Mayki's Photography Blog click

Feathers!

2010-09-27T03:41:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, we headed to Penang Bird Park for a visit with our feathery friends. It was my first time there and it was great fun!

Oh helloooo there!

What r u lookin' at?

Hey, wait up!

Oh, come on! Look at me already! I've been like this for 15 minutes.

Who, who?

Bobby. A Real Fighter!

2010-01-03T06:22:00.000-08:00

"A dog has no use for fancy cars or big homes or designer clothes. Status symbol means nothing to him. A waterlogged stick will do just fine. A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not. As I wrote that farewell column to Marley, I realized it was all right there in front of us, if only we opened our eyes. Sometimes it took a dog with bad breath, worse manners, and pure intentions to help us see."
- John Grogan

I shall see you again some day, my dear friend. Until then, I'll be missing you so very much. You were the greatest dog anyone could have asked for!

Leura

2010-01-01T06:51:00.000-08:00

Before coming back to Penang, Sue and Trevor decided to fetch May and I up to Leura for the annual flea market. It's a great place with little bright & colourful stalls all lined up in the middle of the street and they offer great bargains and unique items for sale. It only happens once a year during spring :)

They are everywhere! Wild and free!

Darn it! If only the wings weren't clipped of!

Freezing my arse up on Harbour Bridge!

2010-01-01T05:53:00.000-08:00

My friend, Lisa Jacques, decided to bring me for a walk across Harbour Bridge one fine winter evening. So after wrapping ourselves up, we started the freezing walk. My teeth were chattering away and every step was just numbingly cold. Plus, the wind was making a mess out of my hair! With trembling fingers, I steadied my camera and started shooting just as the sun sets. It was all worth it! Although I did wish that I had a tripod >.<"

Oh..we made a stop at Pancakes on the Rocks..hehe. They definitely serve the best pancakes in the world!

Chocolate by the bald man.

2009-12-31T06:01:00.000-08:00

At Max Brenner's...

Fondue comes with dark chocolate and milk chocolate dips!

New Toyota RAV4 ad filming in progress

2009-12-31T05:50:00.000-08:00

Ever wondered how some advertisements/mtv videos are done while there are people in the car with the scenery moving? I saw it first hand!

I've had FANTASTIC weather in Sydney. Seriously :)

2009-10-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

Nikon D80: RM2400
Warm jacket for winter: RM120
Flight ticket to Sydney: RM2500
Capturing duststorm & hailstorm images in within 3 weeks: Priceless

Armageddon!

2009-09-23T02:00:00.000-07:00

Or that was what the radio DJs said this morning. Australia's worst dust storm in 70 years had sneaked up on us in the middle of the night and it blanketed the the entire area in an orange hue. As Gloria said to me, "You don't need to go visit the Outback. The Outback has come and visit you!".

This was the view I saw coming out from Jen's house (on the way to work)
Click for a larger view.

Panoramic Series

2009-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Sydney Olympic Stadium:
Water sprinklers watering the field after a game.

Sydney Olympic Pool

Mount Tomah Botanic Garden

Evan's Lookout

The Three Sisters

Sydney Olympic Stadium (Sprinklers & Players)

Blacktown Bus Station @ 6.30pm

Imagine how is it like at 10.30pm..

P/S: Click on image for a larger view.

Guess What I Bought This Spring?

2009-09-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

I got new sunnies! Hehehe..her name is Liv.

Take-Away and Blown away!

2009-09-10T02:25:00.000-07:00

Take-aways here are....HUGE!

Step 1: Put the take-out on the table.

Step 2: Open the lid.

Step 3: Pour it out on a dinner plate and gawk at the size of it.

Or get to the nearest Mackers and get yourself a Grand Angus!

Remember this building? If you've never seen it before in your entire miserable life, go watch Superman Returns, you morons.

Talk about heavy-duty security.

Go go St. George!

Komtar!

Who'd wanna steal ppl's mails?

It's a very distorted mirror. Check out my shape, man!

Nothing fancy on this photo. Just showing the interior. I mean, exterior. Wait..definitely an interior. Used to be an exterior though...until they've decided to preserve it.

Gotta luv'em...I meant the F1.8's.

Warning: Too much socks can cause...discolouring.

Having Fun in the Sun

2009-09-08T06:02:00.001-07:00

I went to this restaurant called Sinma, which stands for Singapore + Malaysia, and had my first teh tarik! (that is, in Sydney, of course)

And a fancy plate of Hainan Chicken rice!

The next day, I went to Kyeemagh (pronouced "ka-ee-mah"). The was a beautiful sunset but I was freezing just trying to catch the next plane that takes off.

She's full of steam...

I decided to play a little trick on this pic with the lighting, and so I got a darker sunset which emphasizes on the outline of the tree and a little of the lake.

Just a little pic to remind me where I ended up when I got onto the wrong train >.<

CBD!

2009-09-07T03:38:00.000-07:00

I went shopping...window shopping.

I'm not too sure what they were doing, but I think they were cleaning the windows. Or repairing one. But blocking up 2 whole lanes?

Too much money...not spending it wisely!

Anzac soldiers.

Nope, it's NOT an adult shop. It's a liquor shop. Get it? Liq-our...lick-her?

So what if he represents a famous pharoah or a firaun? He's still getting bird poop all over his head!

Fancy a game of chess? And a bit of weightlifting too!

Frozen in time at Hyde Park.

Onwards to the other side of Sydney..

2009-09-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

That's an aboriginese if you guys haven't seen one before. Reminds me of some fat uncle at the little Waterfall Temple, "blessing" cars every weekend I stop at the traffic lights..doesn't he?

Luna Park @ Milsons Point

Harbour Bridge. Doesn't this scene look familiar, Ming? Hehe..

Water taxi...woohoo!!

Chick magnet. I'm talking about the car.

A solar powered heated pool. Talk about being in a 1st world country.

2 doggies waiting for their owner to finish his/her swim. Obviously, one of them ain't good at waiting.

Confession: I destroyed this work of art before I remembered to snap this pic :P

Imagine owning a house with a view like that a few lanes down.

Talk about a$$-cracks...

Whatever you think he's doing, I think so too.

Dog running to his owner after a dip in a pool of cold water. So darn cute!

More Pics of my Weekend Adventures...

2009-09-01T03:52:00.000-07:00

While on my way to the Blue Mountains, I passed by the RAAF base. Quickly whipping out my camera, these are a few of the fleeting images that I got.

I always have a soft spot for Jack Russells :P

Yummy scones...

The scene on top of Mount Tomah Botanic Garden. Enjoy your tea here at this scenic spot. Ahhh...life!

Yes, you can have a picnic in there.

...and I went to the Grand Canyon too!

In the old days, where cars were not in existance yet, horses drank from here.

Toilet break anyone? We can all share :)

Evan's Lookout...

...and the Three Sisters! Finally!

Oh! Must take a pic with it!

Gee...how I wish I was a royalty. Maybe then I might be able to look out somewhere and say that spot is mine. "Hey! U there! U're standing on my spot!"

A Stopover @ Mount Tomah Botanic Garden

2009-08-31T05:54:00.000-07:00

On the way to Blue Mountains, my Aunt n Uncle decided to have a little stopover at Mount Tomah Botanic Garden. Everything about this place is aboriginal. Of course, being in a First World Country, you get educated everywhere you go. Names of flowers and plants are everywhere, together with every single information that can be cramped into a piece of board. But overall, I'm really glad we came to this place. The scenery was just breathtaking! Here's Part 1...

According to this clock, I took this picture at 12.50pm (which is about right).

A piece of brain lying around on the ground.

Yes Mom, I did take a picture of myself at the Garden. This is the best angle I can get being behind the camera >.<

Would have loved to shoot that pic without all the trees at the back. But the birds here are extra clever. The second I snapped this pic, this guy heard me n flew away. Hmm...must be the pasta instead of nasi lemak...

One of the places used in the Goblet of Fire tournament...not!

Headlines

2009-08-23T05:16:00.000-07:00

Pardon me, but I really do think that our country's tv presenters might need to look at re-vamping their image. I'm not saying that they're bad at their job, in fact, they're pretty good. But coming from my kinda world, I have no reason at all to sit in from of the box and watch the news by the same people wit the same make-up n hairstyle, with the prim-n-proper-look-it-makes-me-gag.

Below is one reason me for to actually watch the news and think that, "she's cool!"

After a week of work, it was the weekend!

2009-08-19T04:52:00.000-07:00

1st stop: SYDNEY OLYMPIC STADIUM

I went with my Uncle and Aunt to watch my cousin play hockey. Simone's team is the Sutherlands and they were playing against the Sharks on that day. They won 2-0..yay! That's my cousin the pic :)

After a while, we went snooping around the place. This is the indoor stadium. Doesn't it remind you of some musical + basketball...?

That crow is as big as a chicken!

Thorpedo!

The competition pool...

...and the kiddie pool. Puts our local swimming pool at some International Sports Arena to shame, doesn't it? Both pools are seperated by a carpeted walkway with a small cafe on it.

Next stop: CRONULLA

That is a..err..wave pool. Yeah, tat's it. A wave pool. When the tide comes in and the waves get higher, the water gets trapped in this man-made area. Anybody can go swimming in it afterwards.

Shark Island.

Zoom out from Shark Island.

...and never came back.

This...is the $129 piece of plastic and a bit of metal.

Going Down Under.

2009-08-16T00:03:00.000-07:00

I've just landed myself into a new job a month ago and the nice people at my company has just whisked me off to work in Sydney for the next 3 months. So after much shopping for winter clothing and getting prepared for the months ahead, it's time for me to leave the hot & humid Penang and say hello to winter in Sydney. Here's my journey...

The morning I was checking in, the whole Malaysian Airlines' computer system broke down. Talk about being jinxed. So my boarding pass was handwritten on this piece of, probably, 20-year old ticket. Check out the yellowish tinge on it.

Sunrise!

Say helloooooo to Jaxie. She's the dog of the colleague I'm currently staying with. A Maltese mix.

My first weekend in Sydney was in Hunter's Valley. They're famous for their own brand of wine.

Restaurant.

The 6-bedroom hut we were staying in.

Someone went berserk with the toilet paper.

Room I was in. Was supposed to share it with my Manager, but she couln't make it. So I had the place all to myself :)

My boss (middle) and Director (right).

Amount of beer consumed by just the few people standing around the campfire.

Yes, They're ALL Gonna Die...

2009-06-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was invited to join a group of photographers from Dell for a photoshoot at SPCA, Penang. The purpose for the shoot was to incorporate the pictures into SPCA's new calendar. But as for me...I went there with a different reason.

These four-legged friends of ours will not last long. Each of them do not have a single clue of what is going to happen to them following the weeks of their stay at the shelter. If no one cares enough to adopt them, they will be PUT DOWN. I know there are some of us who does not really give a shit about them, but seriously people, if you have been there that morning, taking photos of one after another of them, your heart will just unconsciously go out to some of them, thinking, "If I come for another visit next year, will they still be alive?"

So if you have a spare space to share, head on over to SPCA and bring your most loyal friend home. I wish I could, but I have already saved 3. Have you?

Question: What am I? A fox or a dog?

My little favourite! His name is Wrinkles ^_^

Horseys!

2009-06-09T20:10:00.000-07:00

The Penang Turf Club recently had a Horse Show. So before I got rusty on my photography, I grabbed my ol' faithful and head on over there to get a few mugshots of horses. All of them were taken in their stalls as I was too impatient to wait until 2pm for the Horse Jump Show.

This little pygmy was the highlight of my day. It was soooo cute! Not an inch taller than a Rottweiler, this guy continues munching on his lunch without a care in the world.

Horse: Hmm...I wan the carrot, but...should I just nip thie little bugger's hand too?

Here lies...Penang's first few tourists.

2009-01-11T21:38:00.000-08:00

Allow me to take you down memory lane of yesterday. I tell ya..choosing and uploading these pics in the middle of the night when I was alone in my room was not a nice feeling...

(Rest in) Peace, yo!

The youngest of all

Seeing that we are living in Penang, it's perfectly normal that thievery and vandalism happens even in graveyards. There would have been an angel standing right on top of this stone. But at least this one still has a small part of the body left. Other graves were not so lucky.

Unlike this one, a lot of other graves are unmarked because of thieves who dug + stole the marble slabs out, leaving just an empty square shape. Pity...I certainly hope that they will meet the owner of those marble slabs, which they stole and sold *evil grin*

After walking in between numerous graves and cripts, I finally found our Founder...phew! Ok, time to get out of this place!

Chew Jetty

2009-01-11T19:53:00.000-08:00

Penang is quite famous for its numerous jetty clans. Photographers have swarmed over to this side of the island and taken beautiful pictures. Some pictures were even published in promotional materials to promote tourism in Penang. But have you ever really seen these jetties for what they really are?

There u go, folks! The glory of Penang Jetty Clans! It's just too bad that smell cannot be recorded and passed through websites.

Ever wondered where our cockles (ham in hokkien), came from? Mystery solved!

As always, we must have our customary group photos..haha!

Hold the Fort!

2009-01-08T18:28:00.000-08:00

Being a Penangite, I've only been to Fort Cornwallis twice in my life. Disgraceful, isn't it? :P So since Yu Ming sugguested to May Ling and I for a photography outing and also the fact that he has never been there before, we decided to drop in and see what's new (or old) about the famous fort.

Did anybody realise that the handles are made up of 2 fish sucking on something? And this was used to defend Prince of Wales Island?

The ancestor of all Brylcreem products!

Just when we were about to leave, something bright and orange caught my eye. Followed by...

Ming: IT'S A BLARDY SCAM!

May Ling: They will just exchange those coins at the Money Changers in Beach Street and keep the money for themselves!

Mayki: Ha! Must take picture! *snap*

Woohoo...Malaysia sememangnya boleh! I'm sooooo proud to be a Malaysian! *cough cough*...not...*cough*

Bored at the office...

2008-12-28T23:34:00.000-08:00

It's a public holiday and everybody's off to somewhere else, enjoying themselves, shopping, bonding with their families, etc...except me.

Since I'm stuck in this hellhole with nothing to do and every 1 minute feels like an hour, what do I do? Take the Canon Powershot S2 IS and pass some time. Might as well post up a new entry for my blog too since it's been quite some time.

My watch.

Elaine got hitched!

2008-12-04T21:29:00.001-08:00

Our friend from work got hitched last week! This is a special blog dedicated to her. Photos were not taken by me. I repeat, photos were NOT taken by me. They were from a little Lumix digital camera and Sony Ericsson's handphone.

But at the end of the day, what I really want to say is, "CONGRATULATIONS, ELAINE!!" It was a fun & memorable night with lotsa photos and videos taken :D Here's to the newly wed!

(Left to right): Me, Elaine, Lai Cheng

Elaine and the Girls in Black

Table 15 with a couple of Table 13 refugees..haha

At the Gardens

2008-12-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Floral Fest 2008 started last week. Therefore, it's Flower Power time!

This picture was taken with Ming's 18-105mm VR. What do you think?

I caught this little "flower" posing for her Daddy :)

It seems to be saying, "Aaahhhhh..."

Newborns.

A field of Lavenders...haha.

Weed.

We didn't realise that May Ling entered one of the flower arrangement competition. Go May Ling! ;D

Sisters? Hmm...

Oh! Oh! Group photo time!

(Left - right): Ming, May Ling, Me & Val

And one more for the parents :P *Ok everybody, decent poses!*

Avast, ya land lubbers!

2008-12-03T22:06:00.000-08:00

We headed off towards Batu Feringghi in search for some silhouette shots. It was my first try on these, so I was really hoping that the exposure came out correctly. On top of that, while in the midst of the outing, I was having diarrhea and had to "borrow" a 6-star hotel's washroom...twice! Half the time, my mind was going, "Hmm..I wonder if there's a loo around here within reach..."

Oh! It was also my first time using the Nikon D80 after Ming purchased it (which reminds me, I still owe him some cash..hehe).

So then, May Ling, Ming and I packed our gears and prepared ourselves to be slapped by the blazing sun and get dirty with Penang's famous stretch of beach. Famous for what, I don't know..

First attemp at footsteps on the beach.

Curtains.

And here comes the customary group photos!

L - R: May Ling, Ming & Me

My Oakleys model & I. Peace! :D

Fly away, butterfly...

2008-12-02T04:48:00.000-08:00

Since Yong Chang was back for the holidays, we decided catch another photo outing and we risked all our cameras under extreme heavy humidity. Where was there? Penang's Butterfly Farm. Hot + humid = Not good for cameras :P

Face to face.

The Risk-Takers (L-R): Me, YC, Val, Ming

No, it's not a piece of s*** that he's standing on. It was a piece of log.

Off to the zoo...in Taiping!

2008-12-01T06:18:00.001-08:00

I've been to Taiping Zoo a few times now, but I haven't been posting any photos of from my animal collection. Here are some shots taken from a trip to Taiping Zoo somewhere in October 2008.

Alamak! It's her again ar? Aiyoh...how many times wanna snap my photo?

Why so hard to chew one?

All ruffled up.

Bare Naked Ladies

Am Bank Ma

This reminds me of a really fat black rapper...Mary J. Blidge, maybe?

Tiger: Huwa...song!

Anybody wanna donate a polarizer? *wink wink* Notice the reflection on the body sikit..hehe.

Gotcha! (Lion thought no one was looking at him doing faces at the tourists)

Ahh~ Muddy goodness!

Penang was awarded the World Heritage title recently...

2008-12-01T03:15:00.000-08:00

...so naturally, my group of friends and I geared ourselves up and headed towards one of the older parts of town, not seeking for fortune, but classic old Penang heritage buildings.

We kick-start our journey right in one of those little lanes. Here's a warm-up shot *warning* some shots may appear to be quite noob.

A rather quick shot of a trishaw passing by.

As we progressed, I found a piece of coiled rope lying on the ground. So what do I do? Snap it, of course!

He needs a break.

Life of a joss-stick: How long can you last?

Nikonians! (Left to right: Steph, Ming, Val, Yong Chang)

Autumn stones

A couple of photographers photographed.

Ming & YC

Steph & Val

Question: How many eyes do I have?

What are you looking ar, lady? Never seen a cat lick his balls before?

Ming: If you want a nice picture, you need to adjust this, change that, then change this and press the button here.
YC: Ohh..aiyoh, so ma huan...

Optical illusion: Is it falling down or hanging up there?

Drums picture taken from the Beijing Olympics 2008...not!

Steph: Eh, up there got something!
Val: Where? Where??

Frozen in time.

Graffiti.

After a whole morning spent snapping on old heritage buildings, still lifes and laughing our hearts out, we decided to change sceneries. As the old saying goes, it's always greener on the other side. I find it true :)

Next mission: Penang Municipal / Youth Park

A fascinating piece of rope, that caught the eye of 5 photographers.

See?

My guess is, this is the logo for Youth Park. I'm not too sure though.

Yellow flower: Oh, hello there!

Being kids again!

Wheeeee~!

A 1-sec shot to make the water "silky"

Taking a break before heading back home.

Till the next entry...ciao!

Mayki's Photography Blog *click*