An eventful Sunday...

It was one of those Sunday [July 26, 2009] that was somewhat gloomy. Not the usual bright day with the sun shining bright. We woke up early to attend the Kelab Volvo Klasik Malaysia [Volvo Classic Club] AGM held at the Federal Auto on the Federal Highway [Jalan Syed Putra]. I thought even without this function we would have gone out, just to get away from the noisy carnival of sort been organized by the 1M folk at the Padang behind our house. By eight in the morning the roadside of the housing estate was already crowded with cars from outside the area and part of one of the main road [Jalan 4] was closed. They should not have closed this road and instead use the whole Padang for their activities. I notice that most of the folks who attend this function are from outside the area and the local are fuming hot for the loud music that disturbed their lazy Sunday; their day of rest.

Well that was what happened at Ampang Jaya that morning as I drove out to attend the AGM of the club on the other side of the city. Since it was a Sunday I decided to take a slow drive using the Jalan Ampang/Jalan Pegawai/Jalan U.Thant and then got into Jalan Tun Razak. From there took the old Sungei Besi road at Bulatan Kg.Pandan and then got into Jalan Istana and Jalan Syed Putra. As I drove on I saw the Federal Auto, the meeting place but because it is on the other side of the road it was not that easy to get there, especially for me who had not been to this part of the city for such a long time. After trying the old road I got lost into Siputeh and turn back and ask those folks who was walking along the road for direction and I was pointed out to the Mid Valley Mall. I then got into the Mid Valley Mall area and from there drive slowly looking for signboard that would lead us to the Federal Auto. After some tense and a rather exciting moment I eventually arrived at the meeting place. It was lucky that I did not drive the Classic Volvo that morning but instead drove the Honda. Had it been the Classic car I would have had a difficult time to negotiate the car without the auto transmission and the power steering to get there. I would surely be dead tired arriving for the meeting. With the Honda it was a pleasure driving. Nowadays I used the Volvo Classic for a short trip around the vicinity of my home only.

On arrival it was really nice to see familiar faces; some I had not seen for a year since at the last AGM I was away in the US for a holiday. Before the meeting there was the game for those adventurous drivers and this time it was the blindfolded driving game at the compound of the Volvo complex there. It went on for a while. Since I did not take part I just went to join the others for coffee and some snacks that had been provided for us there. We chat and yarns of old time and enjoy the get-together. There were not many ladies this time, I just did not know why. Anyhow my spouse found her friends and sat to enjoy her drink with the gang while I browse along meeting friends.

After the game was over, the AGM start with the Secretary of the Club taking the lead role. The first speaker was David the President of the Club with his usual charm of informal speech of thanks to those who have made the club so successful in its endeavor. Then the Secretary Noël Chua presented the Annual Report 2008 via a Power Point presentation that end with a fifteen minutes video of the club's visit to South Thailand. The whole presentation was done in an innovative way; done professionally. After that came the Treasurer Md.Rani who gave a brief on the financial statement of the club, which shows a very healthy situation indeed. Just before the election of the new office bearer start, a veteran member who was once the Secretary of the Club C.S Tung took the stand. After a short explanation suggest that the present office bearer be reelected for another term and this was accepted by the members. So with that all the main office bearer remain the same as in 2008/09 under the leadership of David Netto again. With thank to the Chair the meeting was adjourned and then we all head for lunch there.

With that done we headed home on that Sunday afternoon. We arrived back home with that loud music still blaring at the carnival side behind our house and cars parked on both side of the roads. I am glad that we went out from Ampang Jaya that morning. What a day!. Folk that has been our Sunday. Colorful indeed eh!.

Images of the KVK AGM are here. Do make copy if you need any of those images; Gratis. Have a nice day.

Of Tea and Scones...

Another day but with the haze outside I decided to stay indoor. I sat down in front of the TV and enjoy the day with Tea and Scones, a culture of the British that was left behind for us to appreciate and enjoy. I am a coffee person but when enjoying the Scones I would usually take it with Tea. Indeed a good combination to enjoy that special space in time. My personal space to daydreams or flirts in my mind care less of what's happening around me at that moment time; or just to enjoy a good book without been interrupted. I always believe that we all must have our own personal space to live and enjoy. For me a few minutes to roam the world in my mind and enjoy those brief moment is a great way to appreciate life. A good book adds color to that wonderful personal space.

I have just finished reading the book 'Map of the Invisible World' by Tash Aw, a novel with setting in Sukarno's Indonesia and of the same period in Malaysia. The book was given to me by our youngest daughter who now works in Singapore. The author Tach Aw was in Singapore promoting the book and she managed to get one with the author signature. Not many books are written about that period in our history and this book is among the gem of a book that brought to light some happening during that period. Although it is a novel, reading it I found myself traveling through time to palaces that look and feel familiar. Indeed a good book to refresh ourselves of the good and bad time that one goes through from the time one is born till the present. It does make one appreciate life move then ever.

Have a nice day.

Bubbles....

Bubbles are always there but quite so often we do not notice it. We turned a tap and there on the bowl of water there would be many such bubbles floating on the surface of the water. Like pearls it would glitters with the reflection of the lights. Soon it would bursts, ending it short existence. If we care to look we would enjoy that brief moment in time that is so majestic.

Above are images of such bubbles that I captured in a ceramic bowl as the water drips from the small waterfall above it. That colorful bubble appears only in just a moment, so alive, drifting and it would soon disappear into thin air. Indeed a fascinating moment in time. It’s magic! Only photography gives us the chance to enjoy that moment in time at our own convenience. Have a nice day.

[click image to enlarge]

The Call of the Beach...

I have always loved the beach. Been raised in a small town on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, the beach has been my playground ever since I could remember. Maybe I was just five or six years old at that time but I could remember vividly of the happening during those times. Kuantan my hometown is situated beside a river mouth and not far away is the sea. The nearest is at Tanjong Api a beach across Tanjong Lumpur. The beach at Tanjong Lumpur are dotted with fisherman huts so it is actually not a beach at all, thus not a good place to go for a walk or to take a dip. Anyway been growing up and always at the beach wherever the opportunity arises, the beach has became part of my growing up culture. I love the smell of the sea and enjoy the saltiness of the seawater.

So been in Malacca over the weekend and staying at our Condo which is just about 50 meters away from the beach it was just like coming home to my hometown. The only difference is that the beach here does not have that golden sand like on the east coast. Here the sand is gray and not as clean as that of the east coast. This is because here the sea is full of ships that ply the Straits of Malacca, thus all sorts of debris and other throwaways over times has drifted over to the shores. One reason I kept going to Malacca and live there from time to time is actually because of the sea and the open space out front of the apartment that one could see beyond the sea toward the horizon. The horizon has never ceased to fascinate me for the scene never remains the same at any moments in times, it sort of like a moving postcard. Such a mystical sight to watch and wonder as the sun faded away.

That Saturday evening my spouse and I decided to take a walk along the beach in front of our resort complex. At the beach we decide to split for a while since our interests at that moment in time was different. She went for a slow walk along the beach while I decided to play around with my camera as I walk along the sandy beach. That evening the waves was forceful and it kept bashing the beach, creating roar as it bashed the seafront. I saw kids play and running along as the waves come and go. Like me when I was at their age I know that they are really having fun. As I walk along I saw debris that has been washed onto the beach as the wave strike the shore. All kinds of debris were laying there, coconuts, driftwood, bottles and plastics litter the sandy beach. It would be there for a while and eventually would get back into the sea or collected by souvenir hunters or just be cleanup by the cleaner come morning. I saw the damages that the sea has done to the embankment as it washes up with force where the trees has been uprooted. It is always like this on the seafront; at some places the trees are uprooted whereas at other places young plants are left to grow. Fascinating of how nature take care of it selves. Wasting no time I took aims of those objects and sharing it here for all to see and understand that the beach is never the same at any time of the day.

As usual young lovers are drawn by the sea and that evening I saw many such couple sitting and enjoying their brief period perhaps saying passionate words to each other and then I saw someone had written words of love on the sand and left it there for others to see and soon the next wave would erased it away for good. I did not want it to go to waste and took a snap of that letter in the sand and sharing it here for all to see where lovers were trying to immortalize their dream on that sand; now for a fact that like a dream it would fade away. The sun was beginning to set and that evening the glow was just like yellow not the usual amber orange. It actually lightens up the beach allowing long shadow of the objects lying on the beach. Indeed a good subject to capture. It is not always one get the opportunity to get such a shadow with an object in an open area like the beach. The above images show the shadow of the objects that I took that evening.

As I walk I continue to see the beach been sort of vandalized with debris, uprooted trees with it roots jutting out. There are others that are man made such as footprints, castles built by kids and writing on the sand. I then notice some marking or imprint on the sand that is rather unfamiliar. I took a closer look and saw that it is the impression of the footprint of a horseshoe. Then it dawn on me that earlier I did saw some youth riding horses on the soft sandy beach, thus the mark left behind. On the left is the imprint that I snapped up and not sure whether it is the right or the left hoof. Let's leave it to the expert tracker to determine it.

By evening the whole beach would be one hell of a mess but not to worry the waves would take care of it. It would organize itself. Anyone who had ever been to the beach at an early hours of the morning would know that one would be delighted to see a clean beach looking so peaceful and innocent comes the next morning. I have seen these scenes many times and enjoying it. Whatever damage or disturbance that our species did to the beach the previous day would be erased by the waves during the night and the next day without failed we would get to see a brand new beach again. And that ritual would continue to happen day in and day out. Well folks that have been the ways and it would continue to be so for millions of years from now. The beach is a place for us to enjoy the peace and tranquility of space that is special, a one of a kind on this blue planet of ours. And as for me it is part of me and I love the beach. Have a nice day.

[Please click image to enlarge]

color...

Just an image to share with all. Have a nice day.

The Dragonfly...

I have been wanting to get a snap of the Dragonfly and the opportunity came a few days ago. While I was deep in cyberspace my spouse who was at the kitchen came over and woke me up and say that there is a Dragonfly out there. I told her just to kept watch and I would be there to take a snap of it. It is my chance to get such a snap of this elegant flying insect. I quickly assemble my camera and then slowly open the outside grill of the backdoor and snap a numbers of shots as it move from one spot to another. One things I learned about photographing a moving object is that just be patience and take your time and be natural. I follow the object and snap as many shots as possible before the insect move on. This time I was lucky in that the dragonfly did sat a few seconds at a few places and this give me the opportunity to take aims and focus my camera to get a perfect images.

During my childhood living in the Kampong it was easy to watch the colorful Dragonfly flying around the house and at time catch it in the bushes. Now living in a concrete jungle it is not that easy to catch one. Anyhow since there are greens around the house quite so often I get to watch Dragonfly flying around and touchdown on the twig of the tree. At time it does get into the house. There are times when I get to see a dead Dragonfly still clinging to the twig.

I have always been fascinated by this flying insects, the Dragonfly. It is just like a miniature helicopter but more versatile. It could fly fast or just stop at midair just like the helicopter did. I did a piece on the Dragonfly before and now with the macro lens I had managed to snap a few shots of this amazing flying insect. Above are two images that I took a few days ago at the back of my house. Enjoy the images. Have a nice day.

A Gorgeous Park at Ampang Hilir...

It used to be just one of those many mining pools that were left to no use after the mining of tin ore ended some years ago. Plants and weeds grow wild along the bank of the lake while water hyacinth covered the whole surface. Only occasionally that one would see some fishing enthusiasts with their fishing rods sitting and chatting along the bank. I have passed this spot all the years that I had made Ampang Jaya my home since 1973 and was hoping that the authority of the site, the Kuala Lumpur City Hall would do something useful to this valuable real estate. And now they have done a wonderful project for the benefit of folks who live around the area. A greens in the concrete jungle!. What a blessing..

It was only last year that I began to see some development been done when the whole area was fenced off and a signboard put up saying that they are developing the whole area into a recreational park. So every time I passed the area I was hopping to see something new been developed but because the fence was high it was not possible to see what is going on inside the whole area. And when the fence came down some time in June this year what a surprise it was. A beautiful landscaped garden emerged. What a wonderful sight to pass by whenever I return home when taking Jalan Ampang.

Now we have a recreational park well maintained by City Hall; which is just about 2.5 kilometers from our home. So the other day I decided to venture into the park and took some images of the site and here I am sharing with all what I saw. A great place to go jogging or just to relax in a peaceful surrounding beside a lake. The Taman Tasik Ampang Hilir [Ampang Hilir Lake Garden], an enchanting place indeed.

A big Thank You to City Hall of Kuala Lumpur for such a thoughtful project.

Have a nice day. [click on image to enlarge]