Why Snow White, Not?

I remember fondly those younger days when I was the Manager for "Focus", which was at 3, Penang Road; Penang.

Focus was founded by the famous Penang lawyer, Lim Kean Siew.

Apart from our roaring duty free sales, Focus also operate the largest colour developing and printing (D&P) lab in North Malaysia. In the early 70s the lab monopolised nearly 80% of the colour prints business in Penang!

A very large percentage of our customers were Aussies from the RAAF base in Butterworth.

The shop was also a stone throw from E&O Hotel where we get plenty of urgent D&P work from the tourists.

We Got Snowed In!!

Karori, Tuesday August 16

I took half a day off yesterday because it started snowing! Just as well too, by the time we got home; the falling snow got heavier and heavier. By 6 pm we knew we will not be able going to work tomorrow!

Why can't we go to work?

If you live in Wellington, you will know why; Wellington is hilly and thousands of Wellingtonian's live on hilly terrain, driving down the hill on a snow covered road is not exactly safe ;)

This is what greet me when I open our French sliding door this morning. Notice the partially snow cover road?

Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

This is what it look like outside our house in Karori at 5.15 pm!

We settle down in Karori in 1988 and this is the first time it snow like this :)

This is our sloppy garden on the side of our house... Christmas come early ;)

World Press Photo in town again!

WPP 2011 winning picture. You can see all the winning pictures here.

The World Press Photo 11 exhibition is in Wellington again.

Last year we did not go to the opening but decided to attend this year.

The invitation card say the opening is from 5.30 pm to 7 pm, not wanting to be late; I left work early and pick up Le General at 5 pm and we were at the entrance of the Academy of Fine Arts by 5.10 pm.

Imagine our surprise that we just walk straight into the gallery hall without being stop or welcome!

Rollei 35 - father of Point & Shoot

Going through my pile of photographic accessories in the week end, at the corner of my old Zero Halliburton aluminum case lie a inconspicuous, tiny black pouch.

Unzipping the pouch open the floodgate of my memory...

Inside the pouch is a super compact 35 mm FULL FRAME point and shoot camera I bought in 1975! A little gem I just about forgotten!

The tiny "Father of Point & Shoot", my Rollie 35S was hibernating since 1988 but accompanying our stuff from Penang to Wellington; then to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and back again to Wellington!

Pictures of Devotion

Winter is truly here! It is so bleeding COLD! As a matter of fact, they told us it is the coldest in 25 years!

I was going through my collection of images, trying to get some organisation out of all these megabytes ; here is a folder filed under "devotion"... may be you would like to take a look :)

Sia Boi Offering

Down memory lane... this was taken in the late 70s at Sia Boi Market in Penang during a "Hungry Ghost Festival".

I remember fondly, during those days; the rather dirty market was a very popular place to eat "economy rice". The market was operated 24 hours a day too!

Photo Printed More Than A Million Time!

The highest circulated Malaysian English daily, The Star; is rushing to complete their 40th anniversary book on what us pioneers contributed to "The People's Paper".

This time round, photographers are being honored; about bloody time too!

The book, hopefully; will feature some of the BEST pictures that made The Star famous.

Among the thousands of pictures taken is a Decisive Moment shot that has been printed more than a MILLION times ;)

I am proud that yours truly took that picture!

1986, Pulau Tikus; Penang...

After a two year stint with The New Straits Times, I rejoined The Star; the second time.

I was covering the Malaysian general election in Penang, at the Pulau Tikus polling center I spotted this boy waiting for his mother to cast her vote.

There were two issues here, you spotted the boy; you realised it is a decisive moment; the next FIVE seconds will decide how FAST and how well PREPARED you are with your camera!

Within seconds the boy left, the moment was; decisive after all!

When Is It My Turn?