Persetankan Post#2- Usang

My 2nd post to Persetankan with topic "Usang".
Permalink to this post.

ish! BABI betul!!!

when i was in bali.. babi seems to be quite famous everywhere..
not only for the food, but a salon? definitely makes me think twice to enter.
just sharing this rare scene..something we don't see everyday in malaysia.


wow.. babi sounds very special at this restaurant.


need a haircut anyone?


this shot i managed to shoot from the car on our way to ubud.

pabila bedok berbunyi..

pabila bedok berbunyi.., originally uploaded by marshma11ow.

we were driving around KL and within split seconds i took out my camera and shot this from the car. Eka was driving and me being a co driver i get more chance during the slow traffic. The sky was indeed beautiful that day.. The moment i shot this it was not even azan yet, but the moment i load this pic the azan suddenly aired at my neighborhood. ironic..

Persetankan Post - Usang

Its been a while since i submitted any of my photos
to Persetankan.
Permalink to this post.

heartless soul.

heartless soul., originally uploaded by marshma11ow.

sometimes i wonder if the shadow has soul,
sometimes i wonder if the shadow has feelings,
sometimes i wonder if the shadow could think,
sometimes i wonder if the shadow could speak,
sometimes i wonder if the shadow could see,
what happens if the shadow decided to leave me?

-when emotion speaks..

A "vel" day out!

I woke up as early as 4am for this event. I've always wanted to attend such event thats been awaited not only the Hindus, but as well as the tourists and photojournalists around the world.

It was definitely a new experience to witness the procession of vel kavadi along the route.

I felt nervous, eerie and fascinated with the scene. But with total respect towards culture, i managed to face my fear and be apart of the crowd and took some shots of the festive scenes.

The devotee must have super massive strength to bear such pain.
But once he entered a trance, no pain, no blood and no scars will be left behind.

Besides constant praying, fasting, the devotees also sleeping on floors and
abstaining from any entertainment towards the journey of the their sacred festive season.

Even the child shave their heads to undertake their pilgrimage
with their parents along the route while performing the vel kavadi.
I managed to capture this shot of a baby's head being shaven off while passing by the route.
Kids just don't fancy a haircut!

The lady devotee was very much into her sacred moment while carrying a pot of milk on her head.
Regardless the noise, the massive crowd and flashes of photograper around her,
she was still in her own world of procession that brought her into trance.

click here for larger versions, and here to wiki more on thaipusam.

floral parade putrajaya

putrajaya mosque, originally uploaded by marshma11ow.

I went to a floral parade which was held in putrajaya last saturday. Woke up as early as 6am! It better be good! It was a good weather. The sky is so blue but i know it would be a hot sunny day later in the noon.

Parked the car a bit far from the parade. The morning walk was good.. the sky and the lake look so calm and blue. I took a few shots of putrajaya.. The parade started at about 8am but the people was already flooding the area. We missed a good spot. It was quite frustrating that i don't get a good view of the floral cars..

It gets hotter and hotter and we were tired, frustrated and dehydrated. Decided to leave early before everyone starts leaving. Here are some shots i managed to shoot.

when i was in ubud.

[click thumbnail]

when we were in bali

i was in bali for 4 days. Definitely not sufficient to get to know the whole bali.
Bali is too awesome not to visit. A friend once said to us, "you will visit bali atleast twice in your lifetime". At that time i thought he was over exagerating it. But being there for less than a week, i already planned for my 2nd visit. Bali is full of heritage, culture, arts and history.

We managed to spend 2 nights in kuta and one night in ubud. One of the must go place that
we missed was Tanah Lot which is remarkable for its beautiful view of sunset. It was quite a big dissapointment for someone who loves the sunset. The weather was not so good to capture the sunset as it was cloudy for few days. So, we had solid reason to proceed with our plan B.

I had so much fun in Ubud with my best friend. We didn't plan/book the hotel ahead. Just redah and we managed to get a nice place to stay nearby Monkey Forest for Rp.50,000 (approx.RM20!!) We saved on the accomodation and decided to rent a sepeda motor (scooter) for Rp60,000/day with full gas. I've never been riding for more than 1km all my life so this is going to be an adventurous joy ride for me! Yeah it was too adventurous to tell.. from riding under heavy rain.. to a minor accident which is too funny to disclose.. i would never trade the experience we had with anything else!

i have more to write but yet so lil time to blog out.. more of bali photos will be uploaded soon! stay tuned!

my magik date.

I am tired.. but i do feel like blogging something short, simple and sweet because today is my BIRTHDAYYYYY!!!! yayyyy!!! but geez, how fast time flies and i'm already 29! But i am proud of the number!! I am matured, hip, happening and still don't look like my age! (ahahahhha... come on! gimme a chance to brag today! you can puke later!) I want to feel good, need to feel good and i AM feeling good today!

Nothing much on the list, just a better prospect in my career, earn more and be a renowned photographer! (ahahhaha..dream on girl!) but one thing for sure, whatever fate GOD has written in my book, i just want to die as a happy/content woman!

On a contrary, as per my earlier blog, yeah i just got back from Bali.. a great holiday i just needed at the spot on time! Stay tuned on my bali travellogue soon...

1428 Gifts.

Oh.. it was one hell of a day.. I was feeling grumpy for tiny reasons early today.. i was tired, hungry and pissed!

1) It is HARD to get a taxi when you need one! the cab customer service sucks BIG time!

2) the train was not too pack but not many seats left. I was squeezed in a middle of two Plus sized passengers. I had to stand up to dig my hp in my pocket. I hope i didn't offend. No sarcasm intended. I feel like a small ham sandwiched in between fat bread!

3) the one who stand nearby me had a friggin stinky breath! I was grasping for a fresh oxygen each time he yawns! gosh!!!! GOD knows how i can't bear with stinky people. There's ranges of self hygiene product such as listerine and deodorants! Be considerate..

I guess i was just stressed out with work. Unsettled things makes me stress! But regardless these tiny lil matters, i have Solid reason to smile now...tonight.. tomorrow...

1) I just got my own wheels today. Yeay!!!! Finally i accomplished my 2006 resolution. Something which is just cute for me. Not a big fancy car.. but enough to give me the mobility i've needed badly. I drove my neighbor to dinner with the plastic still covered! sorry about that! ahaha...

2) I am leaving to Bali tomorrow. Double yeay!!!! The holiday i've always wanted! And this was supposed to be my 2006 escapade too!

I would consider these as a birthday present i got myself. I earned it, i got it! priceless. I know i am going to have fun in Bali.. will be right back with bali blogs soon!

Happy New Year people!- 1428 Hijrah!

work in progress.

spidey, originally uploaded by marshma11ow.

Please do not disturb. I am surfing the web.

Internet has been taking massive amount of my time, my sweat, my posture and my attention these days. I have so much things in mind that involves my eyes and focus dedicated to the screen. I hope i won't be wearing glasses or putting anything strange on my cornea in any near future. I love my eyes because it's my most valuable asset. I love my backbone because it allows me to do things i love doing.

So i guess i gotta treat them well, and not to be too hard on them.

-pic spidey in action was shot during my weekend outing to sungai congkak. more photos can be viewed here.

klpac

klpac, originally uploaded by marshma11ow.

the area outside of this compound was a bit outskirt. and someone told me "i am bringing you to a place which is quite out of no where and i know you are going to love it! Just hope that it won't rain."

i said... "who cares if it rains?" then we were walking and running under the drizzles and stopped by the japanese tea house.. such a bliss!

lets flickr!

(gambar hiasan-my cousin's daughter which i made her look like an abandoned orphan! bad aunt!)

hey peeps! i updated my long lost flickr account. (remember my yahoo account was phished sometime ago? it seems everything tied to my yahoo account got effected!) but i managed to get it back.. and i'll try to upload as much of my collections there before i get my official portfolio up and running. Photobucket seems to frustrate me more and more these days. Then i registered to imageshack. It was okay in terms of downloading speed inwhich compared to photobucket could take minutes for just a photo. But i don't quite fancy the way the screen looks! But guess its okay for blogging purpose.

Trying to get a hosting soon. And designing takes a whole lot of my time, effort and focus. So, my official dot com should be up any soon. In a mean time.. feel free to browse here. Well, some are already posted in my fotopages.

2007... more good quality pictures and cut down on the crappy ones. I hope i can produce more good ones during my trip to bali next week. Yeah!! I'm going to Bali next week!! yahoooooooo!!!!

Stuck in no where.

Have you ever have so much things in mind but none is moving? when you try so hard to do everything and accomplish everything but things got stuck in a middle and you get frustrated and stop everything? Ouh i fucking hate that! And you'll end up zero instead of hero. And looking at some other great achievements make me so unworthy and feel bad about myself. Anyway, thats just what i'm currently feeling today.. well to be precise.. now!

Its always not healthy to compare yourself with someone else.. or something else. It boosts the motivation at first but as you try and make an attempt and put so much expectations to it.. you fail and that makes you so sad. Everything that i do does not seem to work these days.This frustrations disturbs my concentration and i can't seem to focus on my work now.

So much things to do so yet so lil time. I have to learn to prioritize things. I can't seem to think in piece. Maybe i'm lack of something and i need to search for it to get everything started smoothly. Maybe i'm drowned and drifted a lil bit out of track. So, i hope before i get too lost in a middle i have to search my way back to where i started. But where do i start now... *blurrr*

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bismillahirrahmanirrahim

Mr Crumpler, Mr Manfrotto and me!

I once remembered when i started to own a dSLR, why need an expensive bag for your camera? And that thought made me buy a mediocre sakure bagpack that fits 2 extra lenses and a body. No it was not my first bag.. My first bag was a free one i got together with my kit. I used those two bags for quite a few months. My photographer friend insisted me on getting better bag for my camera. he even laughed at mine! i still didn't get it. Why spend so much on the bag where you can save a lil bit more to upgrade your lenses. I didn't give a damn. But after some time, I'm beginning to believe and feel how important to invest on a better bag to sit your camera. Its not just for the safety of your gears, but to feel good about it! And you should get something that reflects you! That brought me to Crumpler. (and to bola2api, i will not stop trying to persuade you to get one!)

It goes the same with tripods. What i had was a tripod that cost me $30. And kept having that thought how can a tripod effect how good the photos will turn out??! Yes, tripod does not determine how great the picture will be. But after so many curses i uttered each time i used that lousy $30 tripod, i came to realize the importance of getting high quality equipments to support your gears. And i don't mind spending $300 for a tripod now..And that brought me to Manfrotto. And to Mr Manfrotto.. i think i need to get any of you very soon. I just broke my $30 tripod!

my first page of 2007.

Hello 2007! Finally, i'm back writing.. i hate myself for not being able to write. Blogging is a therapy. Its not for anyone else.. but its my soul sanctuary that i express almost everything at. I was moody, sad, not in a mood for anything and uninspired until someone got me this book. I have always loved anything pictorial since i was a kid. Reading books is not my thing, even though i love to write about anything.

This book inspired me and boost my motivation to capture beautiful things again. I feel so bad for not touching my "man" for sometime. Sorry to keep you untouched in that dark small stuffy place for long. I'm back, honey.. and i hope i can do greater things with you in 2007.

Alrity guys, i hope its not too late to wish everyone a blessed 2007. I'm off to Fireflies Kuala Selangor to catch some lil lightshow!!

ps: and for the one who got me the book. You shouldn't have to.. but god knows how it made me smile! Thanks!

Ee' Leng Leng Chat!

err... err... where do i start? My brain is kinda numb. Will be right back!

sofia arissa

This is supposed to be an older post. But time has been a delaying factor. My old buddy during my uni times invited us for her daughter's Aqiqah. I thought we wouldn't able to make it because Ms L had some other plans. But we managed to squeeze our time and this is considered as my first experience attending such event. Interesting i might say!

As i reached her neighborhood, the sound of kompang breaks the silence and the beautiful marhaban sang by the ladies. The mommy will carry the baby around and stop at each guest to allow them to cut some of the baby's hair(bercukur) whilst the music of marhaban is being sung. (i wish that there's not so much guest else the baby will gone bald!) And did i mention the food was just too good to resist??

Here are some of the photos captured. The baby is just as beautiful as the mommy. Look at her beauiful eyes! I was mesmerised by it.

my lil angels.

I wish i have more cousins about my age. But the age difference is a bit of gap. But this new generation in my family is considered lucky as they have a bunch of cousins about the same age to play with. And the house will be so noisy when we have family events. But its fun to have kids in the house to brighten up and add some colors to seize the day! Here are some shots i took during our get together last weekend.

Siapa kata shoot budak-budak senang? Especially when they are super duper hyperactive! But i didn't say it was not fun! I tried to utilize the ambience light by not firing the flash. And its haaaaard when the kids are running and jumping. When one sits still, the other one will tease the other one and the whole bunch will laugh. SO, when its impossible to freeze them, just join them! Look at these photo here and you know what i mean.

And those are ica and alia. Those cuties are my cousin's daughter. Aren't they lovely? Ica just looove the camera and she knows how to pose in front of the lense. Alia is the quiet one and will never smile infront of the camera. But that look makes her 'alia'. When i see her, i will imagine looking at a small comot white kitten!finally...... manage to position them nicely together..voila!!

another 1 to go, but more to come!

An update to my older wishlist blog..

1) Upgrade my m a c
2) Get any 2dot8 lense or 50mm f1.8 atleast 50mm rawks!!!
3) SB800Flashgun. yahoooo!!
4) MB D80. i don't think i need this at the moment.

thanks to santa! ahaha.

ps: shall i create a resolution list? do i have any this year?

Wanna adopt me?

i was waiting in the car while sis was buying a pizza, then i saw these 2 kids looking at me..

oooohhh... i couldn't help it but to take out my camera and zoom in to this kittens!
aren't they adorable?

At first i thought they don't have their mommy and it breaks my heart to see them playing under this engine without proper shelter. Quite a dangerous spot for these poor innocent ones.

I intended to bring them back but then i saw their mommy came and they looked happy playing with each other.. I smiled in relief and let them be. I prayed and hope they will be just fine.. God bless you all!

two to go.

An update to my older blog..

1) Upgrade my m a c
2) Get any 2dot8 lense or 50mm f1.8 atleast
3) SB800Flashgun. yahoooo!!
4) MB D80.

anything USB.

need a lamp for your laptop? but feel bad of waking up your partner?
can't bear the glare?
here's a a lamp that works on your usb port.
Its one of the thing i bought during pc fair.
Not bad for a $10 item!

sometimes i run..

sometimes i run,
run away and don't turn back,
i'm scared to see the darkness that haunts me behind my back,

sometimes i feel like i'm flying
fly towards the ray of light,
but i dare not run too fast and fly too high..
because the pain to bear when i fall to the ground,
is too great to bear.

pcfair or funfair?

I finally fulfilled my own wishlist. How pathetic is that? ehehhehe... Can't afford to wait for santa to grant my wish. My m a c is crawling slower than snails. And its killing me! And it makes me feel like whacking someone. I got dissapointed with my printings the other day. What went wrong? Was it my editings? Was it my monitor calibration? was it the printer? was it the photo format? or was it my m a c? Nah, i don't think its my m a c that caused the problem. But it bothered me a lot that day so i guess i need to treat myself and make ms marshmallow a lil happier. (increasing my happiness meter up) and since on the top of my wishlist, i still need to get it done sooner or later. so why not now?

So I decided to go PC fair on Sunday. The crowd was ridiculously big. I almost gave up with the price. I was so frustrated. My shoulder got really tired carrying the notebook, feet got blistered with the heels! I wish i was in sneekers and t-shirt! (i can't help it since i was from someone's engagement party). I finally came to the right place before i decided to go back and upgrade it later in Sunway Pyramid and the last shop i visited "Machines" offered $200 discount, so 1G cost me about $600. Quite a good deal i might say. He tried to persuade me to go for 2G. Hmm... 2G on m a c sounds really tempting. I don't have to bancuh kopi while waiting for applications to run. ahahhaha... but i don't have $1200 to spend on RAM. Its okay, 1G is fair enough. I'm giving my m a c an increase of IQ.

I also got myself a new bag for my laptop. I wanted Whickey and Cox by Crumpler which can fit in my camera and my m a c but i think its too bulky to carry around everyday to work plus its out of my budget constrain now... (will be on my next list next year). So, i got myself a mediocre shoulder sling bag by kensington to replace my pink mengkuang bag which the handle almost came off. Imagine carrying a laptop in a mengkuang bag?? So not appropriate! So i guess i did a wise purchase today. I am very careful with my spendings nowadays because my monthly salary is not enough to cater my hobby. *sigh* :( why did i indulge in this in the first place?? ohhhh... but anyway, i'm not regretting anything now. It makes me feel good and what more can i ask for??

So, the day it was. Tiring but content. Santa, i got my RAM, you can get the kids marshmallow and candies and make them happy!

The Moon, the sky and me.

it was saturday night. And i'm not a party freak. So we decided to go out that night to have some decent dinner at hartamas. I ate like i haven't seen any food for a week. From potatos, lamb, cheese, pizza, telur ikan bakar portuguese style to a gelato icecream. Did i say, i had briyani for lunch today? So, i guess you can calculate the amount of cholesterol i consumed today. Its okay, I don't wanna know about it!

With such amount of food, chores that involved some physical activity since early morning , i have a solid reason to get really really tired and sleepy. Lisa was driving home and i was already banging my head to sleep a few times.

As I reached home, i glanced to the sky as i felt a drop of water falling on my forehead. I was in awe for a few seconds. It was a cool breezy night, and oh my god! the sky was not like any other day. It was cloudy with a very interesting hue of warm colors. The moon was hiding its face amongst the sourmilky cloud. My lethargy automatically fade away and my eyes were as fresh as a morning dew. And I was gazing at the beautiful painting on the sky without a blink and i decided to take my camera and tripod because this is too priceless to let go. The result i get was not as beautiful as seeing it live. I couldn't get a really sharp cloud as the cloud was moving due to the breeze. I took my camera, put on my tripod, set a slower shutter and took a deep breath before slowly pressing the button. I hold my breath, carefully release my finger and let the shutter closes slowly. And this is what i want to share with you.. voila'

Muzik Muzik.

I was there.. no, i was not assigned, and no i am not a fan of this show
and i rarely watch tv these days..
but for the sake of clicking, it was cool!

[more photos here]

a letter to santa ......

Dear Santa,

I hope you're reading this.. I wish you could jinggle all the way with your rudolf and drop by my neighborhood and grant me these.. I'll be the happiest person on earth!

I need to :
1) upgrade my MAC. CS2 is such a pain in a butt with only 512 ram. (i'd rather run half naked rather than working on a slow machine!! erm... okay, i'm over exagerating here!)
2) get any two~dot~eight lense. or atleast 50mm f1.8. But the 70-200 f2.8 VR turns me on BIG time! (its not too long, but its big enough.. sweet!)
3) SB800 (i need to flash!)
4) MB-D80 (extra grip is what i need.. oh yeah baby!)

If this numbers and codes are too jargon for you, just bring this list to the camera shop and put them in your big red sack! I love you, santa!


ps: by the way, you missed my address last year.. hope it won't happen again this year!



yours truly,
ms marshmallow

when you think someone is pregnant but..

Have you ever came across a scene whereby you are unsure whether the lady is pregnant or she's just plain BIG. And it made you observe and think for few uncomfortable minutes?

I was commuting back from work and it was no surprise that the train cramped with people. I managed to get in and stand for the next few stops before someone infront of me disembarked. i was not feeling that well yesterday. I was actually full equiped with lotsa things in my hands, with my mac on my left hand (in that so not appropriate bag mengkuang as proclaimed by someone! It felt so heavy! the button and the handle almost came off!), and my big handbag on my shoulder(with everything from lipstick to my external drive!). Not forgetting that thick STAR newspaper on my other hand (i wish they remove some crappy news and make it less thick!) I had no room to hold the pole! Getting a seat is a rare occasion and exactly what i am looking forward to each time. I released a loong sigh after getting the seat!

I was reading the newspaper to kill that long torturing moment. And after one stop few people disembarked and gave room for this one lady to stand in front of me. At a glance she looked big. Not too big but can be considered plum. I peeped as i flipped the sheets. It was like 6 more stops to go (another 20-25 mins before i reach my stop). I might faint, fell or stumble in that long duration. Ohh, i hate the feeling of guilt. People sitting around me didn't give a damn. On my right sleeping like no ones' business swaying her head to the rythm, and the one on my left was talking on HIS cell with his girlfriend.. (i'm not trying to bang my own roots, but there are lack of local gentlemen around nowadays!) Ouh!! It feels bad to bear that guilt but of course i was not that fit enough to stand with stuffs and gears in my hands (i look like a spend-thrift shopaholic shopping for christmas!).

It came back to my contemplation bubble, if i offer her a seat and for the fact that she's not pregnant, would it be an offend because indirectly she might think i'm trying to convey that she looks fat. But the fact is, none intended. And second thought, hell no, not giving this seat for free to someone who doesn't deserve it! (my selfish heart said that!) I let that contemplation be with analysis and ponder for quite a mo. (hey, thats cheating! Actually I was giving myself more time to sit and giving this not so gentleman a chance to prove my perception was wrong). But i was actually right.. about almost everything. Yes, local men are not gentle enough and yes, she's pregnant. I guess about 3-4 months. So my kindself decided to be the lifesaver of the bay, and this warrior princess is trying to seize her day.. I stood up and offer the pregnant indian lady my seat. The story ain't stop here.. let me have my breakfast and I will continue this blog later...

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I'm back.. Kak Rofi's(the tea-lady) mee goreng is da bomb! Okay, back to my train story.. I was tired, not feeling well, drained, drowsy and equipped with bags and stuffs. But i felt good to offer my seat to that pregnant lady. She smiled sincerely and was struggling to squeeze herself towards the seat before one skinny pengkid grabbed the seat without any sense of guilt on her face. That just boils my temperature up! HELLLLOOOO i am not going to let this sweat and tears drop for nothing. This sacrifice is meant to a more deserving someone. I ain't gonna let it happen.. with a firm gesture i point her shoulder and politely said "This seat is for this pregnant lady.." I felt like a gentleman rescuing a beautiful lady and it became a scene for a few seconds. (sometimes its essential for a girl to have a male sense in herself and it works vice versa too!) The lady who slept like no one's business suddenly woke up, and the guy who talks on the phone with her gf hung up. I hope i gave a right perception to them and i hope they will be a lil more sensitive with the surrounding. Well, what more can i ask than having this satisfaction of looking at the sincere, relief smile on the pregnant lady's face, a blush and guilt on the selfish people's face sitting beside me and to give a good lesson to that pengkid lady!

..life feels great if you make the world a better place to be.

shot was taken on my way back from work. I ain't feel tired anymore.
That sourmilk sky turned my sour day into a smile.

My first model photoshoot.

I had my first model portfolio photoshoot. Everyone has been misunderstood when i said this to my friends. No I was not being shot but I photographed those models for their portfolios. Event held at Times Square Hotel. I was a little nervous in the very beginning. They might be as nervous as I am. So, i took a deep breath.. relax and act very profesional. The first few shots were so stiff and i tried building up the chemistry and treat them like my close buddy. Come on! This is what I've been wanting to do all my life. I can do better than that!! I'm imagining myself being Janice Dickinson choreographing models on the set. But of course I was not as loud as her! After a while it get so hot in here.. don't ask what happened! (hehheheh.. no we didn't burn the hotel... yet!) Check out my very first model photoshoot HERE.

ps: traci, you gotta see them. This is what you've been wanting me to do and this is what i want to do! Wish you were here!

Behind the scene.

I have not been watching drama series, movies, sitcoms for ages. And I'm not here to promote this new sitcom.. but just want to share the photos i shot during the making of the sitcom. Making anything on tv be it dramas or 30 sec advertisement is not as easy as watching it while eating kuaci. One simple scene takes hours to get it right on screen. Now i know. But one thing about this sitcom, i i love the studio set a lot!! It was awesome. And you'll know where the hello kitty guitar on my fotopages came from.(for those who wonder)






















Every Monday nite 9.30pm on ASTRO Ria.