Formosa 2011...Day 0 : The Flight

we bought our flight tickets around March 2010...after waited for about a year...we finally embarked on our little journey to the city of our dreams...Taipei

Waited almost one year for these

I would like to share here some silly thoughts I managed to gather in the midst of cold wind and wet rain...my view on this beautiful city...and the towns we visited...hopefully you may find some of the info I share helpful...

if I were to describe our trip in one word...it has to be...WET

Weather forecast was correct for most of the days...except that they were colder

it rained the whole week we were there...except the last day...which was also the coldest (the stories will come later)

due to the weather...some days I made more photographs...and some days I made almost none...the same goes with the stories I'm about to share...some days I had more silly thoughts...other days I was just a drenched soul wandering blankly in a beautiful city...what a waste...blame the weather

since I'm not an experienced columnist...and I don't have an editor...I hope I will not be too long-winded...

and so...Day 0

my beloved and I took the 1am bus from Ipoh to LCCT...as usual I slept comfortably in the bus...waking only slightly to catch a glimpse of a building which I thought was Stadium Shah Alam...unlikely huh?

we reached LCCT around 4am...and walked over to crash Noona & JJW's super tiny room...I had just enough surface area to lay straight...and fell asleep almost immediately...thx to Noona and JJW's kindness I managed to catch another 2 hours of sleep...while the girls chatted away excitedly...I faintly heard them telling each other "stop talking lor...I want to sleep lor...enough lor"...but I was quite sure they chatted all the way till 7am without getting any sleep...

after we got up and got ready...we walked to LCCT...we first met up with L...then we went to try self check-in for the first time

Easy and hassle-free...and quite fun too

at the baggage check-in counter we helped a Chinese student with problem communicating with the crew at the counter...apparently he had some problem with baggage overweight...
while the Chinese are known for their cunningness...it was us few Malaysian (Chinese nonetheless) who taught him some tricks...

then we moved on to have breakfast at OldTown...while having breakfast there I think to myself...what if I'm a foreigner or a stranger to Ipoh...having heard or read so much about Ipoh food (from Motormouth perhaps?)...landed on LCCT...curiously tried the Ipoh Horfun and Ipoh white coffee for the first time...I may be slightly disappointed...

if you're a stranger to Ipoh...please...make the trip to Ipoh before you judge...

while having our breakfast...the rest of the gang arrived...

it was exciting enough for the few of us who were flying abroad for the first time...it was definitely exciting for all of us...for it was the gang's first trip abroad...

Everyone can fly

although I had the heaviest breakfast...nasi lemak...hopefully able to last me till I land...and to avoid getting ripped-off in the plane...the strategy did not work...in the midst of starvation...I desperately had a filling-but-no-taste chicken foccacia and orange juice...to flush down the food...

slept for 2 hours...and it was Hello Taipei

to be continued...

HP7...end is near...but not yet

it's been some time since I last stepped into a cinema...can't even recall the last one I watched...inception?

so on monday...after completing a halfer in Penang the day before (personal best...yeahoo!)...decided to go for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows...

few reasons:
1) i love GSC at Qb-Mall...the seat is so much more comfy compared to TGV Ipoh
2) since it was a monday afternoon...can beat the crowd and get the perfect seats
3) dun really have time to watch at Ipoh

honestly...after the HP6 disappointment...(the half blood prince was one of my fav...but the movie just couldn't build the story and tension up to the level achieved by the lengthy book)...don't really have much expectation...moreover it was directed by the same director who did HP5 and HP6...David Yates...which i personally think are the more boring HP movies

perhaps like most of us around my age...we just want to finish the story...see how it ends...
but then i get a little bit more excited when i knew it was done in 2 parts...which is a good thing...and so i hope they didn't repeat the same mistake they did with HP6

and this time around...it wasn't disappointing...in fact i find it entertaining

two and a half hours for part 1...just nice for the story to build...no rushing...less unexplained events

and the action was so much better...what one would expect from a fast-pace Hollywood action movie...just sit back and let the movie take you for an action-packed ride...although perhaps a little bit too fast for my eyes
again...i was so surprised to learn the director also did HP5 and HP6...so different

it also got a generally positive review from New York Times...

and then...of course...hermione is no longer a little girl...but a young lady...a hot one too...
when she appeared in that irresistible red dress...really want to jump into the screen...give her a hug and make out with her

after playing more or less the same thing for the last 6 movies...finally the trio were playing something different...more mature...and more emotion...well they are teenagers now...they should do better
oh did i mentioned how handsome harry was?
oh had ignored ron?...sorry mate

and the animated short story was so cool...(i hope i didn't spoil it for you)

the only problem is the many characters...if you just followed the movies without reading the books...i'm quite sure you can't remember whose who...especially when they all appeared at the same time

it's not really a major problem...you can still go with the flow and enjoy the rest of the movie...
but if you want to really enjoy without any blur...you may want to refresh your memory a bit by checking out this list...(the problem is that it is a list of all the characters...not only those appeared in this movie)

in a nutshell...i think this is one good HP movie...if they can maintain this...i think it's going to be a great finale
July 2011...I've got at least one movie to look forward to

un-Happy Anniversary

phone rang...

Me: Hello
Her: Hi...I'm calling from xxxx Foto ar...Can you talk now?
Me: Sure...(here it comes)
Her: Regarding your camera...the quotation came back...
Me: Uh huh...(shit!...this better be good)
Her: Apparently the SQ Plate needs to be replaced...it'll cost RM500
Me: So big wok ar?...it's really that problem huh...(why can't it just be some gears jammed or internal battery died or something!)
Her: Ya...uh...so you want to repair it?
Me: Um...ya
Her: Confirm ar?
Me: Yes...(I don't have a better choice do I?)...thank you

August 2009...after researching and surveying the market and saving for more than a year...I finally made the single most valuable purchase with my own cash...well most of them were savings and leftovers from study loan...on a used camera

first photograph made with my used camera

it opened up doors to a new world...the world through the lens...a lot of new things to study and to learn...
like most hobbies...photography requires knowledge...curiosity...patience...passion...practise
and also like most big boy's hobbies...this one can be quite expensive too

first time making photograph of the moon

regarding the cost...it really depends...
whenever I want to buy something...I remind myself...
do I really need it?...or I just want it?
this is just a hobby...I don't make any money out of this...if I spend too much...it's just an investment with no return

trip to Penang Island

auto-focus...built-in metering...auto-exposure...unlike the olden days...one don't really need a lot of studying to operate a modern camera...just point and shoot

my model who never complain about the photographs I made of her

now that it doesn't take much effort to shoot...there's a whole lot to learn about pointing...and in photography...it's known as composing

first time making photographs at friend's wedding

I'm not up to offering any advice to beginners in photography...but if you ask me...I'd say...read more...
there are lots of photography books...if you don't know how to choose...don't...just read any...I think they are more or less the same...after a book or two...I think you'll know how to differentiate the good ones with the better ones...

August 2010...after a year...honestly I think I've grown a bit...from Point n Shoot...I try to do a little bit of Point n Think n Shoot...a little bit of composing...pay more attention to the frame...

trip to Teluk Batik

and learn quite a bit of post-processing...
beginning with simple cropping...I learn to adjust exposure...curve...colour balance...sharpening....hue-saturation-lightness...and recently...channel mixer...
and lots more to learn...

an alley in Betong, Thailand

August 2010...supposed to celebrate one year anniversary...but was struck by an unfortunate event...my camera gave me "Err"...couldn't do anything with it...and so I sent it for repair (a rather costly repair)

sad but I have to get it done...after all I can't afford a new camera...
also I never intend to let it die just like this...it is my dream to pass this camera on to someone who'll appreciate it...to inspire that someone to learn photography with it...

recent trip to Taiping...before the camera failed

so on this one year anniversary...my camera spend the month away from me...lying on a bench somewhere in the Klang Valley I guess...

but that's OK...just make sure you come back safe buddy

(p/s: to relieve the itchiness...I loaded a roll of expired Centuria 100 into the "old man" [F65]...after a year of learning with CCD...it really changes the way I handle film...can't wait to get them developed)

I don't feel like swimming anymore...blame USM-LG

recently stumbled upon a short video clip taken from the days I'm still with USM-LG and posted here...that brought together old friends...chatting and interacting over the cyberspace...

also reminds me of something...I haven't dive into the pool for quite some time...quite some long long time...

the last time I went with my beloved to the public pool...few years back...her bag which we put on the pavillion...got stolen...

luckily her handphone and purse weren't in the bag...the most valuable item she lost was her...ehem...new brassiere...(you know how expensive lady's undergarments can be!)

but we also lost the car keys...which gave us lots of trouble...

for peace of mind...I have to alter the locks and make new sets of keys...

and I'm public-pool-paranoid since then...

still she always ask me to the pool...I know she loves swimming...but I always give her reasons not to...

security lar...(still paranoid)

lots of people lar...

pool dirty lar...

toilet smelly lar...

bathroom no door lar...

water very small lar...(you know what I mean)

lazy to bath lar...

period lar...(just kidding)

"Last time you go to swim everyday...didn't hear you complain?"...she says

well...last time different...very much different

it was free...

I don't have to worry much about security...

got dedicated lanes for us...

we were still swimming when the public all left the pool...

nobody cared about the bathroom doors...

the shower was gushing...seriously miss the shower...

and most important of all I got my own pigeon hole loaded with shampoo, shower foam, facial wash, swimming cap...essential stuffs I can just leave it there and don't have to carry around...which makes it very convenient...

younger days but old LG

all this little privileges made it such a joy to go swimming back then...

I got so pampered by them...

now that I'm without them...I became so lazy to go to the pool...

USM-LG...it's your fault that I haven't swim for so long!!!

well...for whatever reason...I can say this was the best year

p/s: its nice to look back once in a while...especially on a raining saturday night...and smile...

but we must not dwell in it for too long...since I find it so troublesome to swim now...I'd moved on to running to stop my BMI from going into "overweight"

Half Marathon in KLSC Marathon 2010

if only a talentime can find us another brilliant story-teller...

"Everyone discusses my art and pretends to understand, as if it were necessary to understand, when it is simply necessary to love." - Claude Monet

it's been such a long time since i last watched a movie...there seems to be something on every weekend...finally this weekend got to watch 2 movies...Despicable Me 3D in cinema...and Talentime on DVD...

i think i'll talk about Despicable Me later...because i want to talk about Talentime first...

they did not show this wonderful movie in Ipoh...despite that it was filmed in Ipoh...@*&!?%@$#!@%$...
so i had been looking for this movie in DVD for so so long...don't know what took them so so long...

finally last weekend saw it on shelve...and grabbed it almost immediately...although left RM20 in my wallet...i paid RM19.90 for this...yeap...that's how badly i wanted this DVD...

simply captivating...

in short...it is a simple love story between an Indian boy named Mahesh and a Malay girl named Melur...(synopsis here)

there are a few reasons i wanted to watch this so badly...
1) it was the last movie by our beloved master story teller Yasmin Ahmad...i don't think i have to say more...
2) it was filmed in Ipoh...a beautiful town indeed...
3) it was filmed in Anderson School...seeing that badge on screen brought memories...
4) a romantic story in a very familiar background...i would definitely want to watch this with my loved one...

and this movie did not disappoint me indeed...
warm and touching story...
fun jokes...
brilliant cast...
beautiful scenes...
beautiful songs...
little twists here and there...everything that happened in the story was for a reason...a message...

talking about the cast...
1) Jaclyn Victor (who played Mahesh's sister) was wonderful...didn't know she could act so well...so loveable on screen
2) Mohd Syafie Naswip (who played Hafiz...Mahesh's friend) is one actor that i think is much better than those "handsome" actors i see on TV or movie...
3) and i guess i don't have to talk much on the seasoned performers like Harith, Adibah and Azean...

when i read the review before...they said this movie will make you forget the actors' races 10 minutes into the movie...but that's not what i think...

on the contrary...i felt she was constantly reminding me of the races...the different culture...making fun the way we commoners do...

and how these differences eventually make no difference at all when it comes to LOVE...

however...there is one thing i find rather awkward...but that's ok...the rest of the movie more than made up for that...

there is one problem with this impulsive purchase...i did not note it has no subtitle until i got home...

no big deal i thought...not that i don't understand Malay and English and Cantonese...then i reaslied the problem when Mahesh's uncle (Ganesh) started talking to Mahesh's mother...in Tamil

but that's ok...you can still understand the story eventually...i guess that's the magic of Yasmin's movie...

in a nutshell...this is a good local production...everything builds up quite well as the story goes ...and...as stated in the movie synopsis on the back cover of the DVD...

"On Talentime night, everything unfolds."



p/s: the quote above was said to be Yasmin Ahmad's favourite...it truly saddens me that we can't enjoy any more of her talent...

just to keep my dying brain alive...

"Passion can be expressed as a feeling of unusual excitement, enthusiasm or compelling emotion towards a subject, idea, person, or object. A person is said to have a passion for something when he has a strong positive affinity for it. A love for something and a passion for something are often used synonymously - Wikipedia"

been sometime since i last posted anything...i guess i got too lazy...again...

instead of writing lengthy entries...which do take some time and effort...i'll just write whatever comes to mind...

more frequent but smaller portion is easier to digest than a large portion at a time...

last weekend...i flipped thru the classified section of the weekend paper...spotted a few jobs which i'm "qualified" to take up...

as i read thru the job descriptions....i was thinking...

"hell this job is so damn difficult...seems like one hell of trouble awaits...the responsibility will kill me...i don't think i can cope with that...bla bla bla...bla bla bla"

Scheisse!!!

what happened to me???

i'm losing my passion for challenges...job satisfaction...

and then i told myself...

wake up buddy!!!

the public sector is extinguishing your fire......

Ip's the Man...2

watched Ip Man 2 today...having watched the first Ip Man...it's not really a movie i wanted to watch so much...but don't have a choice...do I?

due to the weekend + holiday...and the double "Man" release...the cinema here became super packed...nothing better to do mar

i went to buy tickets on saturday morning (10.30am)...and all the shows listed on the screen was already full up till midnight...except Losers (duh)...and Kickass (double duh)...and Hooperz (triple duh)

both the Mans only left front seats...3rd row from the screen...

so if i were to choose either Man to watch from 3rd row...knowing the typical holikayu's flying-all-over-the-screen action movie...i put my bet on Ip Man 2

i watched the first Ip Man on DVD at home...and i didn't really enjoy that movie much...and i don't think it deserved to win the HK Movie of the Year...after watching today's show...i think the small screen and the tiny TV speakers killed the good movie for me...

Ip Man 2 in cinema was entertaining...with the large screens...and the much much better sound system...even though watching from 3rd row...it wasn't that difficult...though i had some pain in the neck after the movie...literally

not much to expect from the story...very predictable...very wong-fei-hung (if you know what i mean) kind of movie...

but then it was once upon a time since wong sifu's captivating martial art movies...so it's nice to have Ip Man taking over that niche...with his much faster and more furious punches...violently furious...yeah we like to see blood all over the face, don't we?

i guess i don't have to comment much on the Man...Donnie Yen...

when he's not fighting...his gentlemanly manner...forever calmed and composed...simply mesmerising...

when he fights...well in a few scenes my heart rate is directly proportional to the rate of his punches...damn he's good

and a strong performance from Sammo Hung indeed...

for the last few movies...he portrayed the big gangsta boss with nicely ironed suits...who hardly fights that hard...or hardly have to fight at all...

in this one?...well i see a Sammo Hung that I've not seen on screen for a long long time...

another reason for me to watch this movie...Huang Xiaoming! (黃曉明)...oh he's so handsome...

my message...

see this in the cinema...you're more likely to be entertained

see this on DVD...you're definitely likely to kill a good Chinese martial art movie

next up...Ironman 2...see which is the better Man

a good Malaysian movie indeed...

been waiting for this movie for some time...finally watched it today

we were seated on the second row...hesitated at the ticket counter...but it got early bird discount...and we really want to watch this...today!

from the official website

front seats are always intimidating...very tiring to watch...the screen appeared so vast you don't know where to focus your attention...but not this one...

i totally forgot i was in the second row after 5 minutes into the movie...
in fact the perspective was so pleasing...this is the first movie i actually enjoyed watching so close to the screen...

there are a few reasons i wanted to watch this movie so much...

1) it tells a heart-warming puppy love story featuring a lot of beautiful local scenes...

2) it features a lot of local singers
you want to see Gary and Victor and Fish and Yi Jie Qi on screen...don't you?

2) it's leading actress is Lee Sin Jie!!!
i can assure you the movie could have failed without her...oh how i love to see her on screen...

3) it's directed by Ah Niu...the famous songwriter-singer
one may ask...what's so special about a movie directed by a songwriter-singer?...
most likely he's just trying his luck in directing...
most likely it's not even a sincere try...
most likely it will not turn out good because he's a music-man...not a movie-man...
it is for this very reason i've been anticipating this movie...

if you're familiar with Ah Niu's song...you'll realise his songs are very easy but sincere...straight to the point...very descriptive at times...
it's like he's trying to bring the listener into this visionary world with his songs...
and now he's trying to do it with a movie...and i expected it to be good...

and i think it turned out to be quite good...real good
well i guess we can say the cast are quite famous international artist...but they are no actor/actress...most of them are singers...
only Lee Sin Jie...oh how i love to see her on screen...there were a few scenes where she really made my heart skipped a few beats...seriously...

it doesn't has expensive reconstructed backdrop...only real untouched buildings and real streets...and they were presented in a very beautiful way...
it doesn't has very beautiful actor/actress (ok...Lee Sin Jie is beautiful in her own way) with very beautiful wardrobe and heavy make-ups...in fact most of the time they were wearing t-shirts and slippers...

if (a very big IF) i were to make a movie...this is what i always have in mind...a simple story told in a very simple but beautiful way...
at the same time, with my own creative way, showcasing the beautiful and forgotten places in the country...bringing them to screens for people to know and appreciate...

if you love a simple heart-warming love story...you should check this out...in the CINEMA!!!
please support local production so that we can have more of these beautiful movies on screen...thx

p/s: u may want to bring some tissues or handkerchief with you...

2 chinese movies back to back...which is the better one?

the answer will come later...

on Sunday...watched Being Human...a Singaporean movie by Jack Neo...

first a little bit about the director...
if you don't know him yet (despite his famous scandal)...he's famous for making funny, down to earth (the local earth) movies...with plots and jokes we, the average working class, even us living across the strait, can identify with...and often with a few touching scenes...also we can easily identify with...
my better half is a fan of his movies...so I'd watched almost all his movies since Money No Enough...
and my favourite of it all is Follow The Law...for it's pleasant story...and great acting by the actor/actress...especially Fann Wong...my idol on screen...ahhh (wiping my salivas)

back to this movie...despite the touching and inspiring story...i always find his movies...somewhat incomplete...not perfect...
the same goes with this one...it has a simple story we can connect with...a few touching scenes (thumbs up to the actor!...and the irresisstable Yeo!)...very good cast...especially the funny guy NoNo...
but i just don't like the way the story was told...the flow...maybe it's just me...


and then on Monday...we went to watch Beauty On Duty...

again...a little bit about the director...Wong Jing
if you don't know him yet...he's famous for making Hong Kong comedies...if you look at his filmography...you'll find most of the great HK comedies we, followers of HK movies, love so much in the 90's...

this movie reminds me of the chaotic Love Undercover (新紮師妹) starring Miriam Yeung...even their cast are almost similar (just almost)...and i can say both are almost equally as entertaining...
that's right...when it comes to Wong's movie...the keyword is not "good"...but "entertaining"...
and that's what this movie is...i almost forgot the last movie that made me laugh so much in the cinema...definitely not the disappointing Just Another Pandora Box...i did not laugh one bit...can i ask for a refund?

i think a comedy can hardly goes wrong with Sandra Ng (of course i did not watch All's Well, Ends Well 2010...which my sis said wasn't so good) and Jim Chim...another genius comedian...

and as Ah Sa's (Charlene Choi) acting is improving with every movie she made (you can forget Storm Rider 2 for a moment...which wasn't really her fault but the stupid script)...she's also slowly turning into a pretty young lady on screen...very pleasing to watch...very

In a nutshell...
Jack's was quite predictable...has both funny and touching moments...but i was quite annoyed by the flow...

Wong's was super predictable...yet i find it much funnier and more entertaining...

So which is the better one?
who am i to give such verdict...see for yourself lar...hahaha

both are very contrasting movies...if you want to watch either one of the two...it shouldn't be very difficult decision to make...

p/s: looks like they are not showing "Echoes of The Rainbow" in Ipoh...*!&*@&*#$%^&*+&W^$&

So did the titans clashed?

"In Greek religion, the Titan were a race of powerful deities, descendants of Gaia and Uranus, that ruled during the legendary Golden Age. Their role as Elder Gods was overthrown by a race of younger gods, the Olympians (Zeus, Poseidon, Hades, etc.), in the 'Battle with the Titans' (Titanomachy)...from Wikipedia"

I'm always fascinated by stories from the Greek mythologies...simply because of the coolness of their names...they just sound so...cool...
and how elaborate their stories can be...

and recently i seem to be reading and watching and playing a lot of them...
when you start searching one name...more will prop up and you can't help but just click and click and click...

it started with Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief...though it's based very loosely and childishly on the mythologies...the movie did gave a good introduction to those who are not familiar with these stories of ancient gods...

and then i spent a weekend playing God of War on my cousin's psp...again there were names everywhere...names and stories that excite me...haha

and now...lastly...i watched Clash of The Titans last Sunday (sypnosis here)...

this is actually a famous depiction of Perseus

it's more like Clash of The Olympians and Man...and nope...the titans did not clash in the movie...in fact they have no screen time at all...

i find this movie quite entertaining...with a few fast paced breath taking action sequences, and adventure...mission, solve riddle, acquire item, fight boss...boys just like adventures, don't we?

the story based loosely on Greek mythology is interesting too...but a little bit too predictable...after all it's an action movie...can't expect too much i guess...

if you'd watched Percy Jackson...and enjoyed its story and adventure...but thought it was too childish and innocent, and you'd like it to be more bloody and violent and sexy (oh smooth and fair skin)...you may want to check out this movie...

How do you know if an action movie is good?
to me...it has to be able to make me "wow" in the cinema...
i have to admit it managed to get a few "wow" out of me...perhaps one or two scenes...

but at the end of the movie...only 2 "things" remained in my mind...Io and Andromeda (oh smooth and fair skin)...
and this movie reassured me...again...that...i don't really like Sam Worthington...