Somewhere Over The Rainbow

I was very lucky to be able to take this photo last Friday, while having drinks with colleagues at Starbucks, KLCC.

It happened to be the last day for my team member fondly known as Abang Huat (Trex) and we decided to chill out for drinks there.

My colleague JY who loves taking photos of skies and is a very experienced photographer, gave me some tips to take the faint rainbow against the blue sky of the evening.

Looking at the sky, my mind and heart are only filled by happy thoughts; which reminds me of a post I did previously about my favourite song sung by Israel Kamakawiwo Ole.

I remember the Bible story of Noah, where God said that the rainbow he set in the sky will be a covenant between God and every living being on earth (Genesis 9:11-17).

So, when you see a rainbow, don't you feel happy that God is recalling that covenant between Himself and us?

Do You Want To Know A Secret?

It was a very tiring Sunday last week as I spent the entire day out of the house. =.=

However, it was a great day for me to exercise my hobby. After doing all the grocery shopping required, while having a short break, I turned to my friend and said, "We should try looking for that secret garden".

She asked, "What secret garden? I thought the Rainforest was the only garden here?"

One of my friends told me about this new garden and I was curious about it. It was by luck that we saw the signboard by the lifts while moving the grocery around that I finally knew how to get there.

We took the lift up to the highest level of the shopping mall. Once the lift opened, we were greeted by the lush greenery...

We dropped by the garden just 30 minutes before closing time. We were concerned that the place would be warm but with all the de-misters spraying mist, it made the air cool. Besides, we chose the right time to visit when the sun was about to set.

I was excited and quickly setup my camera to take some shots of the plants around. The air was cool and surroundings quiet. You were just transported to a different location... in a shopping mall.

We expected the garden to be small but it turns out that there are many small sections around the garden. Each section showcases specific type of plants which made the walk a gem for photographers.

No garden is complete without tropical plants and there were plenty of orchids planted. I can't name the orchids as I could not see the names of the plants.

I was surprised to find roses blooming in the garden especially during our recent hot weather. There were roses of many different colours and I had wished I have a nice macro lens to showcase those soft petals.

The layout of the garden is neat and planned very well. There was a small waterfall and some small ponds where some water plants were placed too. I couldn't find any fish but since the garden is placed on the rooftop of the mall, it would not be conducive to place fish here as the garden can get quite hot during the mid day.

I couldn't photograph all the flowers there and would like to return to the garden in the morning to take more photos.

The Secret Garden at the UR (Upper Roof) of the 1Utama Shopping Mall is opened during the weekends from 10am to 6pm. The garden is limited to 100 persons per hour and so, you will need to get tickets from the Information Counter before you head up to the garden. ;-)

After all that walking, we got thirsty and hungry and decided to adjourn to another "secret" Garden at the lower ground level of the shopping mall.

We both ordered drinks with some lemon in it and it was refreshing after a walk around the roof top garden.

One of the more basic salads - Caesar Salad with sprinkles of bacon and toasted croutons. The sauce was light and not too cheesy.

As for the mains...

We ordered one of the specials of the day which was fried dory fish in ginger butter sauce. The portion was just nice as we were not too hungry.

I ordered the Seafood Marinara Spaghetti. Don't let the picture fool you. The portion is much larger than expected as the pasta settled at the bottom of the bowl.

What a way to spend Sunday afternoon... (^^)

Tilting and Shifting

I've yet to blog about my visit to the Petronas Twin Towers Sky Bridge a few weeks back but I do have some photos I took from the bridge and have done some "effects" on it.

One of my last attempt was done using Gimp but this time, equipped with Photoshop, I was able to use the Lens Blur effect on the photos I had. The effect is just amazing!!

This other attempt was just awful. Not that Gimp is bad but probably I'm not good at using it. (^^)

After checking some of the "miniatures" at this Flickr group, I'm trying to see if I have any other photos which I can manipulate as well. Kekeke..

This shot was taken where the KL Convention Centre was. The park below is very pleasant and I did run the track a few times before the monsoon season hit. The image now looks like those miniature models which housing developers display at the housing development site, no?

The dreaded intersection of Jalan Ampang, Jalan Yap Kwan Seng, and Lorong P.Ramlee... Yes, even during lunch time, the traffic along Jalan Ampang can be horrendous. Hehehe.. I like this picture alot as the cars look like those Micro Machines toys from my childhood.

As for tutorials.. I think you can google for it and there's a whole bunch of great tutorials to try out. ;-)

Comfort

First of all, I would like to thank my many friends for sticking by me, keeping me in their thoughts and prayers throughout the ordeal I was facing at work.

Truly, your support and encouragement brought a lot of comfort and blessings to my troubled heart.

During the run-up towards Easter, my colleague and I undergone a most harrowing time with our employer who not only was unhappy but very hostile towards us as we had both resigned at the same time. We had no choice, facing a 40% pay cut (we were forced to work 3 days a week), we had to go out and look for other jobs which were able to at least to provide not only work but to compensate us appropriately.

Anyway, our employer was very very unhappy and took things personally. He threatened and bullied us, using harsh language on us. We just kept quiet. We didn't want to argue with him as he's the kind of person who will not listen to anyone. So, rather than wrestle with a pig, we kept our cool.

So, my friends and colleagues hearing about what happened were curious naturally but also offered support and comfort during this time.

I met up with some good friends who had lunch and dinner with me during those 2 days last week to comfort and cheer me up. It was great. I left for home after that gathering feeling happier and comforted knowing that they were supporting me. God really does send His angels down.

I treasured the hours spent with these friends, especially meeting up with a friend who took the trouble to meet us despite her tight schedule during her trip home to KL from Melbourne. She had supper with us at Delicious and we had a roaring good time.

A departure from the norm, KS decided to go a bit unhealthy and ordered FRIED food with yummy cream accompanying it. She being a doctor would know what fried food can do to the brain - releasing calming endorphins to make us feel good?

The next day, I met up with some friends from work - SC and AS who wanted to know what was happening and etc. One has left the company while the other has been working away from the office and so, were curious about our situation. I wasn't in the mood to talk much actually but let out pieces of information. We ended up having delicious Korean/Japanese food for lunch.

We had a great time just talking nonsense and some serious stuff too. It was a great Saturday afternoon to spend with friends.

Anyway, thanks to the following folks - my team members (you know who you are - Linda, JY, AW, Boo, Alvin, Kenneth, Huat Heng, MY)... CY, Sharon, Chris, SH, HS, Shoba, AS, Phoebe, Patrick... To Shannon, Peggy, Joanne, Ah Guan for your contacts and support when I needed it... To the back office, you guys were great... I may have forgotten who to thank but the message is the same: THANKS FOR YOUR PRAYERS, ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT!

Waiting...

It seems as though that I've been waiting for a lot of things this week.

Waiting for the week to end.

Waiting for the dogs to finish pooping so that I can pick up after them.

Waiting for the dogs to finish eating so that I can pick up after them.

Waiting for my Dad to call us to pick him up from the train station.

Waiting for people to come home so that we can have dinner.

Waiting for dinner time.

Waiting for my camera's battery to charge.

Waiting for the right moment to capture the picture.

Waiting for a new beginning...

In that picture, Rusty is just waiting for the neighbourhood dogs to walk his way so that he can bark and growl at them.

Right now, he's practicing patience.

So am I.

Diarrhoea

A very short post.

I've been recovering from diarrhoea/stomach flu ever since Easter Sunday.

Not quite sure what I ate or drank... Perhaps it was the drinking water as it started to rain heavily over the weekend.

Thank goodness for charcoal pills and salt/sugar mix. It helps a lot!

Anyway, do take hot soupy stuff when you're out... (^_^)

~Psssttt... One thing good about diarrhoea - you get to lose weight!!! But it isn't that pleasant....~

From Darkness Into New Light...

Today is Easter, the day when Jesus Christ rose from the dead, conquering death.

It has been some time since I've gone for Easter vigil but since my parents were on duty, I decided to follow them. Besides, it was meaningful to attend the 1st Easter vigil mass at my church, which was recently made into a parish called St. Thomas More (previously known as CKK) in Subang Jaya.

The mass started with the entire church in darkness. When the priest has blessed the "new fire", the flame is distributed amongst the congregation. As the mass progressed, we are steadily brought out of darkness into the light. The scripture readings, prayers and songs were chosen to reflect this.

When the light was turned on, the glory of God was revealed in all its splendour.

Man reconciled with God.

It was a beautiful mass.

There were also some people being baptised and confirmed last night. For these folks, their journey in faith with Christ has just begun. Like what Father O.C. Lim mentioned, our journey does not end until the last nail is being hammered on our coffin.

Alien Eggs Within the Dozen?

When I was overseas, there were plenty of chocolate eggs and hot-cross buns sold for the Easter holidays. During that time, my friends and I would wait for Easter to be over to grab some cheap chocolates. One of the little luxuries we enjoyed was chocolate eggs. My sister wanted some caramel-filled eggs and so, I got it for her.

Bottles....

Since Easter is the start of new life, I am particularly quite excited this year too - for my family will be welcoming new life too. Actually, two new lives. My sister is expecting the twins to arrive in September. (^__^)

Easter is a time for renewal, reconciliation with God - a time to rejoice that our Lord Jesus Christ overcame death to save us all from sin.

This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice in it and be glad. (Psalm 118:24)

Wishing everyone a Happy and Blessed Holy Easter...

Easter is Almost Here...

It has been a long week and Easter is almost here.

It has been a very stressful week for me, a real test of faith - a test of fire. I just hope and pray that all will go well in the end.

Despite all that has happened, I am very thankful and grateful for all the support that I've received during this very trying period. These friends and family members stood by me, helped and encouraged me to do what I needed to do.

I believe it was God's plan for me to meet these people. Although there were times I felt alone and "abandoned" like Jesus did on the cross, He did send someone to help me stand up when I fell. For these friends, I call you my guardian angels. For this, I really thank God for this blessing and gift!

People say things happen for a reason and I don't doubt that everything that is happening now, is just part of God's grand plan. The only thing which irritates me a little is that sometimes, don't you wish that you can find out what God has in store for you? ;-)

I know God will do things in His time.

As Easter approaches, I hope that we will all rise in Christ and be renewed in our faith!!

Father, into your hands I commend my spirit. (Luke 23:46)

International Pillow Fight Day 2009

My weekends are for family, relaxation and photography.

It was just my luck that my friend and I stumbled upon a flash mob at Cineleisure, Mutiara Damansara. I had been there for a lunch and movie session (I watched Know1ng), hanging out at the magazine shop; when my friend heard a commotion outside.

We had noticed an area at the basement of the mall had been cordoned off and there was an event to be held - International Pillow Fight Day, sponsored by Corntoz.

Me: See, lucky I brought my camera, right?
EV: Yala! Yala! Yala!! (Translated: Yes, you found a use for your camera)

The grand master officiating the fight - spelling out the rules.

I'm not particularly good at photographing events but decided to give it a try. With my teeny in-built flash, I proceeded to take a few interesting shots...

Group A... I presume

... vs Group B

FIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHTTTTTT!!!

The "event" was participated by mainly students and curious on-lookers quickly took out their digital cameras, and mobile phones to capture the action.

Some folks actually brought their "bantal busuk" (old "security blanket" pillows) while others actually SPENT money buying a new pillow - apparently some bought from the nearby Living Cabin store. (@.@)

The carnage - in all wars, there will be destruction

All in good fun... It was a great way to de-stress. However, for me, de-stress means paintball. LOL!! Anyway, more pictures at my flickr.

Actually, the real purpose of spending the day at Cineleisure was also to have THIS.....

MUAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!

It's Already April!

Yes, it's already April and I haven't posted anything much...yet.

Well, I've been quite frustrated with my image editing process and after getting some comments from the good folks at PhotoMalaysia, I've realized that I can no longer work on my photos on a laptop which does not have a proper colour profile installed. Grrr...

So, I'll be working on my photos on a "better" (read older) laptop which has a better graphics card, and has the proper colour profiles after installing some good photo editing software.

Snoopy taking a nap - 1/8sec, F/2.8, 50mm, ISO 200, Manual Mode

I've managed to capture some good photos over the weekend but lately, due to the lovely weather yesterday and today, I've been doing what Snoopy loves best - to sleep.

Lots of stuff has happened over the last couple of weeks and it will take me a while to gather my thoughts and photos to put it all up.

The one thing I'm happy about this week - Manchester United is slowly getting back into form. Lots of work ahead though, I'm afraid but that's the whole fun about football.