Highland Towers Behind The Lens

This story appeared in The Star, Malaysia on 15 December 2013.

More detail on the tragedy:

Highland Towers Tragedy, 20 Years On

A Simple But Yummy Mee Goreng!

Mee goreng (Indonesian: mie goreng or mi goreng; Malay: mee goreng or mi goreng; both meaning "fried noodles") also known as bami goreng is a dish common in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is made with thin yellow noodles fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, or beef, sliced bakso (meatballs), chili, Chinese cabbage, cabbages, tomatoes, egg, and acar (pickles).

Ubiquitous in Indonesia, it can be found everywhere in the country, sold by all food vendors from street-hawkers to high-end restaurants. It is an Indonesian one-dish meal favorite, although street food hawkers commonly sell it together with nasi goreng (fried rice). It is commonly available at mamak stalls in Singapore and Malaysia and is often spicy.    - Wikipedia

I like to cook mee goreng, it is fast and good; perfect for old working couple like me and Le General ;)

Below are step by step to my fast simple Mee Goreng Ala C.Y.   :)

Déjà vu - Two Old Stars of The Star!

Charles Chan and Janet are in Wellington, we had a dinner catch up; we reminisced the good old days when we were with The Star tabloid in Malaysia. Isn't that what "Two old  stars of The Star" (quote and unquote from Chong Cheng Hai) talk about? Chong is a "younger star of The Star".  ;)

Charles and I go back a long way, he was the News Editor and me the Photo Editor at the 1974 Star Publications in Penang, Malaysia.

When I joint, The Star was hardly 2 years old. We were competing with the all powerful The New Straits Times, the national broadsheet and a 70+ year old local, The Straits Echo; another broadsheet.

Charles was a no nonsense News Editor during those "lean and mean" days, I remember fondly that he ordered the photographer to reshoot the job because the shots were not up to his high standard. In 1974, News Editor has MORE power and say than a young Photo Editor ;)

Charles got along with me so well that he SOLD me his precious SOLID SILVER Dunhill cigarette lighter for RM 60.00! He even let me pay the amount by 3 monthly installments of RM 20.00 :) He reckoned that was a sure way of quitting his smoking habit! Hee hee... 

Eye To Eye ;)

Some of my friends was wondering why I have not been posting for a while, would you believe my retina display detached and I was virtually blind with only a good left eye?

Did I say Retina Display? Duh!

Retina Display is a brand name used by Apple for liquid crystal displays which they claim to have a high enough pixel density that the human eye is unable to notice pixelation at a typical viewing distance. The term is used for several Apple products, including the iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, and MacBook Pro.  -Wikipedia

What I had was a Retinal Detachment!  Nasty!

Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. It is a medical emergency.

No, that discus fish above did not have retina problem; even though his eye is much redder than my right eye after the op ;)

Make Your New Zealand Home Warmer!

We landed in Wellington, New Zealand 24 years and two days ago. Yes, it was winter!  To the four of us, who came from blistering hot Malaysian weather; the freezing cold wind was more than a cultural shock! It was BLEEDING COLD!!

Later, to our dismay we discovered many of the New Zealand homes are cold and damp. These homes aren't just uncomfortable to live in, they can also have negative impacts on your health

I remembered while living in a rented house many years ago that our neighbor from Russia told me, that; back in his home country, even the poorest household is better insulated than those in New Zealand!

A hail covered Karori, 2010.

Our Samoa's 50th Anniversary Of Independence Lunch

We received an invitation from our colleague Leiseane Timu...

Talofa lava - Hello,

On behalf of the Samoan colleagues of both Desktop Imaging and New Zealand Micrographic Services we would like to invite you to partake in a meal to celebrate the 50th year Anniversary since Samoa became an Independent State.

The official date is the 1st of June whereby it will be celebrated in Samoa (and worldwide) for a whole week (another reason for another “public holiday”). We have decided to do this on Monday, 11th June at 12.30pm in the tearoom.

We hope to see you there – all that is required from you is an appetite and maybe a smile (we will also cater for vegetarians too).

Manuia le aso – have a great day!

Memory - Walk Under An Elephant Lately?

Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.  ~ The Wonder Years

Rummaging through my old prints yesterday I found these memories...

When was the last time you walked under the belly of an elephant?  We did it 27 years ago ;)

An elephant walking along Niphat Uthit2 (Second St) in Hat Yai, Thailand.

Hat Yai (Thai: หาดใหญ่, pronounced [hàːt jàj], also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border. Located at 7°1′N 100°28′E, it has a population of 157,359 (2008) in the city itself and about 800,000 in the greater Hat Yai area. Hat Yai is the largest city of Songkhla Province, the largest metropolitan area in Southern Thailand, and third largest metropolitan area of the country.      - Wikipedia

10 Most Popular MBL Posts Of 2011

As 2011 came to an end, here’s a look back at 10 of our most popular articles from the past year:

1.    My Leica E-P2

2.   Funny Royal Wedding Pix Not!

3.   Canon G12, Best Of The G?

4.   Panasonic LUMIX G VARIO 7-14 mm F4.0 ASPH

5.   Remembering The Highland Towers Tragedy 

6.   Ultra Wide WC-E75 Canon Power Shot G12!

7.   Brian Me That Brake Was Good!

8.   Nikon E2 DSLR - Redux

9.   Bounce Flash For G12

10. My Lancer VRX Sportback

We started with a 23,000 page views in January 1911, today we are at the verge of breaking the 80,000 mark.

Thank you for all the support and a HAPPY NEW YEAR to all our readers :)

NOSTALGIA - Picture Without Permission!!

nos·tal·gia, noun - a wistful desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life...

Going through some of my "junk" recently, found a box of old black and white post-card size prints taken during my schooling years in Melbourne; Australia.

Ahh... those were some of the best days of my life :) And like the famous Kodak Eastman slogan, "We (pictures) capture your memories forever!"

This photo for instant...

A single shot taken with a film camera hidden inside a plastic lunch box, while I was attending our biology class in Oakleigh High School in Victoria, Australia; FORTY FIVE YEARS ago!

Going Out Station In My Lancer VRX Sportback

In case you are wondering what "Going Out Station" mean, it is the Malaysian way of saying "going out of town"; or taking a longish drive to another town.  ;)

If you read my "Family Week End @ Napier", you knew that we drove more than 680 km to Napier and back in my Lancer VRX Sportback.

Mind you, I only drove half way there and May-N drove the rest and all the way back.

So how did the VRX performed on a long trip?

My VRX Sportback on top of Te Mata Peak, Napier.

Family Week End @ Napier

Family outing is very important to us, due to our busy schedules and May-N (our eldest daughter) working in London; do not make it any easier to have a short quality time together.

Last week end, since she is back in Wellington for a short break; we head for Napier to spend our week end together. The last time our family were holidaying together was in April last year, we had a great time in London, Rome and Paris :)

This time round our trip is much shorter and a lot nearer ;)

According to Wikipedia...

Napier (called Ahuriri in the Māori language) is a New Zealand city with a seaport, located in Hawke's Bay on the eastern coast of the North Island. The population of Napier is about 58,600 as of the June 2010 estimate.

 Napier is about 320 kilometres northeast of the capital city of Wellington.

 I estimated a leisure 5 hour drive (including lunch stop) over the Rimutaka Range will get us there.

Tribute - Pioneers of The Star, Malaysia

September 9, The Star (largest in terms of circulation) an English-language, tabloid-format newspaper in Malaysia turned 40.

On that day the paper reprint the first copy of The Star (09-09-1971) and gave to those who attended the anniversary celebration.

You are able to download this historical first issue in PDF format, here.

Within that first issue, The Star also reprint in full; the January 3, 1976; National Launch Supplement which show case the pioneers on that historical event!

My Memories Of WTC

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Ten years on from the day the 9/11 terrorist attacks changed so much for so many people, the world's leaders and millions of citizens are pausing to reflect...

On this day I pause and go through my photos and memories of our visit to The World Trade Center.

It was SEVENTEEN YEARS ago when we visited the WTC, as can be seen from this shot taken by our eldest daughter May-N with a 35 mm Nikon AF compact.

It was shot from Ellis Island, which was a good place to capture the New York skyline with the two imposing twin towers.

1994 was a good year for us, I was working in Singapore and we were having a time of our life; a two weeks holiday in The Big Apple!

Photographs are like a time capsule, looking at them brought back the happy time when we were posing with the Twin Towers :)

Samoa Independence Day @ office

At New Zealand Micrographic Services and Desktop Imaging, our generous Samoan colleagues invited all of us to a Samoan lunch to celebrate their Independence Day today.

Samoa Independence Day is a significant public holiday in Samoa.

It is celebrated on June 1 every year.

This is the day when the country achieved its independence in 1962 when the command of New Zealand over Samoa ceased.

The Incidental Wedding Photographer

Believe you me, wedding photography is a TOUGH call ;)

In my younger years, when asked; I did wedding jobs for relatives and friend's children. I have not done that for years, DSLR cameras and large aperture lenses seems to get heavier; wedding photographer? No thanks ;)

We are invited to Wei and Sue's wedding ceremony today. Wei Lun is the only son of our good friend Yew Mun and Mei.

As usual, I packed my gear for the ceremony; as usual Le General warned me not to take too heavy a load because "I am NOT going to carry for you!" She usually do ;)

The wedding was held at Walaceville House, Upper Hutt.

The venue is surrounded by luxurious garden, perfect for photography; the weather did not cooperate though and the ceremony was performed indoor.

Our young groom, Wei; has hired two wedding photographers; I noticed they are packing BIG Canon DSLR with HUGE large aperture Canon 35mm f1.4 lens! The perfect available light wonder glass ! You do not want to know the miserable optics I brought with me, but that is another story ;)

As an invited guest at a wedding, I am not there to compete with the official photographer/s. I get out of their way but I still try to get shots different from theirs :) Or better still, shots that they did not get ;)

Wei and Sue have a hearty laugh when Wei make a little boo boo during his vow. The amused celebrant is our good friend Tuk.

The Eyes Have It!

We tend to take our sight and our eyes for granted!

"The eyes are the window of the soul." - English Proverb

As a photographer, no prize for telling what is your most precious sense!

May be I should have taken better care of my eyes?

I noticed my right eye was going out of focus two years ago and it turn out that I had a Retinal Detachment!

According to Wikipedia: Retinal detachment is a disorder of the eye in which the retina peels away from its underlying layer of support tissue. Initial detachment may be localized, but without rapid treatment the entire retina may detach, leading to vision loss and blindness. It is a medical emergency.

~ ~ WET~ ~ WET~ ~ WET~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~

Or how your house in New Zealand can be flooded!!

You must have read about the devastating flood in Queensland, Australia.

My heart goes out to those affected, I know how water, at the wrong time; wrong place; can absolutely DESTROY your life!

How do I know? Well, in December 2008; our NZ home was flooded!

Our "disaster" was, tiny; compared to what the Aussies experiencing but I hope my story can serve as a warning to new arrivals to this beautiful country and looking to buy a house!

6 Jan 2008

We arrived in Singapore, from Penang; after a 4 weeks break on the island we left behind in 1988.

We were supposed to spend 4 days with my sworn brother, then fly back to Wellington.

After nearly 5 weeks in the tropical heat and it's mugginess, we were looking forward to windy, cool; Wellington!

My Lancer VRX Sportback

In My Auto Love Affair post I promised to tell you how my Lancer VRX Sportback drive and behave, so here...

Mitsubishi Motors New Zealand offer SIX Lancer variants.

Starting from the plain Jane ES Manual to the hot RALLIART Turbo, there is a choice for different drivers.

The Lancer ES (top left), the VR (top right) and the RALLIART.

Heritage Poster of The Star (Malaysia)

Story of the one and only surviving "Star Goes National" promotional poster!

First, for those not in the know, I am quoting Wikipedia:

"The Star is the leading English-language tabloid format newspaper in Malaysia. It is the largest in terms of circulation in Malaysia, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations. It has a daily circulation of between 290,000 to 300,000.
 
The Star is also a member of the Asia News Network.

The Star is majority-owned by the Malaysian Chinese Association, the second-largest party in the ruling Barisan Nasional alliance. Its major competitors are the New Straits Times and the The Sun, both tabloids."

In 1974 I joined the young Star as their first Photo Editor.

In 1974 we had to fight with scores of established English, Chinese and Malay newspapers! Our biggest "enemies" were "The Straits Echo", "The New Straits Times" and their afternoon tabloid, "The Malay Mail"!

Our founder Mr K.S.Choong, who was also the MD and Editor In Chief realised that the only way we can beat the others are by publishing "Scoop News" and "Scoop Pictures".

Choong has the vision to play up good news pictures BIG and that gets the attentions of our readers! Asked any Star readers that live through the 70's and they will tell you we had the BEST pictures!

Xmas Turkey, Wellington...

Once a year, Christmas is the time we catch up with close friends and traditionally we always try to roast a turkey :)

Through the years, we discovered if we buy our fresh turkey AFTER Xmas day; we can get a real bargain! The best time would be on the 27th of December.

This year however, since we are having a get together on Boxing Day with Boon & Jackie who came back from Brisbane; we went turkey hunting (no weapons needed, duh!) in the morning.

We found plenty of fresh birds at City New World. The price tags tell us the 6kg bird was $125.00 before Xmas and now, on Boxing Day; $68.00!!

We bought two, one for our gathering on the same night and the other for a dinner the next night.