing this stuffs with his new Elvis shades on!

Alex interacting with the audience

A typical Elvis move by Alex

CD sales were great after the show

H T Long entertaining autographs requests from fans

And the final picture...I introduce to you..."Babyboss Elvis"

For your info, I was wearing Alex's new Elvis shades from H T Long, all the way from Graceland, US.

Away

2009-08-27T00:45:00.005+08:00

Its time for a break!

Will be away for a few days up in the mountains doing nothing but sipping fresh tea and enjoying the cool breeze, watching the locals go through their daily routines and having a small taste of what its like living in the rural areas.

I am only bringing up my compact Canon IXUS70 in case I really decide to put on my shooting instinct. Otherwise, absolutely pure "hanging around" and no "work". May bring home a few pics, I guess.

When I am back, I will show you my pictures taken with the late legendary Elvis Presley! Till then, take care and have a great week.

Resolution Test

2009-08-23T18:18:00.005+08:00

Trying to figure out which resolution setting is best for Blogspot. Some how, for some funny reasons, my picstures here at Blogspot don't seem to be sharp and clean.

A Shitty Day

2009-08-20T22:23:00.005+08:00

Today is a sick day. Not as in medically sick but emotionally, morally and ethically sick. Not that I did something wrong or bad but it was a business associate who made havoc! Let me try to piece everything together and write a good story. Hmm, where and how should I start?

Gosh, I have written a whole lot but decided to delete everything about it. I am not sure who reads this blog and if my post would further agitate the issue. All I know is, I have literally lost a super huge business opportunity thats worth millions! I hope the situation don't get any worst as it may cause me everything that I have in this project.

As I write, my associate, M is now trying hard to restore the situation and resolve the problem. While F, my the other associate, who "ignited" the problem, is not within reach. And me, stuck in between not knowing what to do cause I was not there when the incident happened. Its a horrible feeling to sit around filled with anxiety but can't do anything.

Its a shitty day!

Babyboss @ Coco Banana

2009-08-16T03:42:00.013+08:00

Just completed a simple event for an insurance company on Friday. It was jointly organised by 10 agencies from ING Insurance. They wanted to do a dinner-dance thingy and they wanted a disco-club environment. I proposed to them three venues, namely Zouk (Jalan Ampang), Mist (Bangsar) and Coco Banana (Sunway Pyramid). To cut the long story short, the client finally decided to have their event at Coco Banana.

Working with the people from Coco Banana was easy and pleasant. They were very accommodating and everything went smoothly. Zouk was a lil strict and less flexible. Euphoria Ministry Of Sound (Sunway Resort Hotel) was extremely strict and least "helpful". Aloha KL can't exactly accommodate 150 people and they don't have a decent dance floor.

The only grumble I received that night was on the "black pepper beef". Apparently many of the guests don't take beef...some religion thingy, I was told. One bloke even came up to me furiously asking me why I served beef. I said the buffet menu was submitted to the organising committee and they approved it! Anyway, that was just one grumpy man. Everything else went great.

Atmosphere was good, food was ok, awards were fun and the dance was crazy. Now I know why they themed the evening "ING Crazy Nite". Here are some pics from the evening. All (most of it, actually) images taken by Babyboss photographer, Sandra Wong, using her brand new Nikon D300 at ISO1,250. Image quality is stunning from the D300.

This is Cassandra...the emcee for the evening. Nice gal.

The front wall of Coco Banana

The rotating color-changing tunnel entrance...cool concept.

Main entrance to Coco Banana...the area where the security personnel and bouncers stand guard every night.

Here with the other co-emcee (the one in front of me)

This is Stone, Coco Banana's assistant operation manager...in front of the buffet line. Check out the pizzas!

Nice candles shot by Sandra

Just waiting to start the dinner

There it is...dinner is served. A few minutes later, one uncle complained about the beef thingy.

Black pepper beef...the most unpopular dish of the evening. So, I ate all the beef lor.

Agency managers having a breather outside the club...for some fresh air, I suppose.

I climbed up onto the subwoofer speakers to grab this shot. Zoomed the lens during the 1/8th secs exposure.

I look kinda "red" in this pic...maybe too much Carlsberg!

That's crazy nite!

With the organising chairlady, my boss and client...Serene Chong.

The DJ and his console

More crazy nite stuffs!

A final closing speech from...erm, I think their Director of Agency (DOA) or some sort

Beer + beer = lots of beer!

We were only allowed to use the place till 10:30pm after which Coco Banana opened its doors to walk-in customers and resume their business as usual. We were given a huge corner in the VIP area and all remanding booze and drinks were sent to the tables. We were all allowed to stay back and party if we want. Nice...!

A final "yam seng" before calling it a nite.

At the end, everyone was happy and I was happy that my clients were happy. Full payment paid to me, full payment paid to Coco Banana. Case closed. Till next time!

Happening Events

2009-08-11T13:51:00.010+08:00

Its been like over a week since my last blog post. Its not like I am overly loaded with work or anything like that but somehow...I have been pretty occupied. Had an event or two to plan, some meetings to attend to, a shoot here and there. And of course, my church commitments.

Just completed an event last Saturday at PGRM, Cheras. Managed to steal some time before the event to attend church at 3:30pm. We had a guest speaker, so I had to be there. Dashed back to PGRM by 7pm to execute the event.

When I left at 3pm, this was how the hall looked.

And then, it became like this at 8pm.

Nice huge crowd of 1,750 people (175 tables). Everything went perfect. Most importantly, the client was happy. The company's CEO came up to me at the sound console to personally thank me. I guess that means he is happily satisfied, rite?

Will be doing another smaller event this Friday evening. An insurance company's agency challenge dinner-cum-awards presentation. They themed it "Crazy Nite". And I can see why since its gonna be held at Coco Banana...a local hotspot dance club at Sunway Pyramid.

The organising chairlady was very professional and understood event management practise. She did not discount me, not even a single sen! And made my life very easy. And as of yesterday (Monday), she has already released to me 100% full payment!!! I appreciate this type of clients and I am encouraged to give her my best services, maybe even throw in an extra here and there. Complimentary free (means I have to pay lar) VIP parking bay for her right infront of the club entrance. Maybe complimentary free pics from Babyboss Pictures!

Will upload some pics from the event this weekend. I will try to have a pic with this organising lady and show you who she is.

And one final exciting job...a shoot in Langkawi. No just an ordinary 1-2 days event shoot but to be based in Langkawi and to cover EVERYTHING in and about Langkawi! From aerial to underwater to ground photography. From tourist spots to local culture and lifestyle photography. Likely to spend like a month or so there. Never done such an assignment before and this one should be very exciting. Hope the job is confirmed. [keeping fingers crossed]

If the job is on, I will definitely actively blog and keep posted of my "daily life" there. Should be having lots of very nice and exciting pictures to show! If anyone of you happens to be in Langkawi around October, call me...I have lots of time to hang out! Let's hope the job is on...

My Birthday Barbie-Q

2009-08-01T04:09:00.018+08:00

It was supposed to be just a "BBQ-for-fun" thingy but turned around and kinda became a semi-birthday party. My birthday! Actually, my actual birthday is on July 28.

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Anyway, it was filled with loads of fun. Almost everyone from my church, Revival One, came. We even had some new friends. Had a great time fellowshipping, chit-chatting and laughter everywhere.

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A total of 93 pictures have been selected and they are all uploaded at Revival One's Facebook page. Click HERE to jump to the gallery now! With 93 pictures, I won't be able to upload everything here, so do visit the link above. Leave your comments too, if you wish to.

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Here are just a few images from the event. All pictures taken with Nikon D80 (with pop-up flash) at ISO1600.

-The main entrance to Awanapuri Condominiums

The fire starters

BBQ in progress

Nice fire

With Babyboss photographer, Brian Lee

With Iris Liew

With Thomas, Chong and Isaac (in black)

With Christine and Jacinthia (longer hair wan)

With my over-burnt chicken wing!

With my birthday cake!

My Birthday SIGG Bottle

2009-07-29T16:30:00.009+08:00

This year's birthday was somewhat different from the ones I had over the last many years. As far as presents are concerned, I only got one. But the best and most happening part was receiving loads of birthday wishes at Facebook. I think I got almost a hundred birthday messages. To me, thats a lot. Never have I ever gotten so many well wishes before.

I only got three birthday text messages on my handphone. And that shows the power of cyberspace and the popularity of Facebook over SMS. I guess its simply because writing a message on Facebook is free while text messages cost some ten-fifteen sen. Yes, I also understand that the birthday reminder at Facebook also helped reminded many about the date, thus the hundred messages. Nevertheless, I am still happy about it.

Well, my one and only present this year is my much needed SIGG water bottle. I wrote a blog post about this Swiss-made water bottle and its superior features. I got a blue one.

This is 1.0L SIGG Dark Blue Traveller #7533.30

The old and the new. My old bottle is from F.O.S. The paint on the mouth of the bottle is peeling off and is likely no longer safe to use (I don't want to be swallowing paint!!!).

Even the box for the SIGG bottle is luxuriously handsome.

So yeah, I have already put my new SIGG bottle into action. Somehow, don't know why, the water from the SIGG bottle seem to taste better! Hmmm...

Acts Of Betrayal

2009-07-20T18:27:00.004+08:00

The world is sometimes so wicked, so filled with wicked hearted, unappreciative and cunning people. And I am not even taking about those unproductive, lazy and incompetent ones. It has become a known fact but having to experience it myself is another totally different experience.

Many years ago, a friend approached me and asked me for financial help. And for some reason, all these wickedness and cunningness are always related to money. Anyway, this friend needed RM10,000 for his mother's emergency medical cost and even gave me a post-dated check for the repayment of the loan. When the day came to bank in the check, it bounced. Called him up but he won't pick up the call. After a while, even the number got disconnected.

About three years ago, I referred a lady friend to open a banking account with a European bank. She was a divorcee and I wanted to help her make some money from the much higher interest rate from this bank. And so she did and had been enjoying good interest rates for over a year, collecting her monthly interest payouts happily. Sometime middle of last year, she wanted to take out all her money, in the climax of global recession. All banks, especially European banks tighten up all money transactions.

To cut the long story short, she is now blaming me for the delay of releasing her money. She is even threatening to sue me in court if I don't get her money out. And even to the extreme of asking loan sharks to come collect the money from me. What has it got to do with me? I was only the referrer. I don't have the money! She even scolds me with harsh vulgar words and accusing me of "cheating" her money. But she never thanked me even once for giving her the high interest payouts over the last one year plus! When things go sour, all she can think of is accusing and blaming me for everything. This was supposed to be a friend. Thanks but no thanks!

Another friend, from one event management company whom I have worked closely with, asked me for a favor. He wanted me to take photographs and video of some big shot police officer's daughter's wedding. In the name of "favor", I did it for him and even gave him a good price. The even was in April this year. Until now, I have not received my payment. He is no longer taking up my calls and neither is he replying to my text messages. He is totally ignoring me.

He bumped into me a few days ago at a coffee shop, he was with some friends. He did not even dare to look at me and chose to sit with his back facing me.

Another case. I did an event for this public listed company and I was dealing with their national sales director. A day prior to the event, he asked me to supply to him projector screens, switchers and cables. He said to issue a separate invoice and not to add on to the original event invoice. And so I did. The event was last year February. To cut the long story short, I have yet to receive my payment until today. Again, he is denying my calls, text messages and emails.

I can go on and on with a few more other incidents. It is so sick when these "friends" who asked me for help and favors, turn their backs on me when things got sour. My monetary loss is the small issue, it is the betrayal act that hurts me the most. Sometimes I wonder if I have been too kind to people. Someone once told me that I need to learn to say "no" even when I feel like saying "yes".

And that has brought to me many conflicting experiences, especially when I serve in the church. The Bible says to love your enemies, to forgive and to be a blessing. With God's grace, I truly need to learn and master the art of DIVINE WISDOM.

Sigh, jadi orang bukan senang! God...help us all.

The Haze

2009-07-15T19:13:00.007+08:00

The haze situation in Cheras, as of this morning and afternoon, was reasonably pleasant with only a slight hint of its presence. But when 6pm came, things changed for the worst. The haze was thick and brought visibility down to like 3 km! The surrounding condominiums and buildings opposite my own condo unit were showered with thick haze. And the further buildings seem to have "disappeared"!!!

This picture was taken from the left side of my condo unit, 17 floors up, at 7pm. A normally easily visible KLCC and the KL Tower have gone "missing" in the thick haze. The furthest building I can visibily see is around 3 km away.

At a glance, the ambience does resemble a typical evening at Genting Highlands where instead of 37C worth of dusty haze, is 16C worth of cool fog and midst. Unfortunately, this ain't the case!

Opposite view from my unit is Leisure Mall, which is now almost hidden in thick haze! I think its the worst of haze condition so far.

SIGG Water Bottles

2009-07-14T23:41:00.019+08:00

SIGG, "The Original Swiss Bottle", is recognized world-wide for Swiss quality and craftsmanship that comes with nearly 100 years of heritage and experience. Produced from a single component that is seamless and has no comparable weak points, SIGG bottles are tremendously durable and virtually unbreakable.

In June 2006, Backpacker magazine conducted a relentless field test of leading water bottles brands. With the services of a 100 pound cannon packed with golf balls, they were able to destroy all of the targeted bottles – except one! Following the bottle barrage, they dubbed SIGG "The World's Toughest Water Bottle."

As tough as they are on the outside, it's the inside of SIGG bottles that make them so special. Due to SIGG's special, proprietary internal coating, these high-tech bottles are resistant to fruit juice acids, energy drinks, alcohol and virtually any consumable beverage. Because the liners are taste and scent neutral, you can enjoy any beverage you'd like – without any lingering smell or taste of the last beverage you drank.

The composition of the liner also reduces the chances of bacteria build-up. And because the liner is virtually baked into the inner walls of the bottle, it will not flake or chip even if dented on the outside.

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There has been a lot of press concerning plastic water bottles (polycarbonate) leaching harmful chemicals into the container's ingredients. It's extremely important to note that SIGG bottles exceed FDA requirements and have been thoroughly tested to ensure 0.0% leaching – so they are 100% safe.

In Malaysia, the SIGG water bottle (1.oL) is retailing at RM129 each.

July 28 is just around the corner and guess what's #1 on my birthday wish list?

A SIGG WATER BOTTLE. :)

TV3 - Inspirasi Konsert

2009-07-12T17:14:00.005+08:00

Again, for some funny reasons, I can't seem to move the pictures around. So, the sequence is, again, in reverse order.

This was the TV3 concert I covered while of my other fellow friends were shooting the Japan Super GT 2009 at Sepang. Given a choice, I'd take Japan GT anytime! Anyway, this was TV3's 25 years anniversary concert themed "Inspirasi". As usual, like their monthly Jom Heboh concerts, it was attended by Malays with maybe 1 or 2 foreign visitors who'd probably get a shock seeing how the crowd behaved. And I am not making this up and neither am I being biased because I actually interviewed one of the visitor.

The concert, being a Malay concert, had all Malay local artistes lined up for the evening. Some names I know, some I don't know and some I don't even bother to know.

Here are some pics that should tell the whole story.

Fireworks at the end of the show. I think the budget was the main reason for the rather "thin display".

The finale, all the artistes came out for a final good night.

Hmm, this is Awie!

Faizal Tahir

Malaysian veteran singer, M.Nasir.

The Malaysian "divas". From left is Adibah Noor (in white), Ning Baizura, Noryn Aziz and Jacklyn Victor (of Malaysian Idol fame).

The crowd and the stage.

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I have shot TV3 concerts for some years now and I always, and mean ALWAYS, see fights. Somehow, the people just can't stay polite and keep peace while enjoying the concert. Somehow, they just have to irritate each other and start a fight. You kacau me, I kacau you! Not just once but a few times in ONE show!

This is what I mean "gangsterism" among the youths! The police, and I mean POLICE and not the RELAs, had to come and literally "arrest" the boys!

I have also covered many Hong Kong, Taiwan and international artistes' concerts here in Malaysia and we don't see such rowdy behaviours. Yes, there were "naughty" boys too but not to an extreme of a "police arrest"! In fact, only the RELAs were on duty. Somehow, the TV3 concerts require the presence of the police force. That tells us something, doesn't it?

Not sure who they are. In fact, I don't know 60% of the artiste line-up.

Veteran singer, Jamal Abdilah. Married and divorced 3 times. And I thought this only happens in the Western celebrity culture. Malaysia Boleh!

Before the show started, balloons were distributed. And everyone, including the adults, rushed for them. The father would take 3 balloons, 2 for his kid and one for himself. I mean, haven't they seen balloons before? Why would city folks go to the extend of "fighting" for balloons? Gosh!

Our "spiderman" up there, 40 feet above ground, fixing the molefay lights.

Huge amount of power was consumed that evening. The source...industrial generator sets.

The clowns

The crowd

The inflatables

Street artistes at work on their graffiti

The "Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad" also known as the "clock tower" in front of Dataran Merdeka. A view that I have not shot for more than 10 years. I remembered when I started photography as a hobby some 18 years ago, I always drive down town shooting these old buildings.

EAW KF750 speakers used to give rear coverage for the people at the far back area. Personally, I think these aged KF750 performs far better than the newer ESS line arrays used as front of house at this concert.

TV3's sound engineer at the Yamaha PM5D digital mixer for FOH mix

The entire stage at 6pm

The ESS (East Sound System) line array Front-Of-House system. They sounded ok but I think it was a little "hard". Maybe the sound engineer preferred "harder" sound.

The music director's keyboards station. Not sure who she was but it was a lady. No, it was not Jenny Chin.

The drummer. Forgot his name!

The Yamaha M7CL digital mixer for stage monitors mix

The ESS power amps for the line array FOHs

Well, that's about it. That was my evening at TV3's Inspirasi Konsert Ulang Tahun Ke-25. I still think shooting the Japan GT would be more fun!

Sigh.

Moments at Michael Jackson's Memorial

2009-07-09T03:19:00.011+08:00

I watched the live telecast over Astro's CNN coverage of Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Centre. At first, I didn't get good signals from Astro due to the rain, so I watched it over CNN's website on streaming video. But later, reverted back to Astro when the rain stopped.

It was a super slow 2 hour plus event. And the replay the next day got everything told in less than 60 minutes! Should have watched the replay instead. But then again, nothing beats the suspense and thrill of watching a live telecast and knowing that its happening there over in US, exactly as you see it on TV. That is also why I only watch football matches if its "live" and if its "the finals".

Anyway, a few things brought me to tears while watching MJ's memorial last nite. The pushing in of his coffin by his brothers was somehow heart moving. I mean, its Michael Jackson's body lying inside there, alright!

But I was especially touched when his 11 year old daughter, Paris Jackson, gave the short but super touchy speech and when she said her daddy was the best daddy in the world, it brought me tears. This were her exact words, "Ever since I was born, daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much", and she burst into tears.

I mean, the world has never heard from this girl and when she speaks, she moved the world to tears! How powerful. Watch the video HERE.

When Brooke Shileds gave her testimony, she concluded with the lyrics of "Smile" and she teared. Then Michael's brother, Jermaine, sang the song in full.

Awesome lyrics, super meaningful. He almost couldn't finish the song. Again, brought me to tears.

But I think, the best part, at least in my opinion, was when the pastor (I think it was Pastor Lucius Smith) closed the event with a prayer and mentioned this, "the King of Pop will now have to bow his knees to the King of Kings". And that's God, our Heavenly Father! Rest in peace, Michael.

I woke up at 12 noon this "morning" and I am still awake now (its 4:30am). I think I better hit the sack now and hopefully get back to my "normal" sleeping routine!

Good night, Malaysia!

A Satisfied Event

2009-07-06T01:34:00.009+08:00

I actually wrote quite a lot about this event but somehow for don't know what reasons the entire text just disappeared! Anyway, it was a good evening. Everything went well. Most of all, the client was happy and have their thumbs up! It was an awards nite for their Presidential Directors of an MLM company.

The pictures are in reverse order and I can't seem to rearrange the order of the pictures! Don't know wuts wrong with Blogspot. Anyway, here they are. All images taken with Canon IXUS70.

The distributors buying products like there is no tomorrow. I think easily some few hundred thousand Ringgit worth of sale was made that nite.

The crowded hall at MAEPS.

My DJ console overviewing the stage.

DJ of the evening! Haha...

The LCD projector monitors and video selector.

The hall with 181 tables!

Hall D of MAEPS (Malaysia Agro Exposition Park Serdang).

My two projector screens at the back foyer area.

My "Wall-E" looking LCD projector!

Speaker amplifiers from SoundStandard.

MLA line arrays.

My workstation for the evening...the DJ console!

Allen & Heath GL3300 overlooking the stage area.

Tribute To Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

2009-06-26T12:41:00.012+08:00

Today is a special day. Farrah Fawcett (Charlie's Angels in the late 70s) died. My fighting fish, Sally, also died early this morning. And about 10 hours ago, marked the death of The King Of Pop, Michael Jackson. He was 50.

The hospital pronounced him dead at 2:26pm on Thursday, June 25 (US time). Apparently, he suffered a cardiac arrest at his home and was immediately rushed to the hospital. He was not breathing when he arrived. The doctors failed to revive him despite trying for almost an hour.

Rest in peace, Michael.

Japan Super GT 2009

2009-06-20T14:31:00.010+08:00

It is sad to acknowledge that I won't be shooting this year's Japan Super GT 2009 in Sepang. I have been shooting JGT for the last 3 years and to watch others having the fun this year would be a real drag. I feel disappointed when I see my friends' Facebook pages flooding with images from Sepang, the setups, the practise runs, the crew, the photographers in actions, etc.

I was almost devastated when I was informed a few months ago that our Japan GT client, Hankook, is not hosting any events this year during the race in Malaysia. Normally, Hankook will bring in their Hankook (tyres) distributors from Asia to Malaysia in conjunction with the JGT here in Sepang. For the delegates, there will be tours, seminars, dinners and of course, the race day itself. I enjoyed the "Safari Tour" where the bus makes two rounds at the Sepang race track with the super cars rushing in and taking over from the back. Its really adrenalin-rush! But Hankook cut its budget this year, I heard and thus, no hosting of events. But I think the Porsche Hankook team is still in the race this season.

Nevertheless, I will still be shooting. But shooting a dull and boring local TV3 live concert at Dataran Merdeka! Boring local artistes compared to hot Japanese babes. A boring stage setup compared to shinny super cars! Boring local music compared to the loud roars of the super engines! Sigh.

Action started on Thursday with all the teams coming in, setting up and getting ready at their pits. Yesterday was the practises. Today is qualifying. And today is the day ALL the hot Japanese babes aka umbrella girls come out in droves, parading in their skimpy team outfits, attracting immense attention from hordes of photographers rushing for a good shot like they've never seen a gorgeous babe before. And I must say that this is, like it or not, where most of the fun is. The cars are secondary! haha..

Photo forums are beginning to be flooded with pictures of the girls and cars. Tomorrow, we will see the actual race and the pinnacle of all action...both the cars and the babes! The focus will be more on the cars tomorrow since its the actual race day.

Here are some of my friends in action at the Japan Super GT 2009 in Sepang.

[The pictures have been taken down because the photographer(s) who supposedly took the pics say that I am not allowed to use his/their images unless I have his/their permission. I didn't see the matter as so serious since these are just general pictures of people at Sepang and some are even my friends. These images are not some "high profile copyrighted" images of some superstar or anything like that. But since the "apparent owner(s)" of the images are making noise, I will take them down to make everyone happy. I apologise for making the rightful photographer(s) uneasy over the matter. Happy shooting, boys!]

OK, gotto run off to my boring concert shoot now. Have a great weekend. :)

Babyboss Junior Photographers

2009-06-19T00:33:00.013+08:00

I received a call this afternoon from CMG boss, asking me to cover this Saturday's TV3 25th Anniversary Concert at Dataran Merdeka. The show will be a live telecast over national television. Must be a big do!

So, as usual, I contacted my junior photographers to see who can come along and practise shooting live concerts. The engagement only pays for one photographer, thus the junior photographers that come won't get paid. Instead, they get a chance to shoot a live concert and build up their portfolio.

A good portfolio is important for someone who plans to come out in the near future as a fulltime professional photographer. A good portfolio will elevate his / her market value and allowing him / her to command a better fee.

But somehow, all my juniors were not available. Sandra Wong will be in Malacca this Saturday. Brian Lee is also in Malacca this Saturday. Angie Ong is now in New Zealand. Ee Yin has a movie date this Saturday. I think Christine Wong will also be in Malacca for something. Thank God Mabel Kuan said yes when I contacted her!

Actually, I don't really need someone to "follow" me during a shoot. I don't actually need an assistant or anything like that. But it would be nice to have a company and someone to chat with during shoot. And of course, he / she gets to "practise" in real action!

I still remember a few years ago, when all my current senior photographers were still juniors and following me around shooting concerts and stuffs. But now, they have all moved up and are now fulltime professional photographers making a living taking pictures.

L-R : Sandra, Caxton, Paul, TVXQ poster, me and William.

Sandra is still our junior photographer. Caxton and Paul are now senior photographers. William has always been independant. Shooting in a team is always more fun and less pressure as the work load is spread out to the few of us instead of just one photographer. The risk of camera failure is also not too much of a concern as there are other cameras to cover.

The other benefit if bringing along a junior is this...you get to have your own pictures taken professionally. Many times in concerts, we get to mingle around with the artistes. And if you ask a non-photographer to help you take your picture with the artiste, you are likely to get very disappointed with the shot! Its either not in focus or camera shake or something!

This picture of me and Rain was taken by a non-photographer who does not even know how to hold a DSLR. The image is not sharp! But I had no choice as I was the only photographer allowed inside Rain's room.

The setting up at the studio before shooting the Babyboss Pictures "family portrait".

Back Row (L-R) : Paul Kok, Sandra Wong, Dr Yung, William Lim

Front Row (L-R) : Christine Wong, me, Caxton Chow

This group picture was taken a few year ago, so its a lil outdated. A few new juniors are not in the picture. I think maybe its time to have a new Babyboss Pictures photo session!

Church Camp 2009

2009-06-14T16:02:00.011+08:00

It has been almost 3 weeks since I last blogged something here. The last 2 weeks, I have been either very busy or just plain lazy. Last weekend, I was at my church' annual camp. The few days before it, I was busy preparing for the camp. And the few days after it, I was busy with some business deals.

Other than that, I was just too lazy to write anything. All I did with most of the remaining time was just day dreaming, thinking about how things would have been if I had taken the left turn instead of the right. Or how my life would be if certain things have worked out. I don't exactly regret over things that have happened but sometimes I do wonder how it feels to be on the other side of the hill.

My new church is now almost 1 year old and we hosted our first church camp this year at Fraser's Hill. At the mention of the name, one would instantly relate the place to cool weather and fresh air. Well, there isn't much to see in Fraser's Hill, its actually quite a boring place. Weather was not exactly that cooling but at least I get to escape from the immense KL heat for a few days! Approximately 60 members participated in the camp, with only about 10 from the English congregation.

We stopped by at Ulu Yam for lunch and when we got off our cars, we were instantly greeted by the familiar heat we have in KL. The wind blowing onto my skin was literally hot air. But thankfully, the food was good.

The "loh meen" was superbly tasty and was totally gone within minutes. Murphy took the last drop of the gravy!

Fried chicken wings were great too and definitely deserve a mention here. Also gone within minutes.

The worship team. All musical instruments and sound system were brought up from KL. Very dedicated sound crew. This is the first time in a church event where I didn't have to touch any equipment. All I did was just preach the Word and relax.

I remember how I used to be so busy last time with transporting the equipment and stuffs and setting up at the hotel, sound checks and practises. But now, we have someone else doing all that work. :)

That's what I did, preached the Word of God. I spoke at the 1st session of the camp, on the topic of "United For God's Purposes".

But the majority of the campers were from the Mandarin congregation and I spoke in English. So, I had my senior pastor Rev Dr Jason Loh to do the translation for me. Because of his enthusiasm and experience, there were times where he spoke ahead of me and more detailed than me!

But nevertheless, we brought the message through. I shared from Ephesians 4 : 1 - 13, Unity In The Body Of Christ. I was speaking on how each member of the church plays a different role and coming together as one in the Body of Christ. How some of us will do more glorious work while some will do "not so glorious work" in the ministry. How some will command loud applause while some may not even be noticed.

At the end of my sermon, I made an altar call for those who want to "come back" right with God and rededicate their lives to Jesus. I wasn't sure if God wanted me to lay hands and pray, so I waited. And then, after a while, God said, "Now, go lay hands on them and pray for them".

And so I did. By that time, I could see that some of them were already in tears. God was already soaking in them. I have not been praying for people at altar calls for some time now. The last one I did was at Influence Conference 2007. I was on "sabbatical leave" the whole of 2008! But it was a great feeling again to experience God's mighty hands at work through me. Its good to be at service again.

It is always important to wait upon the Lord for the "right timing". By the time I laid hands on the people, they were ready to "rest in God's presence" and slain under the power of the Holy Spirit. It was a tremendous time, even for myself. As God worked into their lives, I myself was touched.

Our faithful Kurzweil SP88...Daesi's baby!

Leisure time at the nearby Jeriau Waterfall, some 5km away. Babyboss junior photographer, Mabel Kuan was the official photographer of the camp. She supplied all these pictures you see here.

The group picture. Everyone from En Dian (Chinese) and Revival One (English)...well, almost everyone. Some were stuck in the toilet due to food poisoning!

Just a note, never come to Shazan Inn!!! The rooms are lousy! No aircond but I can understand lar...Fraser's Hill cold mar. But fan pun takde!!! At least Genting's First World Hotel budget budget also got fan! The only thing I was thankful for was the free wifi at the hotel's lobby.

CIMB Future Leadership Program

2009-05-26T17:10:00.020+08:00

Recently, we have been engaged by CIMB Group (referred to as "the Bank") to help them manage and run their "Future Leadership Program 2008 / 2009" competition. The grand finale, a game show style quiz, which will be held this Saturday at the Securities Commission, will feature typical game show setups like quiz counters with digital numeric display panels, lighted buzzers, a game host, etc. We will have to design and fabricate the counters and do all the electronics and mechanism for the running of the quiz. The setup will be on this Friday, followed by a dry run of the entire system. Should be interesting.

The competition is opened to under-graduate students from all colleges and universities in Malaysia. They are to form a team of four. Obviously, the participants ought to come from financial services studies, i.e., finance, investment, marketing and business management. A total of nine colleges / universities applied. They are UTAR, Inti, Sunway, Nilai, UPM, Segi, UIA (Universiti Islam Antarabangsa), USM and Taylors. And the challenge has just begun.

All participants were made to wear the "corporate t-shirt".

What we had this morning was the first round, the Business Proposal Presentation at the CIMB headquarters in Jalan Semantan (Damansara area).

The funny thing about this place is that there is super limited parking space for cars. Maybe something like 10 cars fighting for 1 parking lot. So, I had to park far far away into Damansara Heights next to someone's huge bungalow.

But the problem was this...its "no parking" yellow line all the way along the entire road! But due to time, I had no choice but to choose a nice bungalow and park next to it. Later, I was informed by my colleague that police issue summons all the time along that road! Sigh...park liao lar...forget it lar. Kena kena lar!

Anyway, back to the competition. Every team was given a total of 20 minutes to present their business proposal. The case study subject was given to them weeks ago and they are to do research, form their own think tank and come up with great and powerful strategies that CIMB, as a bank, can use to elevate their market share in the banking sector. The subject title was "Opportunities Of Financial Services Amidst Economic Crisis".

Blue Ocean Strategy (BOS) was used and mentioned many times. In fact, the judges were very keen to hear more about the teams' BOS ideas. In a nutshell, BOS is a business strategy written by Professors W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne of INSEAD, a leading global business school. The aim of BOS is not to out-perform the competition in an existing industry but to create a new market space or a "blue ocean", thereby making the competition irrelevant.

One very interesting observation was the mention of Facebook as a tool for the Bank to link themself with customers. Codenamed "Facebook Banking", it is also a platform that the Bank can use to reach its customers as well as prospective customers. Needless to say, updates and promotional news will be channeled through the Facebook network.

UIA spoke about "Diminishing Partnership Concept", a new housing loan concept where the home owner and the Bank jointly purchase the house. USM rallied on "Hybrid Bank Bonds" where returns are higher and safer. Segi says that the Bank ought to be like parents, giving money to companies that need money when they need money!

While the teams do their presentations, those next in line awaits at the "Care Centre" of this CIMB building. And yes, I know, the waiting game is really no fun!

But there was this team that performed exceptionally well, at least I personally thought so. Their presentation was exciting, interesting, interactive, have good ideas, clear points and very practical strategies. They are from UPM. They research shows that 60% of card users are using debit cards. And in the US, the student market spends about US$200 billion a year.

The UPM team presented the "CIMB-V" debit card, a very special student card with loads of goodies like discount privileges at places where students like to go, namely bookstores like Borders, eating outlets, entertainment joints and many more.

While the presentations were made, the other presented teams stayed back at the auditorium to watch and maybe learn something new.

After all the presentations, the Bank's deputy CEO gave a closing address and encouraged the participants to gear up and get ready for this Saturday's grand finale, the quiz challenge at Securities Commission.

The event adjourned after a final briefing from the organiser. I packed my stuffs and started my long walk back to my car. Remember my car? It was parked far far away infront of somebody's bungalow? And as I walk, I began to see white sheets of papers stuck onto cars' windscreens under the wiper blades. It can't be anything else besides SUMMONS!!!

Taking a closer look at one confirms that it is indeed a summon ticket from MPPJ. Every car I walked pass has one sticking on the windscreens. I was like "O SHIT!!!". My car was the last one on the road deep in the bungalows area. [Anyway, this car's road tax expired liao. It says May 23, 2009. Its May 26 today!]

But as I walked on, I noticed that the tickets have stopped appearing on the cars. Maybe because its already into the housing area, cars parked next to bungalows are no longer summoned.

I was happy to arrive at my car and found no white sheet sticking out! But I think I parked my car too deep in and got some fine scratches from the tree's branches on my left side front door. But I think they can be easily removed when polished. Sigh.

Do Re Mi

2009-05-20T23:32:00.000+08:00

On a typical busy day at Belgium's Antwerp Central Train Station, in the midst of announcements, suddenly Sound Of Music's "Do Re Mi" was played out from the public address sound system. But that was not all of it, a group of dancers jumped out from nowhere and started dancing in synchronization to the tune. And then more came along and filled the entire hallway.

Watch it HERE.

Weird Items For Sale

2009-05-19T01:30:00.003+08:00

Helping a friend sell off some of his stuffs. He has some weird but interesting collection of "things". You may contact him directly if you are keen on any of the items. Please visit http://mostlyweirditems.blogspot.com/

Save The Dogs!

2009-05-18T23:03:00.007+08:00

The residents of Pulau Ketam sent some 300 stray dogs to exile on a remote island where the harsh conditions almost certainly guarantee a horrible death. Of the 300 dogs sent there, more than three-quarters are presumed to be already dead. Dogs are seen starving and dying along the mangrove shore.

A rescus mission has been mounted to capture and transport the remaining survivors back to Sabrina's Furry Friends Farm animal shelter. But time is running out and there might be only skeletons and carcasses left to collect on their next trip. Almost nobody will lift a finger to help without a fee. This is understandable.

To contribute or help, e-mail TV Smith at tvsmith@mycen.com.my or Sabrina Yeap at yeapwen@yahoo.com. For info or enquiries, please contact The Rescue Mission Secretariat at +6012 378 3730 (Janet) or +6012 320 8090 (Zalina). You may also read more about it at http://www.mycen.com.my/rescue/. Or visit Pamela's blog and read hands-on and in-action news and updates of her mission.

Thank you for saving me. But please do save my other friends too...

Pictures courtesy from Pamela's blog Pummkin's Pitch.

10 Things I Want To Do

2009-05-17T23:34:00.006+08:00

It is Sunday today and as what I'd normally do on a Sunday, I do nothing but relax without the guilty feeling of not working. I woke up quite late this morning, like 15 minutes before noon and I had a sudden urge for some super tasty seafood noodles. Where else would I go but straight to Segambut for Yu Ai's seafood noodles. Needless to say, it was awesome...hot but awesome!

Got home, lazed around a bit, watched a DVD, listened to some music (Utada Hikaru) and then...started dreaming. I was thinking to myself of what I would do if I have lots of money. I know this is probably everyone's dream every now and then. We all have the right to dream. But in my case, I kinda listed down some of the things I wanna do.

Here is the list in no particular order of priority :

#1 Clear all my loans and debts.

#2 Get a sports car, the BMW 335i Coupe or maybe even the M3 Coupe. Then an SUV, likely the Volvo XC90.

#3 Move into a big apartment in Bangsar.

#4 Inject funds into chuch planting / expansion projects and identify suitable charity homes to sponsor.

#5 Oh yes, get my Apple toys, the MacBook Pro 15", iMac 24", iPod and iPhone.

#6 Upgrade to Nikon D3 plus all the new FX lenses.

#7 Spend 5 days at Pulau Perhentian doing nothing (maybe go for a snorkel or a dive).

#8 Fly to New Zealand to visit Angie, Pei Fen and Felicia. Then, fly to London, UK to visit Mei Mei.

#9 Buy my parents a new car.

#10 Go for a full medical check-up and get a gym personal trainer to stay fit and healthy.

A Viral Infected Malaysia

2009-05-15T19:18:00.008+08:00

By now, you would have heard and read much about the fast and spreading Influenza A desease which is caused by the H1N1 virus. The last nearest country that was infected was Thailand. Today, it is confirmed that the H1N1 virus has officially reached our Malaysian shores.

Malaysia confirmed its first case of the A(H1N1) flu in a 21-year-old student who returned from the United States on Wednesday morning. All the 192 passengers on the Malaysia Airlines flight MH091 from Newark on Wednesday are urged to contact the Health Ministry by calling 03-88810200 or 03-88810300. Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the case made Malaysia the 36th country to be affected by the virus. He said, "Malaysia is now on high alert".

Meanwhile, a statement by the Health Ministry's director-general, Dr. Ismail Merican, said the young man was hospitalised yesterday for fever, sore throat and body aches. Tests confirmed that he was infected with the A(H1N1) virus. He is receiving anti-viral treatment and was in stable condition.

And as we all know, we also have cases of meningitis at the Road Transport Department Academy in Malacca. But that is old news.

If that is not enough, news today confirmed that 29 trainees from the Police Training Centre (Pulapah) in Air Hitam, Seremban (the Penang one is called Air Itam) have been put under observation at the Jempol Hospital after one of their colleague died yesterday of acute pericarditis, a viral infection of the sac surrounding the heart.

Dr Ismail Merican said today that two others have been admitted to an isolation ward at the same hospital and are in stable condition. Dr Ismail said the health authorities were still investigating how the victim got infected.

And if that is still insufficient, we have one more! A 21-year-old Myanmar illegal immigrant from the Juru Detention Camp died of leptospirosis in Bukit Mertajam Hospital on Tuesday. 24 people were admitted at the Bukit Mertajam Hospital and another 2 at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.

Leptospirosis is a rare, severe, and contagious bacterial infection caused by exposure to the bacteria which can be found in fresh water contaminated by animal urine. It occurs in warm climates. A statement from the Health Ministry said that the Myanmar immigrant was hospitalised on May 7 suffering from fever, lethargy and other symptoms consistent with Leptospirosis.

So now, we have 4 "no joke" viral cases here in Malaysia. Perak's political tug-of-war situation is in a mess! Our country's economy is not getting better. The weather is so hot! Truly, this is Malaysia Boleh!

New Zealand, here I come!!! Woohoo...

Everything Naik

2009-05-12T23:45:00.002+08:00

The temperature nowadays is so damn hot. It is expected to be like this till September. Girls, its time to get your bikinis out.

RON97 petrol price will be raised 20 sen to RM2.00 per litre. Effective September 1. Guys, its time to get your bicycles out.

My ROP project funds still not out yet. Latest news today indicates that the funds will be released anytime this week. The stress and anxiety level almost hitting maximum.

Suhu naik. Petrol naik. Anxiety naik. Blood pressure also naik! Mati lar!

Chang Mei Mei

2009-05-10T15:32:00.010+08:00

It must have been more than a decade since I last saw you. In fact, to be precise, it was some 17 years ago! And 17 years is a very long time with many many days, weeks and months. But everything seem so fresh in my mind as though you were still around.

Thanks to Facebook, I accidentally "found" you! It was really nice to know that you are doing very well and that you have kinda "migrated" to London, UK. I am sure London must have been treating you comfortably that you don't want to come back home. But I was thrilled when I got your Facebook message saying that you will be coming back to Malaysia for a two-week holiday.

It was awesome being able to catch up with you again during lunch and yamcha sessions. 17 years...that's a lot of catching up to do! Looking back at some of our old photos, they certainly bring back many old memories, the times we had together. The good ole Yamaha days and the family gatherings.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is Chang Mei Mei. Someone who is very special and dear to my heart.

This picture was taken in 1991, I think. It was taken in one of the music studios in Yamaha Music School, Subang Parade where I was teaching last time (1988 - 1994). As you can see, I look pretty good last time...slim and adorable. Don't you guys think so? Haha... I know, I know...I look much better last time. But that's a "boyish" image. After 17 years, one has to mature, rite?

Mei Mei, you have not changed much besides, like me, gained some weight, a little here and there! Nevertheless, you still look great! Matured, no doubt. The pair of dimples on your smile are still there, nice!

Here is a picture of both of us taken last week.

But tonite you will be catching your flight back to London. Two weeks passed so quickly, even you wished you had another week here. Nevertheless, life goes on. And for you, its back to some London air, away from this current Malaysian heat. I pray that you will have a safe and pleasant flight.

Good bye, my friend...a very special friend indeed. Till next time, take care!

Is Malaysia Still A Safe Place?

2009-05-09T00:19:00.000+08:00

In the wake of many recent happenings around our country, I truly begin to wonder if it is still a safe nation. We hear of the very recent two snatch thieves incidents that took the lives of two pregnant mothers. We read about the Port Klang Free Zone corruption issues. We also see the menace that the Mat Rempits are causing to the country. All these are happening in our current todays and these news are news of today's newspapers!

But what really shocked me was the recent Perak State Assembly incident. The current political atmosphere seem to get from bad to worst, though the Government try their utmost best to cover up various incidents. The latest being the Perak State Assembly which was "one wild political circus", reports The Star.

Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman trying to prevent former Speaker Sivakumar from being removed from his seat.

I am sure by now, many of you would have read or heard about the Perak Speaker V. Sivakumar, who was forcefully and physically removed. He was literally dragged off his chair! There are video clips of the incident distributed on the internet and upon watching the clippings, you have no other words but to classify some of our Perak state assemblymen as hooligans! There was no order nor control at the State Secretariat.

Pakatan Rakyat assemblyman Loke Chee Yan stands on the table to make his point, when a commotion broke inside the Perak state assembly.

I mean, what gave the BN guys the balls to unceremoniously drag Speaker Sivakumar, who was from Pakatan, off his chair as the State Speaker? Is this how it should be done? I don't see wisdom nor brains at work here! All I see is a bunch of political ruffians howling insulting words at each other across the hall like small kids having a fight.

Assemblyman from both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat involved in an argument during the Perak state assembly sitting on Thursday.

The scene outside the Perak State Secretariat building.

Just do a search on the internet and you will find various links, pictures and video inserts of the incident. It is interesting to know that the country I live in have such political leaders governing the nation. I truly begin to wonder if Malaysia is in any way still a safe country to reside in. What do you think will happen next? Does Malaysia have any possibilities of a brighter future?

Maybe its time to look into a migration? New Zealand? Canada? Malta? Or would Monaco be better? Can watch F1. I dowan a place that have volcanic eruptions. I dowan tsunamis. Neither do I wan earthquakes! I wan a beautiful beach with lots of babes! Haha...

43C!

2009-05-08T23:53:00.000+08:00

I was driving along the Federal Highway this afternoon when I suddenly realise that the outside temperature was reading at 43C! My car has a thermometer that shows the temperature outside. It was 32C when I was driving out to dinner. Is the earth melting? Sei lor!

Next Week Again? Arghhhh!!!

2009-05-06T17:33:00.008+08:00

Next week again??? Somebody ought to let me whack him up!!!

It didn't happen yesterday! And neither did it happen today! Its past 4:45pm now and we checked with our bank...nothing!!! Another delay!!! Sigh... Go on like that can get heart attack very fast lar!

Anyway, I tak boleh tahan, so I called up the company's Director to find out what's happening. Apparently, the banks are ready to release the funds but still waiting for some sort of a "payment voucher" from "higher authorities". Once they get that, within the next few days apparently, then the money can be released.

On another hand, we are also pressed for time as on our side here we have a few payments we have to honor for this particular project. If this funding come in too late, then we will have to fork out money first...I don't have RM5million! The pressure and anxiety is compounding steeply. Don't know can tahan for how long more.
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So, a few days it shall be. I wonder if its the final ditch or would there be more delays to come. But I know I have to stay positive. We shall see, we shall see. Sigh.

On another note, how nice would it be if it was me trashing up this RM728,800 420-horsepower V8 BMW M3 Coupe, just like what Jamaican Olympic champion Usain Bolt, the fastest man alive, did with his. Usain was the triple Olympic champion and World 100m and 200m record holder.

His apparel sponsor, Puma, gave Usain a spanking new BMW M3 Coupe as a gift.

But now, that M3 baby is gone!

The car apparently skidded off the road in an incident thought to have been caused by a wet road surface. He was on a road called Highway 2000 on the Vineyard Toll section in St Catherine, Jamaica. A member from the wrecker crew said both front tyres were punctured and the front left wheel was almost torn off. The windscreen was destroyed and the rear window completely dislodged. And there goes the carbon-fibre roof!!! He also said there were tyre marks on the road stretching about 50m up to where the M3 went off the road. Police say there is no indication that Bolt was speeding.

Considering the car actually flipped around several times before coming to a stop, it is still able to maintain a decent internal cabin size, which means that the driver and passengers were never crushed in any way. A great testament to the crash safety of a BMW car!

Maybe I should go get an M3 instead of the 335. The M3 is 50% more than the 335. Haha... But in all that is said, bottom line is still...the funds gotto come in first. Next week!!! Sigh...

Utterly Frustrated

2009-05-05T16:43:00.000+08:00

Its Tuesday today, means its May 5, 2009. And nothing happened. The funds for an approved project is supposed to be deposited into my company's bank account on May 5. Because Sdn Bhd bank accounts cannot have ATM cards or online banking facilities, my guy had to literally hang around at Bangsar where our bank is, to constantly monitor the account.

Its already 4:30pm now. Which means the banks are now closed. Nothing happening yet. So, I guess...maybe tomorrow? Or another tomorrow? Sigh. It had been delayed so many times and its now getting a little annoying. I mean, its not a small project, which also means that the figures are huge. And there is so much anticipation and anxiety to this whole thingy.

Yesterday I was at the principal's office and the word given was "besok on". And everyone was all geared up for yesterday's tomorrow. And it turned out "negative". But there is absolutely nothing I can do about it but just...WAIT. And wait. Patience is the rule of the game now. And mine is greatly tested at the moment. Sigh...really TLMCH!!!

Well, we'll see about tomorrow. Stay tuned for my good news! Wishing ourselves "all the best".

Hwa Tai Appreciation Dinner 2009

2009-05-03T18:08:00.013+08:00

Hwa Tai Industries Berhad, a very successful Malaysian biscuits manufacturer had its annual appreciation dinner for all their key suppliers on Thursday at The Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur.

Hwa Tai Industries Berhad (HTIB) is one of the premier and long established biscuit manufacturers in Malaysia. Established in 1962 and listed on the Stock Exchange Malaysia in 1992. Since then, this fast expanding company has grown to be one of the largest players in the biscuits industry in the country and produce a fine, wide range of superior quality biscuits. It has been successfully marketed domestically and internationally through HTIB’s own vast and comprehensive distribution network. Their biscuits are marketed under the brand name or trademark of “HWA TAI” and “LUXURY”.

They engaged three great people that evening, Dennis Lau (the violinist), Siti Nurhaliza (the pop diva) and me (the photographer). Dennis was mesmerising with his special touch on his digital violin together with his co-performer, Jimmy Sax. And Siti Nurhaliza was a bomb, no doubt. Great voice, great looks! And Babyboss Pictures gave you all these pictures! Haha...

Back to the biscuits, I personally like the D'Lite range of crackers especially the "Pizza" flavoured one!

They had hundreds of packets of D'Lite range of biscuits displayed at the display shelves just shouting "try me, try me". So, I tried the "Pizza" flavoured one and instantly fell in love with it. I whacked up the whole packet!

No event is complete without these female usherettes. This shot taken at the specially designed photo wall where the "Hwa Tai" logos glow!

Group Chief Executive Director, Mr Airique Soo, giving his opening welcome speech.

Dennis Lau doing his magical stuffs on his digital violin.

Digital violin (or maybe its called an "electronic violin") means it can sample literally any sound from its tone generator. When I was still teaching in Yamaha those days, I used synthesizers and sequencers to make music. But now, one digital keyboard or commonly known as a workstation coupled to a computer, can do the job of a 50-piece orchestra!

Very expressive. But Dennis, you are always closing your eyes...maybe just a little too often. As a performer, eye contact is very important. Just my observation and opinion.

Dennis's co-performer, Jimmy Sax. Probably the best saxophonist in the country?

Dinner was simply awesome. They served western cuisine, fine dining style with red wine! And the best part was, they also incorporated Hwa Tai biscuits into the serving.

Smoked salmon with mashed potato...and Hwa Tai biscuit. Yummy!

Since I was the event's photographer, I had to keep shooting. My job was to shoot and not to eat! So, I think I missed two other dishes before this red-looking thingy. This was desert.

Not only the food was delicious, the dancers were "delicious" too. On one of the dance set, the dancers came out in "African Zulu" outfits. Naturally they wore very little. My fast lens caught this sight. He was on a g-string. Nice!

Siti Nurhaliza stole the evening's attention by rendering some of her top numbers, including a Mandarin oldie from Teresa Teng. It was obvious that the crowd responded very well with her performance. Great voice, great tone and superb control. No doubt she truly earns herself all the awards at the recent Anugerah Industry Music (AIM).

Still the same cute smiling and adorable face. Never seem to grow old.

I have seen her perform live in several past concerts, the last one being TV3' Sure Heboh concert some 2-3 years back. Watching and listening to Siti again was almost a dream come true. Deeply fascinated by her vocal abilities.

The Chairman, Mr Soo Thien Ming, having a light chat with some of his suppliers towards the end of the event.

Britain's Got Talent 2009 - Special Highlights

2009-04-30T11:16:00.004+08:00

This year's "Britain's Got Talent" show took a big turn in its popularity when several participants shocked the world with their unexpectedly outstanding performances.

The first impressions presented the moment they stepped onto the stage were literally signing themselves off the qualifications. You can see judge Simon Cowell showing "the face". But things took a big turn when they opened their mouths...and so did Simon!

And the judges...especially Amanda Holden...amazing! You know what I mean? Though she is already 38 this year but she is still quite a magnet for attention. Piers Morgan is sweet and humble and projects that caring image. Simon is, of course and still is, everybody's "best friend".

Here are a few popular ones that will guarantee to blow your minds off. Click on the links to jump to YouTube.

Susan Boyle - 47 year old spinster who lives with her cat. Poorly dressed, utterly unimpressive...until she opened her mouth.

Diversity - A 10-boys (I think) dancing team with some very imppresive dance moves that even shocked Simon Cowell.

Hollie Steel - Started with some boring ballet moves but turned everything around when this 10-year old girl began to sing "I Could Have Danced All Night" at 1min 37sec.

Shaheen Jafargholi - Simon said "no" to his first song but gave him another chance that qualified Shaheen a standing ovation from the 3 judges!

And here are some for a good laugh.

Greek Dance - Father and son attempt. Silly but damn funny.

Clare Morton - Now, this has to be the best of the worst award. Clare, 47, wants to cut an album one day and perhaps hit the Top Charts with her songs. Check out her dance moves and how she "missed" her entry cue on the first few notes. She got 3 buzzes to stop!

The 335i Coupe - Beauty Of Its Own

2009-04-29T00:32:00.007+08:00

Don't you just love it? Simply awesome and beautiful...the interior of a BMW 335i Coupe.

When can I have one laaaaaaar?!!!

Schwarzkopf 111 Years (Updated)

2009-04-26T17:02:00.006+08:00

Schwarzkopf's Professional Division just hosted its "Advanced Product Information" demo-cum-product launch event on Tuesday at Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Schwarzkopf sells professional hair products like high-end "professional-series" shampoos, color treatment and color management stuffs, wax, clay, styling moose, gel, cream, etc. Their clients are generally the upper market professional hair salons. Just like Loreal, Schwarzkopf is an "all-hair" products company. And the name tells you that they are from Germany.

Shooting for Schwarzkopf has always been a pleasure because there will always be good food and stunning models. And most of all, they pay me in time! But somehow, the models this round was only "so-so quality"; they looked very "normal". Anyway, as usual, they always start their events with sumptuous food and this time was no exception. Buffet lunch was provided by Hilton KL. The afternoon's product launch and demo event was from 2pm to 5:30pm. After that, everyone was invited to another sumptuous dinner at Courtyard Garden! Naturally, I was also invited to dine together. Awesome lar this company!

Anyway, let the pictures do the talking...

The product showcase at the foyer of KL Hilton's ballroom.

Huge banners on the left and right side of the ballroom walls. Very powerful decors.

The main stage.

The Schwarzkopf (Malaysia) boss himself, Mr Stefan Zimmerman with his clients. The guy on the left, in white, who is also a Schwarzkopf customer and owner of a pro hair salon, drives an orange-colored Nissan Fairlady 350Z with 20" rims! Cool.

The photo wall at the foyer where every guest were encouraged to have a photo.

They had the similar photo wall thingy in their European event.

The marketing manager, Joyce Lee, presenting her topic.

A live hair demo. Personally, I felt it was a lil boring this time, maybe because I didn't understand what he was talking about. Haha...

Unlike last year's hair demo where it was filled with excitement and you can really see the model's hair actually getting fixed! But then again, that was a hair show while this year's was a product launch.

Makan times are always very happening. But I had no time to eat...was busy shooting! Somehow, buffet lunch was just some 2 hours ago and still, people stuff their stomachs with more food during tea breaks. I have not seen an event where participants don't respond to tea breaks.

This is Rick Lee, creative director of Sense Studio, a professional-class hair salon. He is also Schwarzkopf Professional Division's Product Ambassador. Nice fella, cute looking too. Maybe I should, one day, let him have a go at my hair! Keke...

I would think that this was the most "model-looking" model. I mean, the rest were very much "normal looking", with a hair design just like any other girl on the street. At least this one has a mushroom growing on the left side of her head, tied up with a tri-colored ribbon! The stage lighting was just 12 boring non-colored parcans. Lighting was flat with shadows from my flash light.

But last year's catwalk was far more interesting simply because there was a real catwalk stage to parade on. And the stage lightings were more exciting with moving heads effects.

Now that's what I call a "hair show". This was what they had in Europe!

Rick Lee explaining about the new hair products used to create this fresh look.

All the models this year. The girls on the far left and far right are the only two "model-looking" models. The 3rd one from the left (in shorts) look like my neighbour's daughter, while the middle two girls are basically under-tall.

The models line up from last year was more interesting and more appropriately dressed.

The group photo of all the participants. This is probably Schwarzkopf Malaysia's many top stylists and salon operators.

Dinner was at the rather beautifully renovated Courtyard Garden at Lorong Dungun, Damansara Heights, KL. Its basically a huge old bungalow converted into a restaurant.

The environment is nice and peaceful...with lots of green everywhere.

You get to dine in a "garden" environment surrounded by trees and plants. There is even a "mini river" that flows through the restaurant. The only possible set back is mosquitos!

Food was simply sumptuous and awesome!

Mr Zimmerman again, cutting the Schwarzkopf birthday cake, marking the company's 111 years in the business.

They had a far bigger cake when they had the event in Europe! Maybe if I had used a 12mm lens and shoot the cake from a close up angle, I might get the same effect on the size of the cake. Haha...

The Son - The Sacrifice

2009-04-24T14:54:00.008+08:00

Excerpt taken from an interesting and touching story. Read on, its worth your 5 minutes...

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art. When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.

About a month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you and your love for art." The young man held out this package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist but I think your son would have wanted you to have this."

The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."

The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.

The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection. On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?"

There was silence. Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting? Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voice angrily shouted, "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Gogh's, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"

Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting..." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?" "Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."

The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections. The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!" A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"

The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over." "What about the paintings?" "I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time. Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"

This is exactly what the Bible says about Jesus. Whosoever receives the Son, receives everything that God had promised. Jesus had already sacrificed and died for the forgiveness of our sins some 2,000 year ago. The work in done. Now it is up to us to choose to "receive Him".

May God bless the reading of this story.

"INFLUENCE 2009"

2009-04-23T00:52:00.008+08:00

The Influence 2007 was really exciting and Influence 2008 was a blast! Now, its time for Influence 2009. Happening this year on July 24-25 and kindly hosted at Glad Tidings Church, PJ. It will be another exciting time to get together and fellowship, and learn about strategies for today's times of trials and challenges.

The theme for Influence Conference 2009 is "Challenging Times". We want to explore into what God says about such times, on how and what one can do to "survive" and most of all, emerge victorious from the challenges.

Panel of speakers consist of :

Rev Clement Wong - Director of Youth Alive Malaysia. He is a fun (yes, he really is) and energetic speaker, filled with a passion to sow into the lives of young people.

Benny Ong - Founding director of a very successful financial advisory firm in Singapore. One can learn great insights from him on "money matters".

Dr Timothy Sng - A consultant neurologist. Wondering what a neurologist is doing in a "Challenging Times" conference? Come and find out.

Dato Daniel Tay - Senior partner and consultant to Tay Ibrahim & Partners, and director of IRCB (a public listed company of the main board in Bursa Malaysia).

Registration fee per person is only RM70 before June 22, 2009. After that, its RM80. Closing date for registration is July 13, 2009. All are invited, Christians and non-Christians!

You can also check out more details of Influence Conference 2009 at its official blog or Facebook!

The Sunday Breeze

2009-04-19T15:46:00.009+08:00

Lately, as in these last few months, I have always been looking forward to Sundays. I mean, who wouldn't, rite? But mine is a lil bit different cause almost everyday seem to be a "Sunday" for me. I have not been shooting much lately and somehow this has become a trend over the last few years; February to June, are always slow months and very few shooting jobs. The momentum picks up sometime in June and we'll see October to January being busy.

OK, back to my Sundays. With my rather free schedule, I am at home most of the time, thus its a "Sunday" almost everyday! But I get this sense of guilt when I stay at home doing nothing much (besides surfing the net and doing some readings) and when everybody is busy at work or at least having something important to do. So, I get restless on weekdays though I don't actually have much to do.

And when the actual Sunday comes, I feel happy...cause its a SUNDAY!!! And everybody is not working, so I don't have to feel guilty! Saturdays become the prelude to my happy Sundays because I have church services on Saturdays. I teach drums classes on Saturdays. I have jam sessions with my band. Of course, we get into the Word of God. And after all that, we all adjourn for dinner fellowship and chit-chat till night! Knowing that the next day is a SUNDAY!!!

And today...is a Sunday. And I am enjoying every moment of it. Just came back from dim sum brunch, actually lunch lar since it was at 12:30pm. Woke up at 11:15am. Watched TV a bit and drove off for dim sum lunch. Got home and was undecided if I should read yesterday's newspapers or watch Astro or maybe a DVD movie or maybe surf the net (I am currently doing a "study" on Apple's products; the MacBook Pro, iMac, the Airport Extreme Base Station and some of Apple's softwares commonly called "applications"). I decided on the later...surf the net and blog.

Couldn't resist to but share with you guys my latest readings...BMW catalogs! My hands got too itchy and cannot tahan liao, so I made a visit to Sapura Auto, a BMW car dealer (Auto Bavaria's main competitor). Wanted to go see the 335i Coupe, sit in it and "feel" it. I also wanted to find out more about the M3 Coupe and 645i Coupe (but now no more 645i but a 650i). Unfortunately, the only car in my list that was in display was just the 320i Coupe; same body size and interior with the 335i Coupe.

Brought home some catalogs and the new 2009 price list. These are great reading materials for my long toilet sessions. It encourages the mind and stimulates the bowels to "perform". 80% of the time reading with 20% of the time actually "performing".

The weather this afternoon is cloudy, looks like its gonna rain...again. Nice strong breeze with a great view from my 17th floor condo unit, reading my catalogs! I wonder when I can actually go place my order for a 335i Coupe. Hmmm... Sunday is a good day to dream...

Will go catch a DVD movie now. You have a nice Sunday too.

The new BMW catalogs...335i, M3, 650i and the X5. My new reading materials.

High quality glossy pages. Printed in Germany.

The new 2009 price list. The 335i Coupe @ RM499k; M3 Coupe @ RM729k, 630i Coupe @ RM789k and the X5 3.0 @ RM569k.

The balcony of my condo unit, 17 floors up into the sky.

Britain's Got Talent 2009 - Susan Boyle

2009-04-16T01:49:00.003+08:00

You've gotto watch this to believe it. Simply unbelieveable and shocking, at least it shocked all the three judges (including Simon Cowell of American Idol fame) and literally everyone at the hall. 47-year-old Susan Boyle wows the judges with her performance in the auditions for Britain's Got Talent 2009, singing "I Dreamed A Dream" from Les Miserables.

You'd be forgiven for judging the book by the cover when you meet Susan. Having never married, sharing a flat with her cat has given her a cheeky sense of humour, and even the judges were ready to write her off, until...that is...until she began peforming her rendition of "I Dreamed A Dream".

-
Watch it here.

Forbes Hottest Young Royals

2009-04-15T15:53:00.012+08:00

Forbes did a survey on young royals or commonly known as "royal kids". The list ranks royals according to power, measured by international Web and media presence and family wealth. Forbes only considered unmarried royals between 18 and 35 years old. The 10 young royals on their list belong to five noble family lines and represent nearly USD75 billion in combined wealth.

While their fortunes have been affected by the global downturn, the majority of the families have significant wealth in property, jewels and art. Though in recent years, critics have been quick to point out that much of a monarch's personal wealth should be counted as a public asset, since most royal families receive annual allowances from the state.

Whatever it is, they are still damn rich. Here is the rundown of the "top 10" with two coming from Asia, the top 3 of the list coming from the United Kingdom and the rest mainly from Europe!

No.1 Prince William, UK.

The eldest son of Prince Charles and Princess Diana. While the British royal family has considerable wealth, the prince's place is primarily attributed to his international popularity and the media's habit of chronicling his every move. The 26-year-old is currently training to become a military helicopter pilot and recently made headlines for his reported desire to go to Afghanistan.

No.2 Prince Harry, UK.

Prince Harry, younger brother of William, is the more rebellious of the two, at least according to the press. He attracts constant attention for antics usually involving bar hopping and alcohol. Since breaking up with his girlfriend of five years in January, there has also been rampant public speculation about his latest amours.

No.3 Zara Philips, UK

Zara Phillips, the 27-year-old known for her riding skills, is 12th in line to the throne. Phillips is the only daughter of Princess Anne and Mark Phillips. She was slated to ride in Beijing last summer, but was forced to withdraw after her horse Toytown was injured. Last December, she fell from her horse and broke her collarbone. Her considerable press attention earned her the third spot on the list for the second year in a row.

No.4 Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed Rashid al Maktoum, Dubai

As the current crown prince of Dubai, Sheikh is the first in line to be the city's next Emir. The prince moved up two spots this year and is the only young royal to surpass a British royal according to our measure of influence. He's known as a leader, as the chairman of the Dubai Executive Council and the president of the city's Council and Autism Centre, and as a poet. Cool.

No.5 Princess Beatrice, UK

The 20-year-old daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York is known for her fiery mane and her famous friends (Madonna and Victoria Beckham, among others). Though still fifth in line to the British throne, she slipped a spot on the list since last year after falling in both Web buzz and media mentions. One possible cause...her spotlight-stealing younger sister Eugenie, who has garnered significant attention since becoming an official adult in March 2008.

No.6 Princess Sirivannavari, Thailand

The fashion designer princess, who showed her 2009 spring collection during the first day of Paris Fashion Week last September. Up from No.16 last year, she received significant international press from her fashion show. The royal family has been under intense scrutiny this year as the newly installed coalition government threatens to change the royal succession.

No.7 Princess Eugenie, UK

The younger daughter of Prince Andrew and Sarah, Duchess of York has been attracting significant attention in the last year. The 19-year-old is quickly becoming a royal wild child after reports of smoking, running naked on school grounds and frequenting a pole-dancing club made headlines. She's currently on a trip around the world to fill her gap year.

No.8 Andrea Casiraghi, Monaco (my personal favorite)

Sexy looking Andrea, the eldest child of Princess Caroline of Monaco and Stefano Casiraghi, is second in line to the throne. Should his uncle, Prince Albert II, die without children, it's likely that Andrea will become the prince of Monaco. The 24-year-old's relationship with heiress Tatiana Santo Domingo is widely covered in the international press.

No.9 Charlotte Casiraghi, Monaco

Charlotte is the only daughter born to Caroline of Monaco and granddaughter of Grace Kelly. She attracts attention for her good looks, as well as her taste. She is a regular at fashion fêtes and shows and is often photographed palling around with noted designers such as Valentino and Karl Lagerfeld.

No.10 Prince Azim, Brunei

Prince Azim, fourth in line to the throne of Brunei and one of 12 children, is well known for his "playboy" ways. He garnered press mentions in the last 12 months for reports of paying Amy Winehouse to perform at a November bash last year and for his relationship with reality star Jane Goody, who died earlier this year from cancer.

Source : Forbes

Starbucks, My New Office

2009-04-08T14:40:00.006+08:00

Since early last week, I have been spending my every afternoon at Cheras Leisure Mall's Starbucks, normally between 1pm to 6pm. I frequent this place so often, that today, when I wanted to placed my order at the front counter, the baristar recognised me and read out my order before I could tell her. And she was right, spot on...ice grande latte with low fat milk!

Time passes so fast, it is now more than a week since my internet line went down. I have gotten used to surfing the net using shared wifi line at Starbucks and cybercafes. The internet speed, of course, is much slower since 10-15 people share the same connection. But I have gotten the hang of it, not opening too many browsers at one time but to open them "one at a time".

Today is the 8th. Another 6-7 more days to my project's payday! I think I can live the next one week without anxiety and to have full faith that there will be no more delays. There are so many things to look forward to...my new Macbook Pro, the new Apple iPhone, maybe a new Nikon D3 and new FX lenses, a Canon G10 with underwater housing for my scuba diving trips (will have to start taking up diving lessons) and most of all...maybe...just maybe...the 335i Coupe!!! Woohoo...

Maybe I should just take the next one week to "day dream"! Anyway, here is my workstation at Starbucks and a picture of the Canon G10 in a UW housing.

My trusty HP Pavilion laptop with my Ice Latte at Starbucks. My make-shift office since last week.

The Canon G10 (a high-end digital compact camera with manual exposure functions) housed inside an underwater housing. The camera cost around RM2,000 while the UW housing is around RM4,000.

Grand Malay Wedding

2009-04-07T14:53:00.012+08:00

It has been quite some time since my last wedding shoot, let alone a Malay wedding. I don't do much wedding jobs and I do even fewer Malay wedding jobs. I think my talent is not in shooting weddings as it involves a lot of creativity. I'd normally get like maybe 8-10 wedding jobs a year while the rest are mostly corporate events and live concerts related stuffs.

Anyway, the whole proceeding was rather different from the typical Chinese wedding. Infact, the Indian wedding is also very different from both Malay and Chinese wedding. I got a call a week before the wedding asking me to cover the event. It was the wedding of the daughter of Datuk Wira, a high ranking police officer. Naturally, the "akad nikah" ceremony was held at the Pusat Latihan Polis (Pulapol) at Jalan Semarak. The event was held in nothing more than a huge marquee tent with midst fans to help cool the place!

The event starts at 12noon (damn hot, you know) and I was already there by 11:30am. Estimated crowd was approximately 2,000 plus, with guests going in and out group after group. They come, they greet the parents, they eat and they leave! The bridal couple still not out yet for the "bersanding" thingy. Unlimited supply of typical Malay food, rendang mutton, rendang beef, rendang ayam, nasi briyani, air sirap, etc.

The actual event started at 1:30pm with the procession of the couple, some 300m away from the marquee, escorted by local Malay girls with bunga mangga and kompang boys! The sun was f***ing hot and I suffered a light sunburn on my poor face while witnessing the entourage slowly march in. By the time they got it, they were ushered straight to the "pelamin" where they were seated and the ceremony began. After that, it was all about food and food.

Left the place at 4pm, feeling tired, sweaty and sticky. Malay wedding is more difficult to shoot compared to a typical Chinese wedding. And one will definitely need at least two photographers to get good coverage for a Malay wedding, three would be ideal. Speaking of photograhers, there were like 7 photographers there that afternoon. Two were from a Malay photo agency (which I believe was hired by the bridal couple, using Nikon D90 and Canon 400D), one from a local news agency (on a Canon 20D), one from the Police department's in-house fella (looks like a Canon 40D) and the other two...dunno who (using small DSLRs)!

The grand pelamin.

Part of the guests tables under the huge marquee.

The ushers.

Door gifts for everyone. Its actually an egg encapsuled in a oval glass holder thingy.

Makan time!

Everything was red in color, all the rendang delicacies.

The make-shift kitchen and huge pots of rendangs!

My boss (in black-gold batik) with the bride's father.

Some of the photographers.

The couple arrived in a Hummer H3 (a luxury off-road SUV).

The 300m walk under extreme hot sun!

The "adat bersanding".

The bride's father doing the "merinjis" (blessing the couple).

The groom.

The bride.

The main table.

The VIP table, groom's relatives.

A private moment.

A group family photograph.

Photographers (in red) from Glass Images in action.

Leaving...

...in a new BMW 760 Li (6.0 litre DOHC V12 engine with 438 horsepower!!!)

Hours At A Cybercafe

2009-04-04T14:00:00.004+08:00

It has been more than a year since I last visited a typical housing estate cybercafe. My last impression of a cybercafe was a place with lots of noise from the then-famous Counter Strike's bang-bangs and boom-booms and the shoutings of "fire in the hole"! The cafe itself was then very much a smoke chamber with literally everyone, mainly youths and youngsters, smoking their way to an early death.

But as I stepped into one a few nights ago and then again now, I am extremely pleased to find that the atmosphere at these outlets have drastically changed. For one, and most important of all, it is no longer a smoke chamber. Smoking is strictly prohibited in cybercafes! Where I am now, there is absolutely no trace of smoke whatsoever. For those who must take a puff, they do it outside.

Then comes the noise...there is none now! No more loudspeakers with subwoofers shouting and blasting all the way from all corners of the outlet. Apparently nowadays, all computers are fitted with headphones and no more computer loudspeakers! So now, besides occassional shouts of excitement from some players and occassional cursings of "tius" and "niah-mahs", there is really no more bang-bangs and boom-booms from the computers. All you generally hear now are keyboard key strokes and quick clicks of the mice (mouses?).

Most "clients" here are here for Dota or some sort of warcraft thingy, while a minority are here for some online arcade games and perhaps an even more minority few are here for the internet use!

On another note, the "dinner" is tonite! 6:30pm at The Grand Ballroom, Palace Of The Golden Horses hotel. This marks the official launching of a mega project where I am directly involved. Once launched, the first tranch of project funds will be released early next week and will go on for exactly a year. Means, if everything goes well, I will be busy next week onwards for at least 12 months. Thats good news cause I will be handsomely paid. Woohoo! My rough estimation of the entire project costing is around RM80 billion.

I have just been informed that photography is allowed tonight. So, I will bring along my trusty camera gears for some memorable pictures. Will try to upload an article and pics of tonite's event soon.

Times up, third hour coming up liao! Wish me luck tonight!

Hours In Starbucks

2009-04-02T17:55:00.003+08:00

Sitting in Starbucks now with my trusty (but ageing) HP Pavilion laptop over a cup of my favourite Iced Latte (with low fat milk). Been doing this since Monday when I lost my internet connection. The wooden chairs here make my butt goes "flat" after hours of sitting still.

The Telekom guy came over to my condo this afternoon and found out that the phone line from the condo's riser (something like a switch box for all the lines) to my condo unit is faulty and beyond repair. Kena lightning strike! The only way is to get the condo management people to replace a new physical line. That would probably take a few days from today! Means no internet at home for a while! Argh!

Just got news that my much anticipated mega project (the first one) will indeed be launching this Saturday and funds will be released sometime next week (I was told that it would either be next Monday or Tuesday). That's brilliant, simply awesome!!! After a few months, I can buy my 335i Coupe liao! Woohoo!!! :)

OK, i need to go toilet now. Been holding it up since an hour ago and now can't tahan anymore. Chiao!

Randam Thoughts

2009-04-01T21:28:00.003+08:00

I was sleeping last night but was actually not "asleep". I am not emo but have been doing some thinking about life. I was wondering how would life be if I am say, disabled, as in confined to a wheelchair. Even if I have millions of dollars, it would not bring back my walking abiliy. That was when I realised I want health over wealth. I began to realise how little control we have over our own lives. All I can do is just submit everything to God and believe in His divine protection and blessings. And then, I fell asleep.

On another note, my home internet connection is suffering from some kind of technical problem. The ADSL light is not blinking at all, means no connection is established. My home fax line is also dead, as in no dial tone. Both my internet and fax shares the same phone line and I pressume something is wrong over at the Telekom's technical side. Made a report to them last Friday. Made another report this Monday. And today, I made yet another report since no restoration was done! Sigh...they are so ineffective!

Tak boleh tahan liao, so I dashed over to nearby Starbucks at Leisure Mall and spent the whole afternoon there leeching wifi from Starbucks. But for some reasons, the connection there was bad, my connection kept dropping! Timezone was bad. Starbucks was bad. TMnet's Hotspot was also just as bad! Sigh. Went home after that with an unsatisfied feeling. Again, tak boleh tahan liao, I am now back at a cybercafe! Feeling a lil better. Hehe...

My mega project launching next week. I hope nothing goes wrong and that everything will run as scheduled. The official dinner is still set for this Saturday night with many VIPs in the guest list with people like Tun Dr Mahathir, our new PM Dato Sri Najib and many other high profile people. Our PM, Mr Badawi is officially meeting the King to tender his resignation letter tomorrow and by Friday, Najib will be Malaysia new Prime Minister. So, everything should go well. Will try to upload some pics of the dinner event if I am allowed to take pictures.

Thats it for now. Times up. Gotto run now. Take care!

DCIM Show 2009

2009-04-01T17:13:00.014+08:00

The DCIM Show 2009 just ended last Sunday and I guess it was a huge success since it was packed with photographers of all sorts from first day (Friday) till last day (Sunday). It was held at Mid-Valley's exhibition centre. "DCIM" stands for Digital, Camera, Imaging, Media.

I am not sure if this DCIM thingy was an annual affair since I seldom visit these exhibitions because they are always crowded with photographers, many of them are either hobby shooters or professional "want-to-bes". You will see many of them coming with all sorts of funny gears especially the flash units, with bowl-like disfusers.

One would also get to see the hungry faces of photographers when its model shooting time! This round, they had the "Velocity Angels 2009 Search" modelling competition where local celebrity model Amber Chia was one of the judges and my fellow blogger friend, Kim Ong, the MC. As expected, the catwalk was jam-packed (and I mean REALLY jam-packed) with photographers from corner to corner. I could not even squeeze my one arm through to get just one pic of the stage. But if you want to see more pics of the event, please visit DCIM Show 2009.

On the overall, there were really not much exciting stuffs to see besides the booth from Scuba Symphony Sdn Bhd who sells underwater photography equipment like UW casing, strobes and stuffs. The guy from Scuba Symphony, Kenny, was very experience and accomodating. Apparently, he himself is a licensed scuba diver and a fellow photographer too! I learnt a lot from him regarding diving and the world of underwater photography and the equipment used. A check with him, I found out that the UW casing for my Nikon D2x costs RM16,000 plus! But he advised that I should start underwater photography using small compact digicams first before moving onto DSLRs. I am now tempted to buy a good Canon G10 compact digicam (around RM2,000) and the UW casing for it (around RM4,500), and go get my diving license from PADI. And start diving and shooting!!! Watch out for this blog, there may new underwater pics coming soon. Woohoo...

OK, back to the DCIM show. Well, like I said, all the rest of the booths are the usual stuffs like booths from Canon, Nikon, Lumix, Fotokem, Energizer (yes, batteries), Kingston, Scandisk, etc. Nothing new, all the same boring stuffs. I guess the most happening and exciting of the show was the Velocity Angels competition where photographers get to go trigger happy and firing all the way like there is no tomorrow! I guess its because I do photography for a living and have shot enough fashion catwalks, the one at DCIM Show didn't get me excitied at all. What was more interesting was to witness those "hungry faces" of the photogphers shooting at the catwalk.

I was there at the show around 2pm and left the hall around 45 minutes later. I spent most of my time there at Scuba Symphony. Hehe... Bumped into a few fellow pro photograhers, chat a lil bit. Then walked over to my next "dream shop" in Mid-Valley...MACHINES! Checked out their latest MacBook Pro and the iMacs. Then over the Coffee Bean for a drink and then home I went after that.

Interesting Sunday. Here are some pics from the DCIM Show 2009. All images were shot with Nikon D2x at ISO1600 setting with no flash.

The front of the Nikon booth. They also displayed the flagship Nikon D3x (selling at around RM26,000)

The Nikon telephotos for your "playing" pleasure.

The Canon booth.

The uncrowded (maybe because it was "unpopular") Epson booth.

Mega printers!

The crowd during the Velocity Angels catwalk modelling competition.

Avid photographers use all ways to get a good view for the catwalk shoot.

The Nikonian booth, with free modelling shoot.

Photographers of all sorts came and went trigger happy. I was surprised (and still am) to see a fulltime professional photograher also shooting in this crowd.

Scuba Symphony Sdn Bhd, the underwater expert.

UW casing for digital compacts. They around around RM3k-5k each, depending on camera model.

Larger UW casing for DSLRs. They all cost way over RM10,000 each!

An underwater camera with a single strobe (flash light) attached.

A small and simple photo exhibition at the show.

Booths from Photographic Society Of Malaysia (PSM) and Photographuc Society Of Petaling Jaya (PSPJ). Personally, I am an "Associate" with the Royal Photographic Society in United Kingdom (RPS).

The DCIM Show 2009 main entrance.

The show was at Mid-Valley's exhibition centre.

For some of us (outstation and overseas readers) who have not been to the Mid-Valley, here is a picture of its centre court.

Pretty In White

2009-03-25T23:43:00.010+08:00

I was driving in town this afternoon when my attention was captured onto a glossy white sports car, cutting through the city air like a sharp blade. From afar, I was sure it was a BMW because I could recognise the front nose grill. As I drove closer to it, I was certain it was a two-door coupe. And by the time I got next to it, I was pleasantly happy to see the numbers reading 335i at its tail.

It was a blardy handsome white BMW 335i Coupe!!! From that moment, I was almost certain that IF I were to get one, it would almost definitely be a white one. Black is stylish but too common. Even my current Suzuki Swift is black! Nowadays, almost every new car is black. The metalic grey is kinda dull at certain light angles, infact, I saw one on the road some time ago and it didn't give me the "wow" effect.

Did a check on the internet for white sportscars and I found that many high-end luxury sportscars promote white too. Aston Martin uses white for its DB9 catalogue. Even BMW uses white in their BMW M3 brochure. And the Maserati GranTurismo looks sexy in white!

Aston Martin DB9

Maserati GranTurismo S

BMW M3

Black Or White?

2009-03-23T01:57:00.005+08:00

If I have the money to buy a BMW 335i Coupe, which colour should I take? Black or white? Or should it be a metallic grey? Your feedback, please. Thanks!

When Would It Happen?

2009-03-15T23:29:00.001+08:00

I suddenly feel a lil emo! Not too sure if I am happy or otherwise. Not too sure if what I am having in life is the best for me or can things be better. Not too sure if I have done my best in everything or could I have done better. Wondering what would happen if I had taken the left turn instead of the right. Wondering if I had made the right turn or not.

I spent the whole day alone today. Spent some time thinking of "life". Wouldn't it be great if I had millions and had auto-piloted businesses running, generating a six-figure monthly income? I wouldn't want much, I guess 150 grand a month would be nice. Thinking of how would life be if I was a millionaire. Would I still serve the church (I believe I would)? Would I turn to be a playboy (I think I don't have the necessary qualities to be one besides having lots of money)? How many fast cars would I own?

Spent some time watching a movie, "Fool's Gold", starring Matthew McConaughey and Kate Hudson. Exotic locations with lots of beautiful beaches, clear waters, undersea treasure hunts and some laughs here and there. And suddenly, I realise I actually love the beach. My last beach trip was to Pulau Perhentian some few months ago and I kinda miss it now. I am seriously thinking of going again to an island resort and just relax for a few days. Do some diving and snorkeling and perhaps some island hopping. Just doing nothing but the sea and sand!

And then I put on my laptop, went online, dropped in to some friends' blogs. Checked out my favourite clothes designer, Jhanes Barnes and her news updates at her site. Fell in love with some of her new collections. Mind you, her stuffs ain't cheap at USD250 for a short sleeve shirt. Again, wondering when I can start affording her line of attire. A few clicks here and there, and I landed at my local tailor's site. Lord's Tailor offers make-to-order men's attire (mainly), from shirts to pants to really expensive suits. They have a strong list of celebrity customers in their book, namely Tun Dr Mahathir, Datuk Siti Nurhaliza and many more. I am proud to have two suits and two pairs of slacks from Lord's Tailor.

Looking at their success story, I began to wonder if I am actually "successful" in what I do for a living. I began to wonder if I am anything close to being a good and professional photographer! I have seen many great works of fellow photographers who also specialise in weddings and concerts. Shooting corporate events, I would say, is considered easy, i.e., whatever happens, just point and shoot. Nothing tricky, no difficult lighting conditions, no fast moving subjects. While shooting weddings require creativity and "the moments". And shooting live concerts is, of course, super challenging and I am sure you know why.

So, have I been a good photographer? Have I been delivering good images? Have I been creative? As far as I know, I don't use the Photoshop a lot, unlike some pros who would twitch and switch, adding a really cool touch of creativity to their pictures. Do I still have passion in photography or am I just taking pictures to earn a living. I think I might be leaning towards the later. I don't really know.

It began to rain very heavily and I could hear thousands of rain drops smashing onto my room's window. That rattling sound brought a sense of peace to my mind while listening to Yiruma's piano. I looked out of my balcony, admiring the view from my 17th floor condominium and I asked myself, "What exactly do I want in life?" How do I want my life to be like? What kind of "me" should I be? Do I still want to be a photographer or something else? Do I have what it takes to be "something else"? Start a new life again? What would I be? Where would I be?

And most of all, when would it happen?

Babyboss @ New Zealand

2009-03-12T00:40:00.002+08:00

The "Babyboss @ New Zealand" group account has been created at Facebook. Go search for it and join the group. For all photographers and photo enthusiates in New Zealand. Even if you are not in New Zealand or if you are not into photography, you are also most welcome to be a part of this group.

See you in Facebook!

What Camera Equipment Do You Use?

2009-03-08T03:40:00.004+08:00

Hey guys, I have just added a new discussion topic at the Facebook Group "The Babyboss Gang". Its called "What Camera Equipment Do You Use?" You are asked to share with us on what photographic equipment you have and what new gears you plan to get. With this, I hope we can all get encouraged to excel in our gears. Also, we can see who has what!

If you have not already joinned this group, you are most welcome to do so. Come and be part of The Babyboss Gang!

"Be The Boss" - An Evening To Remember

2009-03-04T16:16:00.013+08:00

I was playing around with Facebook and my new "The Babyboss Gang" Facebook group and stuffs, and suddenly, a really cool and out of this world idea just dropped into my mind. It was like a spiritual impartation, like as though God just spoke to me. It was so real, so full of excitement, so "have-to-do-liao" kinda passion. Nothing else was more important than to immediately pen down every final intricate detail of the vision that I just received.

Now wouldn't it be so damn cool and happening if one day, hopefully sometime end of this year, the Babyboss Group consisting of Babyboss Pictures together with The Babyboss Story (the blog) together with The Babyboss Gang (Facebook Group) were to organise and host a thanks giving celebration gala dinner for all its readers and members?!!!! It will be a time of getting together, a time of fellowship and a time of giving and sharing. Maybe do a Christmas thanks giving dinner.

Maybe we'll theme it "Be The Boss". Perhaps the morale or message of the event centers around being your own "boss"...don't let anyone look down on you because you are young but be an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. We want all our guests to be winners in their own ways, to be successful in life and in whatever they indulge in. To be a boss of their own. And most of all, to know who the real and ultimate boss is.

Dress code - all dress like a boss! haha...

Maybe we'll target for 500 guests? 50 tables? KPOP forums, how many members do you have? At 500 guests, we'll need a Grand Ballroom of say, maybe, Renassaince Hotel, Kuala Lumpur or perhaps The Shangri-La Hotel? Something porsh, something 5-star. Cause the event is attended by all "bosses".

Maybe even get some media coverage, society magazines or something. I can try Malaysian Tatler! Maybe we can even bring in, say, TVXQ as part of the evening's entertainment? Just for the 500 of us! And maybe even invite them to join us for dinner? You think can do ah?

There will be games, lucky draws and most of all, since its Christmas season, we will have gift exchange as well. Of course, I will be rendering my golden inaugural speech together with, maybe, one or two more VIPs. Who would you like to hear from? Tun Dr Mahathir, since he is also an active blogger? Who else would you like to see on stage that evening? Drop me your comments.

Don't bother to bring your your cameras and stuffs cause we'll probably be having 10 official photographers during the event. Every picture will be uploaded to the Babyboss website for free downloads after the event. So, come in your best suits and dresses, you may walk away as the evening's Best Dressed Male & Female.

Of course, for crowd control and management purposes, only invited guests and guests with confirmed RSVP are allowed to the event. So, how does one get an invitation? Through KPOP forums, affiliated websites and forums, through responding to the online invitation at The Babyboss Story blog, and of course by being a member of The Babyboss Gang in Facebook.

So, there you have it. A heavenly vision imparted to me just like that. Of course, you may ask, who is gonna pay for all these? The cost will be so intensly high. Or are we selling tickets. The answer is "no", we are not selling tickets. Everything is free and strictly by invitation only. Babyboss Group will sponsor everything. That is why I said a "thanks giving" cum Christmas cum get-together dinner...the spirit of giving. Always remember, "Give, and it shall be given back to you".

So, lets pray that all of my projects kick in as planned, and my funds come in as planned, and we will have this special dinner as planned. We will see, we will see. I am already very excited. Are you excited too?

Erm...am I day dreaming?

FIR @ Taiwan - Celebrating Faye's Birthday

2009-03-02T17:11:00.013+08:00

I was assigned to cover FIR's promo concert showcase in Taipei, Taiwan sometime in 2006 (or was 2005, I can't exactly remember). I went there together with 8 other media reps from our local magazines, newspapers, TV and radio stations. I was the official photographer and my duty was to supply the concert's pics to the 8 media reps for promo publication back here in Malaysia.

The concert venue was very far away from our hotel in Taipei and the journey took about an hour or so, literally arriving at another town. It was by the sea, something like an esplanade or so. I don't know the name of the place (they were all in Mandarin anyway) but it was very windy with the sea breeze gushing in (very sticky face after that).

The concert was great with good sound and awesome lighting effects. We were late for the show, though the concert has not started but the crowd was already at its peak when we got there. So, the Taiwanese rep from Warner Music ushered us to the main control (sound & lights) console area and I was instructed to shoot from there! It was like some 150 feet away from the stage!

For the benefit of readers who are into photography, I mainly used my 80-200 lens most of the time with an occassional 17-55 for wider shots of the stage and crowd. On my D2X, I can set the crop size to "High Speed Crop" giving it a 2X magnification factor instead of the usual 1.5X on DSLR. So, on my 80-200, I got a maximum of 400mm! Luckily I brought my monopod.

Well, after the concert, we were invited to join the FIR team to a restaurant to celebrate Faye's birthday! It was a cool opportunity to get up-close and personal with them. Guess what...Faye and Real are faithful Christians who love Jesus! Hallelujah! Here are some pics...

The main control area for sound and lights. They basically use the same equipement as we do here in Malaysia. I was standing just infront of them.

This is the closest shot I can get at 400mm f 2.8, no flash (won't reach, anyway).

The sea breeze was so strong that even the spraks from the pyrotechnics were blown to one side.

You seldom get to see Ian (in white) play the guitar! He is always on the keyboards.

And you also seldom get to see Real (the guitarist) sing and play on a piano!

Video crews from local Taiwan TV stations are "wild". They go all out to get the footages and there are many of these video crew everywhere. These guys here are all set and ready, awaiting for FIR to arrive at the restaurant. This is another team of video crew, totally different from the ones at the concert venue. So, these guys arrived way before we did!

FIR...just got out of their van (the white one directly behind them).

They were immediately interviewed by local medias and TV stations. You can see the amount of stations represented there by counting the microphones!

Faye's chocolate fudge birthday cake. Not sure how old she was.

Both guys, Ian and Real, gave her a pair of earings for her birthday.

Trying their best to put it on for her.

Here is a toast from FIR to all the crew members at the restaurant!

A huge birthday card from the crew members!

Faye says, "Hey, that's Babyboss's signature!". LOL

A private interview session with the Malaysian media group. My job was just to snap, snap and snap!

TVXQ 3rd Asia Tour "Mirotic"

2009-02-28T00:25:00.015+08:00

I just received an UNCONFIRM bad news today. I was having lunch with my boss this afternoon (the CMG boss lar) and I asked if CMG is bringing in TVXQ's 3rd Asia tour to Malaysia or not. He indicated a "no". He said that the operating cost to host their concert is extremely high given their elaborate stage setup, huge sounds and very high-tech visual stuffs. In this current economic situation, the greatest fear of such huge operation is tickets sales.

As such, I am not sure if anyone else is planning to bring in TVXQ this year. A concert of such huge magnitude is not everybody's everyday game and definitely not easy to manage. So, those small-time concert organisers would be out of the league and its now left to just that one or two big boys' decision to take up the deal. I am not sure if Galaxy is considering. All TVXQ fan clubs and forums committee members, if you succeed in getting whoever to organise this concert, make sure you insist on Babyboss Pictures for the event's official photographer!

Their Seoul concert was just last weekend from February 20th to February 22nd at the Seoul Olympic Gymnastics Stadium. I heard that tickets were quickly snapped up within 5 minutes of sale! Alongside with this highly anticipated concert, Xiah Junsu is expected to put on a special solo performance of a dance song he composed himself called XIAHTIC (and making every girl faint)!

The Garbage Truck

2009-02-26T14:46:00.004+08:00

One day, I hopped into a taxi and took off for the airport . We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed the brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. I mean, he was really friendly. So I asked, "Why did you do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!" This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Garbage Truck'.

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. NEVER take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well and move on with the routine life. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let "garbage trucks" take over their day. Life is too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So, love the people who treat you well and right. Pray for the ones who don't.

A very rightly said quote, "Life is 10% of what you make and 90% of how you take". I hope none of us here carries a "garbage truck" syndrome in our lives. If you have to carry, try a BMW or a Porsche or maybe even a Ferrari...its a much smoother ride!

Cheers!

TVXQ 2007 - Behind The Scenes

2009-02-23T22:34:00.010+08:00

OK, here is the last compilation of pictures for the TVXQ 2007 tour in Malaysia. These pictures were taken days before the concert showtime, i.e., the stage setup time, the crew at work and the last few pics of the concert.

Though I was there with them at "Dao Rae" (the korean restaurant but not sure of the spelling) after the concert for the celebration party, no photography was allowed there. So, I just ate and ate, with my camera nicely tucked in my bag!

The stage at 40% complete.

The stage at 80% complete.

The "car" still not fully assembled yet.

Full view of the mega stage structure.

The main control area for sound, lights, video playback and recording.

The Korean sound engineer at the Midas Heritage 3000 mixing console.

Other sound peripherals like EQs, compressors, signal processors, etc.

Oh, a nice sweet looking babe at the concert.

The main control area in action just before showtime. All hands on standby!

The main sound control.

Lighting console and engineers.

Overview of the full stage during showtime. Massive crowd!

The "car"!!!

Two Toyota Alphards ready to send the boys to "Dao Rae" restaurant. Do you see who's in white?

Attacked In Broad Daylight

2009-02-19T15:07:00.003+08:00

Today marks the first time I am physically attacked in broad daylight by snatch thieves. I was having lunch at Old Town Kopitiam, the Cheras outlet opposite Taman Midah. I frequent that place almost like once a week and never expected an incident to happen there. Here is the story...

After lunch, I walked back towards my car, parked about 200m away from the Old Town Kopitiam. Everything seemed normal, the heat, the people, the traffic and the cars, etc. But as I was approaching my car (about 20 feet away), I saw a motobike approaching from the other direction opposite me but didn't suspect anything. When I reached my car, I also saw the bike making a u-turn just behind me but still, I suspected nothing. As I turn back to open my car door and getting ready to enter my car, a hand came from my behind and gave me a 3-fingered scratch on my neck. I was slightly pushed forward and saw the same bike (with a pillion rider) speeding away from me.

Nothing was taken away from me and at that point in time, I still did not realise that a snatch attempt was attempted. I went back into my car, closed the door, started the engine and saw the same bike driving off with both the riders showing me their third fingers!

After a minute or so, I manage to restore my senses after the fast shock, and finally now, come to realise that I have just been attacked by a snatch thief. They were trying to snatch my necklace (I wear a gold necklace with a cross). They failed to get a grip on the necklace and instead scratched my neck.

What surprises me was how they managed to see my very thin necklace from afar which was partially covered by my t-shirt, especially when they were riding on a bike! I must give them fullmarks for accurately spotting my necklace but a "fail" for failing to succeed in their attempt.

Without doubt, I know God protected me. He always does, whether you know it or not.

TVXQ 2007 Concert "O" - Rehearsal

2009-02-15T14:21:00.007+08:00

Alright, the pics we have all been waiting for...for over a year liao! Yes, I know they are all way overdue. But due to unavoidable circumtances, I had to delay the release of these pics. I hope the situation is now "safer" for me to show them. Nevertheless, I am still at huge risk here! Putting my head on the chopping board. Haha... Hope you guys love them.

Spread the word, let your other TVXQ fans and friends know, cause I don't know how long the pics can stay here. Cause I don't think I am allowed to show these pics. Anyway, do drop tones of comments at the comment box and make the photographer a happier fella! Your positive remarks, feedbacks and support here will also help me promote more pics when or if I am questioned by the Korean artiste management company (no need to mention names here, I am sure you guys know who I am taking about). Thanks!

[NO UNAUTHORISE USE OF THE IMAGES ARE ALLOWED] This blog alone is bad enough. Haha... :)

Here we go...fasten your seatbelts!

TVXQ 2007 Concert "O" - KLIA Arrival

2009-02-15T13:22:00.010+08:00

OK, here they come. TVXQ arriving at KLIA for the 2007 TVXQ Concert "O" show. Hundreds of fans (maybe even exceeding a thoussand) mainly females (if not all) stormed the VIP Arrival Hall of KLIA patiently awaiting for the boys to come out. But all hell broke loose the moment they (the boys) stepped out, starting their 2-mins walk journey towards their waiting Toyota Alphards. They were then promptly transfered to the concert venue, Stadium Merdeka for their rehearsals. Police outriders were deployed for the KLIA-Stadium Merdeka journey.

Here are some pics.

SOS Part II - Thank You!!!

2009-02-15T12:22:00.006+08:00

Thank you so very much to you guys who have taken the trouble to compile, burn and post me your KPOP CD collections. They are simply great! I love the music very much. I am listening to them, CD after CD everday now. Cool...

My KPOP collection now consist of artistes like Baek Ji Young, Alex, Fly To The Sky, Kangta, Kim Dong Wan, Lee Ji Hoon, Sung Si Kyung, VOS, Yiruma, Park Hwayobi, Shin Hye Sung, Shinhwa and of course, Super Junior and TVXQ!!! Woohoo...

Thank you so much! Keep them coming!!! Spent my Valentine listening to your KPOPs and working on the TVXQ 2007 Concert reherasal pics. Its coming...

My Blog

2009-02-13T20:40:00.003+08:00

I was speaking to a blogger friend, Gareth "Shaolin Tiger", a while ago and found out heaps about the blogging world. My blog, "The Babyboss Story" gets something like 1,000 visits a month while his "Shaolin Tiger" blog gets much more than that in a day! That puts me into deep shame! haha...

I also found out that there are such thing as "fulltime bloggers", means they do nothing but sit infront of their computers and blog and blog and blog! And guess what? They earn more than RM10,000 a month doing just that! There is this blogger, forgot his name, who earns more than USD700,000 a year from just blogging fulltime! And their visitor hits touches into the millions every month!!! Amazing!!!

Anyway, I am certain I am not in that league of bloggers. I have nothing interesting to write, I have only pictures to show. And with that note, I will be uploading some very interesting pics here really soon. What interesting pics you ask? Well, I was cleaning up my hardisk and came across thousands and thousands of past concerts pics. And they all bring back many many great memories of the event.

Many pics were NOT uploaded at my corporate website. Pics like the TVXQ "rehearsal sessions", the back room braodcast studio of a TVB concert and many more. I will be, progressively, putting up these pics here at this blog. I think the most interesting pics will be the TVXQ 2007 concert rehearsal session...plenty of sneak peeks at the boys!

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day and I have no date. I will be staying at home to work on the pics over the weekend. Stay tuned. Do let your other TVXQ, KPOP, SMTOWN fans know about this special blog post.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

Karangan Terbaik

2009-02-08T03:37:00.001+08:00

Something I found from a friend's blog. Very interesting, "full marks" for Bahasa Malaysia...read on.
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Pagi itu pagi minggu. Cuaca cukup sejuk sehingga mencapai takat suhu beku. Sebab itu saya tidak mandi pagi sebab air kolah jadi air batu dan air paip tidak mahu keluar sebab beku di dalam batang paip. Pagi itu saya bersarapan dengan keluarga di dalam unggun api kerana tidak tahan sejuk. Selepas itu emak saya mengajak saya menemaninya ke pasar. Tetapi saya tidak mahu.
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Selepas emak menikam perut saya berkali-kali dengan garfu barulah saya bersetuju untuk mengikutnya. Kami berjalan sejauh 120 kilometer kerana pasar itu letaknya 128 kilometer dari rumah. Lagi 8 kilometer nak sampai pasar saya ternampak sebuah lori kontena meluru dengan laju dari arah belakang.
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Dia melanggar emak saya. Emak saya tercampak ke dalam gaung. Dia menjerit “Adoi!”. Lepas itu emak saya naik semula dan mengejar lori tersebut. Saya pun turut berlari di belakang emak saya kerana takut emak saya melanggar lori itu pula. Pemandu lori itu nampak kami mengejarnya. Dia pun memecut lebih laju iaitu sama dengan kelajuan cahaya. Kami pula terpaksa mengejar dengan lebih laju iaitu sama dengan dua kali ganda kelajuan cahaya. Emak saya dapat menerajang tayar depan lori itu. Lori itu terbabas dan melanggar pembahagi jalan lalu bertembung dengan sebuah feri. Feri itu terbelah dua.
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Penumpang feri itu yang seramai 100 orang semuanya mati. Pemandu feri itu sangat marah. Dia pun bertukar menjadi Ultraman dan memfire pemandu lori. Pemandu lori menekan butang khas di dalam lori dia..lori itu bertukar menjadi robot Transformer. Mereka bergaduh di udara....
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Muahahaha...I think that's more than enough for a day!

SOS

2009-02-08T02:58:00.002+08:00

I am beginning to like (more and more) Korean pop songs!

So, here is my SOS call. Instead of me downloading the kpop songs from the net and get all sorts of rubbish and maybe even kena virus, I'd like to ask a big favor from all you kpop fans. Can you burn a compilation for me from your massive kpop collection? I'd be happy to foot the cost, if any.

I like slow pops, sentimental stuffs...stuffs that I can play when I do my work at 1am (yes, I do work till like 3am editing pics for clients). I don't prefer those fast numbers unless if they are really that great. Male and female artiste also can.

Can ah? Anyone can help? Let me know the cost and when the CDs are ready, gimme a call, we'll meet up somewhere maybe even for lunch or drink or something. My mobile number is 019-3213219.

Thanks in advance!

Run Light Photography

2009-02-06T00:43:00.009+08:00

Dear fellow photo students and readers, tell me what's wrong with this picture?

[Actual demo picture has been taken down to avoid further confrontational views]

Drop your answers at the comment box. Don't give me silly answers, ok? We are professionals, so give me professional answers.

World's Most Powerful Man

2009-01-30T18:19:00.007+08:00

Since we are still at the US presidency topic, I just want to share something about him. He has a unique full name of Barack Hussein Obama, which resembles some of the world's greatest warlords. Without knowing him as the US president, one would wrongly assume a "Barack Hussein Obama" as some terrorist from some Middle-East nation!

Firstly, the Barack thingy. The guy responsible for the recent Gaza attacks is someone called Ehud Barak. What a way to start a name. Then comes the Hussein middle name...a classic Muslim name. Resembling the greatly feared Saddam Hussein. And lastly, the Obama thingy, a name that I myself sometimes pronounce wrongly...a name from the Osama Bin Laden fame, probably the world's most wanted war criminal.

So, you combine in Ehud Barak, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden together, you get the world's most powerful man, the US President Mr Barack Hussein Obama! LOL...char tou!

Inauguration Of Barack Obama

2009-01-22T18:35:00.007+08:00

Powerful pictures that made headlines everywhere...the historical inauguration of US President Barack Obama on January 20, 2009.

The Kungfu Of Blogging

2009-01-20T16:38:00.005+08:00

I must salute bloggers like Kenny Sia and Pinkpau (Lim Su Ann) who demonstrate so much skill and passion, and most of all, consistency in their blogging activities. They seem to have this infinite supply of words and stories to tell and share. And they present it so interestingly and so fun to read about.

Lately, this last few weeks, I begin to realise that I don't have much to blog about. Nothing exciting is happening in my life this last 1-2 months. Of course, I can either stop blogging about myself and the things around me, and start talking about outside issues like world news and stuffs, the Kuala Terengganu by-election and Obama's installation. But then I realise that that wouldn't be me and my blog anymore. My blog will then become a "news centre" for things that does not directly and indirectly related to me.

I begin to wonder why people read a blog, my blog, in this case. Because I have friends who wants to be updated and just want to know whats happening in and around my life? Because, like Kenny Sia, I write "so well" that I can captivate the interest and attention of my readers, and they just want to come back for more? Tun Dr Mahathir's "chedet" blog says nothing about his personal life but almost everything about the world of local and international politics. But mind you, his blog has recorded over 11 million hits since its inception in May 2008.

So, the art of blogging is definitely a skilled act and requires a lot of passion and dedication to keep the blog "interesting" and being able to get readers to always come back for more. Of course, for some, a blog is merely an "online pictorial diary" for family members abroad to keep in touch.

And so I asked myself, "What is the purpose of me blogging?" I gave it a thought. I realised I don't quite have the answer. I know I started this blog some 2 years back because my church youths say I should and its the "trend". I started blogging about my photography and stuffs and named my blog "The Babyboss Story". Then I went through a season where I was really down and a lot of you guys came to cheer me up. And then this last 2 months...car talk! LOL

Anyway, here is wishing everybody the best in 2009. For those studying, all the best in your studies. For those making money, all the best in making money. For those getting into relationships, all the best in your relationships. For those seeking for better health, all the best in health. Whatever you do, make sure you know what is happening. There is a story about "people". Some people MAKE things happen, some people WATCH things happen and some people WONDER what happened!!! Don't be a zero but be a hero!

Till next time, take care. Maybe going out later to get some new clothes for CNY. Haha... GONG HEI FART CHOY!!!

Silence Of The Blog (Lamb)

2009-01-16T00:53:00.005+08:00

This blog has been stagnant since the last blog post on Jan 5, 2009. The "shout box" is also very quiet. Last shout was also Jan 5, 2009. No comments on the comments section either.

I have been busy with meetings after meetings the whole of last week, discussing on a possibily RM3 million Malay wedding event in March! I guess everyone else is also busy.

Well, thats it for now. Its 1am now and I am heading to Kuala Kubu Baru at 5am for a wedding shoot.

Shout something. At least I know the "shout box" is still working. Haha...

Becoming A Millionaire

2009-01-05T16:47:00.009+08:00

In order to get what you want, you must first decide what you want. Most people really foul up at this crucial first step because they simply can't see how it is possible to get what they want, so they don't let themselves "want it". Most people don't really plan to fail, they just fail to plan!

The way you think about money will determine how much of it you accumulate more than any other factors. Your attitude towards money affects your emotion and your motivation. If you are serious about becoming wealthy, you will want to know the five main ways that fortunes are made in the US. Generally, there are five ways of becoming a millionaire.

Number one and top of the list is self-owned businesses. It is entrepreneurship of all kinds, including real estate. 74% of self-made millionaires in the US come from self-owned businesses. A great majority of wealthy people started businesses and built them from ground up such as people like Bill Gates, Steve Case, Larry Ellison, Ross Perot and many more.

The second major source of self-made millionaires in the US are senior executives. 10% of self-made millionaires are men and women who have joinned large corporations and worked with these corporations for many years. They rose to positions of seniority, were paid extremely well, given stock options and profit sharings. As a result of holding on to their money, they became millionaires.

The third group comes from doctors, lawyers and other professionals. Men and women who become very very good at what they do and rise to the top of their professions and are eventually paid very very well. The top 5% in every field earns 10-20 times as much as the average person in that same field. This group makes out 10% of millionaires in the US.

Sales people or sales consultants make up the fourth group of millionaires. They never started their own businesses. They never went to college or university to get professional degrees. They just became very good sales people for their products or services and were paid very good money. The secret was that they then invested the money and held on to it. Forming 10% of US self-made millionaires, they understood the principal of investment and "holding on to they money". Many of us are just too quick in spending away our hard earned money.

99% of self-made millionaires come from these four categories; self-owned businesses (74%), senior executive positions (10%), doctors, lawyers and other professionals (10%), sales people and sales consultants (5%). The final 1% of self-made millionaires are made up of people in all other areas like inventions, sports, authorship of books, singers and actors, lottery winners and inheritances.

I can't sing, I can't act. Neither can I write a good top seller book. I am not great at sports and definitely no luck with lottery. And my parents don't have a few million bucks left for me. So, I am definitely not in that 1% category. If I ever get to become a millionaire, I think I will emerge from the 10% of sales people and sales consultants. I can sell concepts and ideas, either my own or borrowed and repackaged from someone else.

Smart people don't work for people. Smart people hire smarter people to work for them! And remember, people don't plan to fail, they just fail to plan! All the best in 2009!

New Year Countdown At The Curve

2009-01-01T22:07:00.004+08:00

This year, I was commission to shoot the countdown celebration street party at The Curve and no longer at Sg Wang (Jln Bukit Bintang). I was shooting with Babyboss photographers Angie Ong and Wai Seng. Unlike Sg Wang, the crowd here at The Curve was still very thin at around 7:30pm and only began to grow at around 8pm. Somehow, people (don't know where they came from) began flooding the area after 8:45pm, the moment the stage performances started.

The first few artiste line-up was rather unique. Juwita Suwito, Liang and Altered Frequency are all from the same Four Forty Records. Besides them were renowned local artistes like Karen Kong, Faizal Tahir and Rynn Ling. VJ Joey G was the emcee.

As usual, the countdown started at 1 minute before 12 midnight and everyone counted down together. At the stroke of 12 midnight, massive fireworks display was filling up the dark skies over The Curve. The street was in a mega mess after the event with hundreds and maybe even thousands of empty spray cans on the road. Downloaded the pics on the spot and burnt DVDs for the client. Left The Curve at 2:15am and only finally slept at 5am. Woke up at 5pm on New Year's day!

The setup.

The main stage.

Fire eater.

Part of the "thin crowd" at 8pm.

The clowns and stilt walkers.

The Curve has far better babes than Sg Wang!

The crowd by 8:45pm.

The crowd getting wild.

Juwita Suwito

Liang

Karen Kong

Karen Kong with dancers.

Lead vocal, Andy of Altered Frequency.

The Altered Frequency band.

The massive crowd.

Faizal Tahir, who assured the crowd that he won't take off his shirt this time! LOL

Emcee VJ Joey G

Rynn Ling Yu Zhong

Fireworks display (top & bottom pics).

Warfare!

The aftermath of the countdown event.

With Rynn Ling.

With Karen Kong.

With dancer, Casslyn Kek.

With Babyboss photographer, Angie Ong.

With event coordinator, Stephen Ng.

With BabyKJ.

My last solo picture of 2008...or was the first solo picture of 2009? Hmmm...

Happy New Year, guys! May 2009 bring better opportunities and greater success!