Pindik-pindik, Tagap-tagap and Butak-butak in Sabah and Australia

Moving on

2010-11-08T23:21:00.000-08:00

I am currently assisting Jollence Lee at the GDF Photography and Photo Editing Workshop being held at the Crocker Range - Inobong Sub-Station here in Penampang. We had to chance to go out and take some macro shots to be edited in the workshop, so here are some of my shots. I feel I have gone full circle with photography journey cos my first postings were macro also.

20th International Borneo Safari 2010

2010-10-28T05:59:00.001-07:00

Around this time of year I am always excited to see the modified 4 wheels in KK ready for safari action! I have never owned a pimped up 4 wheeler in my life and only been on one Borneo Safari in my life, but this dream of owning a Land Rover Defender has alwasy been on my mind. I missed this year's event cos I didn't make a phone call early enough to book a spot on my favorite Land Rover..owned by old buddy Billy Yapp Nan Thien @ Touki from Ranau.

This is what its all about..

Buli bah kalau Bayu!

2010-10-08T08:51:00.000-07:00

So, was invited by Astro, via Jollence Lee, to the launching of Radio Bayu at Sutera today. Met lotsa old press friends. Honestly, I was a bit in the dark about the event and was obviously out of touch with my journalism instincts. In a mouthful, Radio Bayu is a satellite radio channel that plays purely Sabahan music, not necessarily KadazanDusunMurut music only, but all kinds of music and genre, of artists and musicians from Sabah. So for the folks that are pressing the 'scan' button on your car radio or handphone, its not there yet. Look for it on your channel guide on your Astro. I guess with Sabahans being everywhere in Malaysia now, its only natural that a Sabahan radio channel is up. By the way, all the radio announcers will be talking in Sabahan Malay and I think Sabahan English too. Bah, here are some photos of the launching.

Datuk Masidi launched the event

These are our radio announcers, don't worry, memang butul-butul orang Sabah!

Jamie Roscom

Constantine Anthony, funny to be listening to him talk Sabah Malay, always pictured him all 'English'..ahahha..by the way, the hand gesture I think represents a microphone..kan?

Yuriz Abdul Rahman, memang orang KK..says he comes from Kampung KK..

Rydiana Abdul Rahim, all grown up now.

One for the road!

Another shot with the obligatory brand shot

Jollence and the radio announcers

And lastly, a shot with Noraishah, Astro's Communication Specialist.

Bah, apa lagi..dingar la tu Bayu..

Back home for 20 days and already needing a holiday!

2010-09-25T01:30:00.000-07:00

Am back home for a year to be with the family as Trixie is doing her research and writing for her Phd. Kimo is in kindergarten as well and I am just bumming around looking for friends who are free to go kedai kupi. Anyway, Trixie said she needed a break after all the moving and pimping of our rental. So we took Kimo out of school for two days and made a trip to the not-so-cold-anymore Mount Kinabalu. Enjoyed trying to be a tour guide at the national park. Here are some photos I took, which are also posted on my Facebook.

Trip to the Snowy Mountains with fellow Sabahans

2010-08-08T00:43:00.000-07:00

I don't know why we have not made this trip while Trixie and Kimo were here, but for sure we will go when they come back here in Australia. Connie and Tom made the invite to me on Friday. Along on the trip is Connie's nephew Rizal, niece Bibie and our family friend and Kimo's honorary Auntie, Kelly. We were at the snowline by around 11am and started playing in the snow. These are some photos I took of us playing.

36 ain't so bad!

2010-05-23T04:39:00.000-07:00

I turned 36 this year, and Trixie and Kimo surprised me with a cake when I got home from work. I didn't expect it cos we are so poor, we can't afford a cake, but Trixie is a baker after all, so a homemade cake for me.

As soon as I got home, Trixie asked me to sit down and close my eyes. Then I had to wait the longest time for them to appear from the kitchen, cos Kimo had to stick 36 candles on the chocolate cake! The best part was when Kimo sang Happy Birthday Papa!

Watch the evidence on the video below. (Forgive the quality as it was taken with my mobile phone)

also a new photo of me and Kimo :)

Day out at Lake Ginnendera

2010-02-17T06:06:00.000-08:00

To take off or not?

2010-01-26T04:33:00.000-08:00

We have been living here in Australia for the last 6 months and we are getting used to the lifestyle here. Of course after going thru a very hard start-up and learning the hard and expensive way, we finally figured out how to live here, nothing to compared to what we know about starting out in the US.

As Trixie is moving on to her research phase of her studies, she is going back to Sabah for it. As for me, I am still undecided if I will go back with her. I do not want to lose my job here as it actually paying quite well at the moment and when Trixie gets back, I would have saved enough money for the move back here....plus the exchange rate is so good against the RM. But again, I miss home..so this is my dilemma now.

Australian War Memorial

2009-12-08T21:23:00.000-08:00

I had the day off from work and Trixie asked me what I would be doing, so naturally I said, "Sleep." But after much thought, I decided to take a trip to the Australian War Memorial which is around 10 minutes from our place. I knew that I would find something interesting there because Sabah and Australia have ties since WW2 because of the infamous Sandakan-Ranau Death March. As an ex-tour guide in Sabah, I have some knowledge of the march. What I found, apart from other historical exhibits, is a whole room and wall dedicated to Australian troops who died during the Death March. I had a short emotional moment thinking how they sacrificed their lives for the Sabahans.

View of the Australian Parliament House from the War Memorial

Entrance to the War Memorial

Inside the memorial - quite similar layout to the one in Kundasang

How Sabah is highlighted

Photos of those who died during the death march

The reason for my existence:

2009-12-07T15:42:00.001-08:00

Trixie, my wife of 10 years and our son, Kimo Xan

Adding to my vintage collection

2009-11-11T14:28:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday, Kamal (fellow photographer, my wife's ANU schoolmate and Malaysian) and I went to the Canberra Camera Collectors sale at the Irish Club here in Canberra. I have never been to one so naturally I was excited to see what was on sale. I had no intention to buy anything (because I am so poor) but limited myself to $20 if I did so. There were many vintage stuff and also some earlier DSLRs.

Price was very reasonable and I was tempted, plus an auction at the end of the sale was really good.

The auction

At the back of my head, I was thinking, "Where in Sabah will I get these kinds of cameras?" So, with my 20 bucks, here is what I got.

Got this from the auction for 5 bucks

And what I thought was a good buy was this 1961 Yashica J series in working condition.

$10 for this

The remaining $5 was spent on a vintage leather strap for my Minolta Hi-Matic G, which I bought at the Salvation Army Thrift store or Salvo's.

A few hours at the Floriade, Canberra

2009-10-06T15:36:00.000-07:00

Floriade is the biggest flower festival in Australia, a spectacular celebration of spring, set in Canberra's Commonwealth Park.

We planned to go to the one-month event earlier but it had been raining and cold, so finally the weather was better yesterday. As for me, I have never really seen so many tulips in my life. I wanted to see some 'black tulips' which I read about when I was a kid. Creating a black tulip was the holy grail for the flower enthusiasts back in the days in Holland. As much as I could see, however, were no black tulips at the Floriade, just really dark maroon ones.

Here are a mix of family and Floriade pictures I took.

Starting my vintage camera collection

2009-09-28T01:13:00.000-07:00

I started fooling around with photography around 1992-93 and had real gung-ho aspirations to be a photographer since then. I inherited an old Yashica SLR from my father and went shooting with my buddies Romeo, Disney and Kelly.

*Not the exact Yashica but a photo from Wikipedia

I remember we all had old cameras and mine would always jam up, and finally on a climb to Mt. Kinabalu, it finally gave up on me and the mirror never came down..it was stuck for good.

So I requested, I think for my birthday, for a camera from my sister, who gave me a 2nd hand Canon SLR.

*again, not the exact Canon. Mine had an all black body.

I think I only managed to use it once for a body-building competition at Kiulu, then the same problem happened, the mirror got jammed. This time it was sent to a technician to be fixed but it really conked out.

I was without a SLR camera for a long long time, till I got my first DSLR in 2008, a Nikon D200.

Coming to Australia has it downs for me, not being able to work in my chosen field of Photojournalism. The pros is, however, endless. I can now shoot without pressure to deliver to my editor or client.

I was chatting online with fellow Sabahan, Flanegan Bainon, who is in Melbourne studying Photography and he told he had started collecting vintage cameras. I found that really interesting and kept an eye out for old cameras at thrift stores and garage sales.

This is my first vintage camera I bought at the Salvation Army store. It cost me AUS$15.00. The Minolta Hi-Matic G was made in 1974, the year I was born, and still works. There was still a roll of film inside when I got it. I changed the battery and the meters went 'alive'! I think I got a good buy.

Family picnic at Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra

2009-09-06T05:06:00.001-07:00

Life here in Canberra is very different from the comfort zone we had in Sabah. It has changed dramatically from the weather to our lifestyle. Adjusting to a different climate, looking for jobs, re-tuning my ears from Malaysian English to Aussie English, re-tuning my accent so that locals can understand me and so forth.

The biggest challenge so far is looking for a job, whatever it is. Trixie and Kimo both go to school and I am doing my part by sending and picking them up. But still, I feel very weird not doing anything. I have applied, and still am applying, for all kinds of jobs here and there, but it seems it takes time to get reply, so now is just a waiting game.

Earlier today we had a brunch at Auntie Connie's house cos a Sabahan friend came by from Sydney so we Sabahans had a small get together. Enjoyed the curry and the roti canai.

Anyway, after last week's hospital stint, we felt we needed to chill out and go out for a picnic as a family. Trixie packed a small snack for us and off we went driving till we ended up seeing multitudes of people by Lake Burley Griffin (only found out the lake's name from the internet after we got home), so we also looked for a spot. The day was warm and we had time to take a family photo, something we always wanted to do since Kimo was born, actually these photos could be one of the best we had taken.

More picnic photos in my Facebook.

Kimo in hospital

2009-09-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

After lunch last Saturday, Kimo suddenly started shivering uncontrollably. We rushed him to the emergency room at Calvary Hospital around 5 km away and he was diagnosed with pneumonia in his right lung. The doctor suggested to admit him into Canberra Hospital where they have a pediatric department for further treatment. Kimo was admitted there for 3 days and 2 nights and he was on an IV drip the whole time.

We, as parents and as international students in a new country and city, felt a kind of fear that we don't have any moral support from anyone in Canberra. But we were blessed with our Sabahan friend here, Auntie Connie Lupang, a Sabahan living here for the past 40 years, who came to the ER to give us support.

On the 2nd day there, the specialist said that the bacteria that caused Kimo's pneumonia had spread into his left lung, but he said that is normal and the antibiotics administered would take care of that. On the third day, Kimo was given the green light to go home as there was no more wheezing in either lungs.

We thank God, the doctors and nurses for helping Kimo get better in such a short time. Kimo is now at home, active as ever. However, we are still giving him his antibiotics and he has to use a puffer a few times a day.

From around Canberra

2009-08-24T04:25:00.000-07:00

I took this photo on a road behind my area.

On my way out one day, spotted the nice clouds which was complimented by the winter branch.

A Month in Canberra

2009-08-13T05:16:00.001-07:00

Its been a month since we moved to Canberra, but it feels longer, I dunno why. Well, we have settled in nicely and already have a schedule. Kimo goes to childcare/playschool 4 times a week while Trixie goes to school. I basically send them, do household chores while applying for jobs and waiting for their replies...soooo long. I have not been able to get around taking photos lately, apart from the ones posted, but next week, a good Malaysian friend and I are going to do some bushwalking photography.

Self Shadow Portrait

2009-07-29T18:52:00.000-07:00

I think this is the picture of Australia I had in mind all this while. I had to take a picture of the red soil and the clear skies.

First hike in the Australian Bush

2009-07-25T01:25:00.000-07:00

Its been around two weeks since we landed in Canberra, and I needed to go out and shoot before I forgot the functions on my camera. I went for a walk and found out that a nature park is right behind our apartment. The feeling is very different from what I am used to in the rainforest. It was a nice day and I saw my first in-the-wild kangaroos. They actually come around our place at night and poop, so banyak tai kangaroo everywhere, macam tai kambing. I took a photo too.

Tai kangaroo (ABOVE), by the way, we got to eat kangaroo meat the first week here, taste like payau lah

Kimo's Birthday Party at Tungaa, Kota Belud

2009-06-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

This party was organized by my parents at our kampung for their only grandchild. As usual, Kimo's friends, cousins, aunts and uncles, grandaunts and granduncles attended the party. Trixie, again without fail, baked another Barney cheesecake for him. However, Kimo, by this time, has learned the art of blowing his three candles.

Happy 3rd Birthday Kimo!

2009-06-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

This was Kimo's first birthday party for this week, celebrated at his maternal grandparents house in Tintap, Babagon. Trixie made a Barney cake for him, mango cheesecake flavor. Kimo is blessed with friends, cousins, uncles and aunties and grandparents and grandaunts and uncles that do not fail to come and party with him every year. Thanks everybody for coming!

2009 Sabah Dragon Boat Race

2009-06-24T07:50:00.001-07:00

These are some photos taken during a photographers day out.

Fredoline and Nancy's Session

2009-06-18T09:52:00.001-07:00

As promised, these are my pictures from my last pre-wed session before I leave to taste some kangaroo steak down under.

Another Trip to the playground

2009-06-11T09:28:00.001-07:00

Kimo is getting very comfortable with the nearby playground, was just thinking how he will adjust to the new surroundings in Australia in a few weeks. My sis-in-law and I brought our cameras to document his joy at play. This was when he tripped and recovered.

*Wished his Auntie Flory was around to see him at this age

Last Pre-wedding Assignment before Australian Departure

2009-06-10T13:23:00.000-07:00

Hi Everybody,

With our plans for our move to Australia comes closer, I resigned from my reporting job and supposedly am in packing and moving mode. Despite the busy schedule, I got a chance to take my last pre-wed photo in Tuaran when Rozita of Dylan Bridal called me for a session. Our client turned out to be my old classmate, Fredoline and his fiance, Nancy. We had fun shooting under the hot sun! I will be posting more photos later.

Balik Kampung (Kota Belud)

2009-05-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Now that we are certain on going to Australia for Trixie's Phd, we have been taking every single chance to make sure Kimo meets his Kota Belud grandparents, who in turn are seldom in Kota Belud. These are some fun photos of Kimo with his paternal grandparents. It was also a very hot day, and he really wanted to go in the bucket filled with water. Nasip bawa poninggolonon (change of clothes).

PAPARAZI!

2009-05-06T11:11:00.000-07:00

The Prime Minister was on one of his walkabouts in KK and I was assigned to cover the event. This was one of my first assignments where photographers and journalists were pushing each other in search for that newsworthy photo. Two of these photos made it to the front page of a local paper. :)

Next two photos made front page

Pocket Bikes at Likas

2009-04-26T06:18:00.000-07:00

Hello guys, have not been posting for a while now, internet and camera problems..but I am back!

I was by the Likas Sports complex today and saw them pocket or coin bikes going faster than my Kancil. So I stopped by to test out my newly reconditioned camera.

I was very impressed that most of the bikers were young kids, some as young as 5 yrs old (my guess).

By the way, please forgive the watermark in smack in the middle of the photos. After a photographer-friend's photos got used illegally in other websites, we photo-bloggers are now putting the watermark in the middle, instead of on the side, to protect the copyright of our photos.

Enjoy!

Aloysius and Daniela's Reception Photos (Megallan & Tambunan)

2009-02-05T23:20:00.000-08:00

Product Tasting at CoffeeBean & Tea Leaf, Waterfront

2009-02-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Late this afternoon, I got an invitation from Shan thru Jacquelin to come and sample some promotional products at the CoffeeBean and Tea Leaf (CBTL), Waterfront. Wah, the power of blogging, but truthfully, this could be my first time blogging about food on a personal level.

The food that was to be sampled was the Red Bean Ice-Blended and the Mandarin Orange Cheesecake. I am not a great critique of food, but a I am great eater. LOL....but I guess I qualify!

Red Bean Ice-Blended key ingredients are the red beans, yes, the kacang merah our wives, moms, moms-in-law and grandmothers use to make bubur with. Well, CBTL has it in the powdered form too, making the ice-blend even more kaw-kaw with red bean flavor.

I suggest having the ice-blend with whipped cream (who wouldn't). By the way, the availability of this drink last as long as the red beans and red bean powder is still in stock.

Drink faster Flan! You might be in time for a second round!

Next product to sample was the Mandarin Orange Cheesecake. Dang, ya'll gotta try this one. You can really taste the citrus! Kalah-kalah Cheesecake Factory bah!

I think one slice of this cake can feed two people, my size. LOL. Unless you don't wanna share, like me. Well, this cake will only be around till mid March 2009, so folks, better rush to get your taste of this fantastic cheesecake.

Now the management did not stop at feeding us only red beans drinks and cheesecakes, they also provided a light dinner of salads, pasta and sandwiches, to my delight of my carb driven diet/stomach/life.

Alice on a diet

I think I had some fun with other bloggers tonight, have never met some of them, and am hoping to see more of them in other functions like this one.

I also would like to thank the great management and staff, notably Andrew, Shan and Charles, of CoffeeBean and Tea Leaf, Waterfront, who also graciously gave me an extra slice of the cheesecake to take back to my wife (a baker), the real foodie (by the way, she finished the cake in less than 10 minutes).

D'Junction Miss Oriental contestant: Ms. Jessie Sham

2009-01-14T21:09:00.001-08:00

D'Junction's Miss Oriental this year will start on January 23rd. Roy2lips invited me to take some photos of one of the contestants, Miss Jessie Sham. We had the photoshoot at Taman Rimba Tropika, Kota Kinabalu.

Early Rainy Morning at Bridge near Rasa Ria

2009-01-06T12:12:00.000-08:00

So, on the 4th of January, I made plans with Beevy and Josie, who brought along Lola, to go to this bridge to take photos. After earlier advices from friends who have shot the sunrise there, they said I gotta be there before 5am to catch the sunrise. Well, we were there before 5am, but the sunrise came after 6am. To make matters even worst, it started to rain. So no sun, had to wait up for more than 2 hours, rain; and for me, sick till today. But still, I think I managed to catch some rare shots under the bridge. Made my day!

Stacy AF6 at D'Junction

2009-01-06T12:04:00.001-08:00

We, the photographers, were invited by Intimate, thru D'Junction, to photograph Stacy, the winner of Akademi Fantasia Season 6 during her meet the fans session at the establishment. I stuck to one lens during this shoot, my 50mm 1.8

3rd New Year Off Road Challenge - Tamparuli

2009-01-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

This year I managed to make it to this event. I missed last year's event for dunno what reason. It was a good reunion with old friends and also time to chill out from normal photo shoots. Enjoy the photos!

Down by the Riverside - Joseph and Diane's Kota Belud Wedding

2009-01-06T11:47:00.000-08:00

Sorry Diane for the late entry on my blog, I have been sick for the past few days. Well, here is a teaser for you. I enjoyed this shoot because of the colors that the couple was wearing, and the wonderful location by the river. Enjoy!

Into the Tengilan Rice Field - Joseph and Diane's Wedding

2008-12-30T06:00:00.001-08:00

Diane is one of my cousins who got married this month. He married a fine man named Joseph who is a Police Officer working in West Malaysia. These are some pictures we took of them in the rice field near her house.

Into the Tenghilan Rice Field - Sherwin, Elizabeth and Nicole Thia

2008-12-30T05:46:00.000-08:00

Sherwin and I grew up together in Tamparuli in the late 70's and maybe early 80's. I think the last time I saw him was in the mid 80's. Good to finally meet him and his family during his cousin's (Diane Lai) wedding.

Ronnie & Evlyne's Kota Belud Wedding

2008-12-29T13:07:00.001-08:00

Aaron & Cathy's Tambunan Wedding

2008-12-26T12:51:00.000-08:00

I was invited by my old Tamparuli neighbor, Aaron, to his Tambunan wedding last weekend. What a small world it was when I found out that Cathy's father, was someone I knew. Here are some photos I took.

14th December all out!

2008-12-19T01:19:00.000-08:00

4th December was totally a day off from assignments! There was the F2 Powerboat Race at the Waterfront, and I spent some 30 minutes with Igy, Raymond and some PTIs at the fishmarket area, getting the best view of the race. Got some good photos but nothing exciting. Later that morning, my friend from KL, ABT, was in town in search for a location to shoot a commercial, so we drove all the way to Simpang Mengayau, the northern most point in Borneo. These are some fun pictures I took of the F2 Powerboat race and of Simpang Mengayau.

1

Miss Oriental 2009

2008-12-14T10:42:00.000-08:00

Hi everybody. Have been busy again and not posting any photos, but will do that tomorrow. For ladies who are interested in joining Miss Oriental 2009 organized by D'Junction Fun Pub, you can download the entry form below, but you still have to pay RM20.00 when you register for the event. The event will begin on 5th of January, 2009. This was my first beauty pageant I shot as a photographer earlier this year.

ShakaBorneo on the road

2008-12-05T06:59:00.000-08:00

Since ShakaBorneo made its debut, we have been quite busy with photoshoots. One of our clients was from Taiping, Perak and we were happy to work with them to photograph their wedding. On our return trip via bus to Kuala Lumpur and on to the airport, our bus broke down. We were so scared that we would miss our flight to KK but the good bus driver had plenty of bus driver friends who gave us a ride. Well these are pictures of us outside the bus, waiting and praying that it would be our turn to get on the next bus that stops.

Edrie is sending out an SOS text to some KL friends, just in case we got stranded there for too long. But, strangely enough, we were not so kiasu about getting on the next bus, we were quite relaxed and even took time to tease how the other passengers were panicking.

Female Icon 2008 Finals, 5 November 2008, BarSu, KK

2008-11-07T05:26:00.000-08:00

Female Icon Finalists 2008

2008-11-04T06:02:00.000-08:00

Susella and Sauflee's Wedding

2008-10-28T20:42:00.000-07:00

Abby and Daven's Wedding

2008-10-28T08:04:00.000-07:00

Daven is my cousin, and somehow, I am also related to Abby (according to my mother). Congratulations guys!

Female Icon Contestants 2008

2008-10-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

Mingle with them tonight at BarSu, Waterfront, 9pm

Shaka Creative

2008-10-13T10:02:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody!

I finally registered my photography business! My partner (Edrie MC) and I, are now working under Shaka Creative. We have also just got our domain www.shakaborneo.com. The website is still under construction at the moment, but bookmark it!

I wish to thank my wife, Trixie, who pushed me to do this; my sister, Flory, who believed in me and also Shaka Creative's other half, Edrie who shares the same vision for photography.

I would also like to thank all my clients, past and present, who believed in me and gave me a chance.

Keep supporting us!

Thank you.

For the passion of Photography

2008-10-10T11:00:00.000-07:00

1st Borneo International Marathon 2008

2008-10-09T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! The Borneo International Marathon will be this Sunday, 12th October and I will be one of the official photographers working with Suchen SK of Suchens.com at the finish line. Just to inform fellow photographers out there, there will be a photo competition on that day. For more information, go to www.borneomarathon.com

See you at the finish line!

Caution! Photographers Shooting!

2008-10-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

Tom and I shooting at a wedding.

Audrey A. Photoshoot

2008-10-06T11:56:00.000-07:00

Audrey, I am going to print this one for you!

October 5 Outing

2008-10-05T08:10:00.000-07:00

My fellow photographers did two outings in two days. Early Saturday morning saw us at the fish market again, but it was not that busy as we anticipated. This evening again saw us at the rice fields.

What kind of camera is this?

2008-10-03T06:14:00.001-07:00

Got this shot the other day on a shoot. I was thinking he had some Mamiya or something fancier, an Olympus at least maybe..but neither brands was written on the camera. Anyway, it was some cheap plastic camera, complete with side flash, which had some scotch tape on it. I hope his photos turned out okay, cos remember, its the photographer, not the camera!

The love of my life

2008-09-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with my 9th year wedding anniversary this month, I took 9 portrait shots of my wife, Trixie. I love you honey!

Desmond and Christie's Wedding

2008-09-26T12:50:00.001-07:00

More photos can be viewed at http://edriemc.com/blog/

Audrey A. Photoshoot

2008-09-26T03:11:00.000-07:00

Juan and Cat's Wedding, Tuaran

2008-09-16T19:49:00.000-07:00

I did this wedding awhile back, but only finished editing it yesterday. I had some major computer problems, software and hardware. Sorry Juan and Cat cos its late, but here it is finally. Enjoy!

Le Regazze by Neri Per Caso

2008-09-16T02:44:00.000-07:00

This song was in my head for the last few days. Thanks to Debbie for remembering the song title and artist. By the way, its in Italian.

Second Update: found the Karaoke version

KK Fishmarket Photo Outing with Igy, Tom, Roy and Noel, 14th Sept. 2008, 3am to 5am (Edrie missed out big time)

2008-09-13T19:45:00.000-07:00

Woke up at 2am, met up with the guys at Asia City, hung out for a while at the pocket park near Cacoon, then walked over to the fishmarket. My good canadian friend, Cheryl, made this same shoot when she was here, saying it was really great. I have to second her on that. Same rush as taking a very exciting wedding. So now I share my photos of the KK fishmarket to all my readers, minus the smell.

Leonie's Photo Shoot, Igy's Studio, Luyang

2008-09-09T20:59:00.000-07:00

A full day at Igy's Studio resulted with this one good photo from my set.

Cow Song

2008-09-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

My dear son, Kimo, is very fascinated by cows lately, so we were searching together for nice cow songs, we found this on Youtube. Good music arrangement.

Jali and Olivia's Wedding

2008-08-28T21:21:00.001-07:00

I knew this couple from around 10 years ago when I used to frequent Jali's cyber cafe at the bowling alley in Centrepoint, where Olivia also worked. I shot their two day wedding and had the most fun time. Enjoy the photos!

Allon and Dawn's Wedding

2008-08-27T11:28:00.000-07:00

I have been a really bad boy for the past 3 weeks for not updating my blog lately due to two reasons. I have been very busy with work and my laptop has finally died on me. Without a computer for the last week has been hell for my wife and I. I would like to thank my friends who have been kind enough to let me burn DVDs on their computer.

This belated post is Allon and Dawn's wedding photos taken on the 1st of August.

Behind the scenes video - Indonesian Trip

2008-08-06T12:50:00.000-07:00

Video edited and shot by Didit. My first taste of Bakso also.

Indonesia Trip, July 13-25, 2008

2008-07-28T13:49:00.000-07:00

I was honored to invited by the United Nations Developement Program (UNDP) to a training for trainers workshop for community media practitioners, in Porong, Indonesia . I am back to two of my other passions, videography and community work.

The villagers of Porong, amounting to around 15,000 people have been almost permanently displaced from their homes because of a mudflow that was triggered by a gas mining company called Lapindo in 2006. The mudflow has not stop flowing since then, overflowing into the villager's rice fields and homes, hence losing their homes and livelihood. Communities were resettled in temporary shelters like market places and in tents. Their demands, so far, has not been met or compensated fairly. We empowered members of the community to make their own documentary to tell their story, which was later shown to the Indonesian media and other NGOs

Sze Ning and me at Pasar Baru, one of the bigger resettlements.

At Kaliandra Sejati, the resort that hosted us. This was taken at a lookout where we did our morning Yoga, yep I'm into that now.

Lunch was all organic, plus these glasses of water on every table.

View of Kaliandra Sejati, where culture meets nature. 850 meters above sea level on the slopes of Mt. Arjuna.

Ime, one of the most articulate woman I know.

Me meditating after our yoga session.

Street food...heavenly food. Bakso.

Kids fooling around in front of my camera.

Caught this photo of this small boy while waiting to do an interview.

Mamak and me. Mamak is a master video editor with plenty of shortcuts up his sleeves.

Trip back to the mudflow site with the community. A lot of emotions.

SUPOR FM (Suara Porong) with DJ Abid. Community radio with 5 kilometer radius.

Introducing video to the community

2nd Screening to community

With the other trainers after the 3rd screening of the communities video.

Jakarta Photos

This is with Kiki, an old college mate.

Series of photos taken at a very nice restaurant, forgot the name but should be the one on the Menu. Thats Dwi in the background, Nikon D80 user.

Lena & Peter's Wedding, Kota Kinabalu

2008-07-12T11:14:00.001-07:00

I was honored to be asked by my friend, Lena, to take photographs of her church wedding, working alongside Suchen, another photographer. I really enjoyed taking photos of the couple and their friends. During their dinner reception, I was told that I didn't have to take photos, but you know lah, at the back of my head, "Eh, what if something great happens...the moment!" So, I ended up taking the whole event, of which I enjoyed immensely.

Lena and Peter, congratulations!

Press Visit to Gayana Eco Resort

2008-07-08T20:33:00.001-07:00

I had the chance to visit Gayana Eco Resort again this week. I was there on assignment for Breeze a couple of months ago for a shoot. Anyway, this time round, I was with about 20 other members of the press, and 1 activist. Having come here before, I basically knew what to shoot, but after all the photography, we found out that the resort already had photographs on hand pass to the press, so I guess I was just there to shoot for my personal archive. I would like to thank my new 'sparring' buddy, Nila, for being my impromptu model while in the spa. Also thanks to the staff of the resort for being such great hosts.

Boys will be boys!

2008-07-04T09:07:00.001-07:00

Had a chance to go out of town this week with my good friend, videographer Paul Masudal. He had to do a short shoot in Kota Belud, so I joined in for the ride, since I kinda knew my way around there. While in the kampung, we passed a primary school and I spotted 4 boys with their books on their heads, obviously being punished. I whipped out my camera, switched my 17-50mm to a 70-200mm and snapped a frame as the boy was smiling at us.

Yes, boys with their expensive toys. Paul with his Canon XH-A1 HD.

Air Supply in KK!

2008-06-24T03:41:00.000-07:00

Yeah Baby! I feel this was one of the best shoots in my life. Again, in my capacity as Breeze's official photographer, I got to shoot Air Supply From The Heart World Concert Tour 2008. The audience were mouthing the lyrics to the song, singing along to their popular tunes. I was singing out loud to their songs too, while looking through my camera lens. Prior to the shoot, we were told that we were only allowed to shoot during the first 3 songs, but I guess if you have a really fast lens, then you can go flashless. I used a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 for about half of my images.

Well, folks, here it is.

p/s Jess P, I will pick a nice photo..but if you see one here..send me a buzz.

Enjoy the photos!!!

Everil and Jackson's Wedding - Sneak Preview

2008-06-17T22:27:00.001-07:00

Everil and Jackson got married amidst the flood scare in Penampang. There were fears of flooding around the Everil's house that day but thank God, it instead was a very clear and sunny day.

As a career photographer, I accept challenges that come and try to understand it. The main challenge for me was 'too much light'. The sun was very bright and thus I had very bright backgrounds (outside shot), but I still had to control my shutter to be able to catch faces of subjects. This also gave me the opportunity to take my ISO levels to its best. This was a blessing cos I was able to crop the photos and still get good resolution.

Here is a sneak preview of their wedding photos. Enjoy!

1Borneo Soft Launching, 8th June 2008

2008-06-11T11:20:00.000-07:00

I had to opportunity to be one of the media photographers for this event under Breeze Magazine. The highlight of the assignment was photographing Sheila Majid with the magazine. Apart from that, it was a field day for photographers to photograph KL models who were flown in specially for this event. For photographers out there, every weekend of the month of June, these models will be walking the runway at 1Borneo's Atrium. One of the models was Amber Chia, our local girl who made it big in modeling and also appeared on the Playboy Indonesia. Later that evening, some Hong Kong stars did their thing on stage, and almost caused a riot. Enjoy the photos!

KK Night Scenes

2008-06-05T03:26:00.001-07:00

These are a series of photos I took on the job over the last weekend and yesterday.

Rumba, Le Meridian

Cocoon's New Band

Shenanigan's, Hyatt

Becks Promo at Rumba

2008-06-04T11:35:00.000-07:00

Becks, the beer, had a two night event at Rumba, Le Meridian, together with the Kinabalu Sportcar Club. Supercars were parked outside the club to showcase the beer. My collegemate, Ah Hung, was the organizer and he called me in to take some photos. It was dark where the cars were parked so i just did some closeups.

Patricia & Iskandar's Wedding - Sneak Preview

2008-06-03T11:42:00.000-07:00

This wedding was divided into two different days, church wedding at Sacred Heart KK on the 24th of May and reception on the 31st of May at Penampang. Despite the rain, family and friends poured in heavier to celebrate the new couple! Enjoy to the pictures.

Wilyanah & Flarry's Wedding - Sneak Preview

2008-05-26T17:32:00.001-07:00

This was a very nice wedding set in the valleys of Kiulu at Poturidong. I used to live in Tamparuli and I had many friends and classmates from Kiulu. It was, for me, a mini reunion of some sort, meeting up with old friends and relatives. I think I had too much fun taking photos of the couple that a woman kept hugging me...later to find out she was not quite 'right there'. The wedding party had a good laugh. The wedding was held at the Poturidong SDA church and moved on to the Kiulu Multipurpose Hall for reception. Tatie, these series is just a sneak peak kio.

And the Winner is.............

2008-05-24T07:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Rounna on winning the D'Junction Miss Kaamatan 2008! These are some photos of the constestants and other people involved with the event. Will

Atama Katama, Emcee of the event

Boy Petrus with Miss Kaamatan after the event

15 Finalists of D'Junction's Miss Kaamatan 2008

2008-05-22T08:39:00.000-07:00

These fine ladies are up to grab the title this Friday night, May 23rd at 9.00pm at D'Junction's Fun Pub. If you know any of these ladies, please come and support them in droves. For photographers, make sure you are also there and please email me your choice of the 'Photograher's Choice Award' aka Miss Photogenic. Feast your eyes folks and Happy Kaamatan! Don't Drink and Drive! p/s This is a busy month for photography of Unduk Ngadaus and Weddings, so if you see me, don't be afraid to say hello.

D'Junction's Miss Kaamatan 1st Heat

2008-05-16T13:04:00.001-07:00

It's quite sad that for this competition, it does not lead to a spot in the State Level Unduk Ngadau on May 31st at the KDCA. The girls are beautiful and talented. I hope that some of them will join their district level Unduk Ngadau pageants to get into the State Level one. These are some belated photos of the girls that made it into the grand finals of D'Junction's Miss Kaamatan 2008.

Penampang and Papar Countryside Photo Outing

2008-05-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

My Canadian friend from KL came to Sabah for the weekend and I managed to spend some time taking her around the countryside. We covered the Babagon area and drove thru the backroads of Papar and Kinarut to try get some cool photos. These are some shots I took on our 4 hour excursion. Enjoy!

First stop: Timpangoh, where they grow pineapples, lemongrass and ginger

Drove till the end of the road at Timpangoh, got on a suspension bridge..managed to take one of Cheryl

Caught this little village girl while at Timpangoh

On the way down the hills of Timpangoh, I managed to use the 'reflection' element as suggested by Louis Pang during his Epson talk

Near the main Tambunan-KK road, we stopped by a traditional blacksmith; a dying trade

The sledge hammer that the blacksmith has been using since the 1960's

We stopped by Kinarut to get the small town feel and found this small barber shed under a raintree

Advertisement for job recruitment agencies to go work in KL and Singapore

Brooms sold at a Mom and Pop store in Kinarut

Buffalo: "What the hell?"

Till next time kitty..

Spurs' Miss Borneo 2008

2008-05-08T10:54:00.000-07:00

This pageant had the most subsidiary titles and the most shows I have ever photographed. I think I shot over 14 gig of photos overall. After photographing a number of beauty pageants since I started working in this capacity, I have come to learn to analyse who might win a pageant. I also noticed that there are some contestants that are 'serial' contestants, going from one pageant to another. I am not judging them, but hey, this is only my observation. Currently, D'Junction organized their annual Miss Kaamatan 2008, and yes, familiar faces...I don't want to name 'em, but hey again, you will see their faces here anyway... Congratulations to the winners and contestants! See you again in another pageant!

Spurs' Miss Borneo 2008, Menjender

Viva Las Vegas baby!

Beachwear

DJ Kumar fooling around on stage..documented bro.

Eja eating fire while doing the splits...how many of you can do this?

Aby getting made up backstage

DJ Kumar's photo for his resume..heheheh

Thats me and Kimberly (D'Junction Ms.Oriental 2008) backstage

Sabah Fest 2008, Magellan Sutera Harbour

2008-05-07T01:58:00.000-07:00

I was on assignment for Breeze Magazine to shoot this event. The main event was launched on May 3rd at Sutera Harbour and went on to end at the Sabah Museum Heritage Village on May 6th. It was a grand event and I made new friends in the photography community. Wish some of my friends were here to take photos. Here are some photos I took during the 4 day event. Enjoy!

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Backstage Miss Borneo 2008, Spurs Asia City

2008-05-02T18:23:00.000-07:00

I was working on reflections and these are some of my photos. Miss Borneo has one of the most events, around 5 events all together. The finals will be held at Spurs on the 7th of May.

Bonus photo of a very sexy girl dancing alone on stage.