Love & Love - Featuring Sherrina

Its been so long since I last posted anything on this blog. Life has been very very very busy. Long story short, I was about to give up on blogging actually. Anyway, here's a short MV clip which I did some time ago. Enjoy watching it for those who like such MV.

Some tech info: this MV was made by using D90 for the videos and also D700 for the stills. Post processing was done in CS4 and video editing was done using apple's iMovie'09.

New Website Coming Soon

I'm amid designing and creating my own brand new website. Thanks to iLife'09 which I purchased recently, I can now create websites much more easily. I never knew Apple stuffs are so user friendly - not only in terms of managing and editing graphics and videos - but also editing songs, musics and now to creating websites!

Here's a short teaser on how the general layout is gonna be like. I'm still cracking my head on how to make it a little more user friendly and less words. 

Back In Business

Okay, I am back in business - well at least for the moment :P 

Tomorrow is my first wedding assignment for the year 2009 ever since I left shooting weddings about a year plus ago due to my China assignment. And I am packing a spanking new NIKON D90 with me which I just bought about 2 hours ago :P

My wedding shooting style and products will see a change. I will be combining videos as well as still photos as my deliverables. The photos will still be the same fine art-ish, candid moment shots... but the additional video clips would be something special I believe. We'll see how it goes for tomorrow's wedding. This D90 will also serve as my back-up DSLR just in case if my D700 does ever give up on me (which I highly doubt so it would but nevertheless... I wont take any chances).

By the way, tomorrow's wedding will require me to travel from Puchong to Seremban and back. So.... plenty of rest and charging of batts needed. Signing off!

The Reno #4: Kitchen Draft

I have drafted how I wanted the kitchen to be. Just purchased a refrigerator which I am making ice with right now (Malaysia is a hot place to be... so need plenty of ice). Will be buying some fruits and put in some cold water to lower my body temperature later :). Anyway, the FAGOR hood and also 3-burner hob was also delivered. So now I lack a crucial sink bowl and a nice faucet to go with this setup. 

Hao Hua just provided me a quotation for this kitchen cabinet; and its gonna cost me MYR3740.00 if I were to go with laminated top. And if I were to opt for a solid surface worktop, the total sum would blow up to be MYR5942.00 and this price difference would equal to approximately MYR2100.00.

Wondering which should I go with....

By the way, I've done 2 similar themes, but one with chilli red walls, and another is fresh lime green walls... which is nicer? :P

The Reno #3: Up Next...

I just received quotation from one of the kitchen cabinet makers. I am customizing my dining table to make it a built in one, with telephone socket ready, a power point for future wifi router built into it. The wiring is ready on the floor now since that the cementing and floor tiles has been laid. Anyway, this post will be about the next round of pain to my pockets which I need to endure in this series of renovation.

Custom dining table with solid surface top, a 5ft. height 10mm thick tempered glass divider, a stainless steel leg, and a simple cabinet on the other end - this would easily cost me a whooping MYR2,300.

The kitchen cabinet would range from anywhere between MYR2,800~MYR6,200 depending on the worktop which I am gonna choose. Its kinda obvious it is only making senses if I choose the solid surface top to match that of my dining table. So... a deep cut that is gonna be. Ouch~!

The RENO #2 : It's Up And Going

These are photos of some reno in progress of my crib. :) The kitchen wall has been knocked down, wiring has been done, air cond piping and wiring also done, and today they just finished installing the plaster ceiling. The outcome is as what I had planned in mind. Lowered kitchen ceiling and nice L box running strip with down-lights. There will be still many KIV and WIP sub-works to be done. Most of them if not all are merely woodwork. Stuff like cabinets and such.

I'm now staying in the master-room, and the A/C is working in there. Thankfully for this otherwise I would have to be a roast ah-jay for another week or so. By the way, that's my buddy Winkert checking out my new pimped out lights in the master-room. :) He's been a good help in my reno project. I'm ushering him to get his own place ASAP so I can repay this debt. :P

The RENO #1 : Burn Baby Burn

Finally I've settle back into KL and have got some time to think and plan (and by now has already executed) the renovation works for my condo. After such prolonged period of time, and absence from KL, I could finally get things done. Here's a short list of what I have decided on doing when it comes to renovating my place.

1. Bought a king size matress which costed me a whooping MYR3,000 plus. Rest is a must have luxury.

2. Bought a front loading Electrolux automatic washing machine. Only got to know recently that this baby actually heats up the washing water up to a staggering 90deg.C!! Damage MYR3,000 plus.

3. A 6ft. sofa bed which can fold down to become a Deluxe Single sized bed. MYR850.00 here.

Damage done approximately MYR7350.00 and this was back then during my previous trip back to Malaysia. This week's bill is a skyrocketing one. Here's to what's gonna be done...

1. Bought most of the lighting fittings such as the downlights, IKEA spotlights, bathroom downlights. I also plan to change all switches to the CLIPSAL brand which gives a bigger button on the switch. The living room downlights will also feature a dimmer and split controller. 

2. Bought a ceiling fan with a remote control. Ironically, this is gonna be the only ceiling fan in my whole condo! 

3. Bought a 1HP TOSHIBA Air Conditioner.

4. Bought sets of IKEA curtain rail system (3 rail system) and related accessories.

Total damage done to the pocket here : MYR3163.00

And today... the momma of all pocket bleeders... I appointed Hao Hua Reno to do my reno job. Signed, sealed and deal...

Damage done : MYR12,800.00

I'll list down what's included in my next posting, and will make this a serial posting just focusing on my condo's renovation processes. For now, I'll have to settle in my mind on how a total of MYR23,313.00 was already spent... All I can think of now is Burn Baby Burn.... :P

The Repatriation

I've received notice to pack up and move back to Malaysia upon the end of my current contract here in China; which is by this 30th April '09. This was expected and it sure came with mixed feelings. The time which I had here in Jinhua was splendid, although it may be lonely and boring at times. I've been here since July '08, thus making it about 10 months of stay. 

I've made plenty of local friends. Picked up some bad habits and learned to slightly-enjoy the local food :P (sorry but I just cant take the salty and oily food which is a signature for local dishes). One of the major gains which I realized would be the improvement of my Mandarin language. I feel confident now with blurting out sentences in Mandarin. I remember back then when I first landed in China, I am truly like a 100% banana-man. But hey, Mandarin comes like a second language to me now - albeit its still broken like crap :P

So, I've purchased my flight ticket back to KL on this 29th, and decided to change it to 1st of May. To those whom I will miss in Jinhua - I guess I'll just say "see ya again some other time". To my fellow LOTUS brothers in Jinhua, I say "rock on you fellas! life is good! (or so as Mic put it)". And to those back in Malaysia - "I'll see ya soon!".

Ahh... packing now. Then shipping. Till then...

Amy - 說好的幸福呢?

Leong and I had this idea to go on producing a simple MV for quite some time now. I guess he was somehow or rather being poisoned by the WARMTH clip which I did quite some time ago. Having shot Amy just over a week ago gave me an idea that she is very suitable to be casted as a young girl who is having to go thru a period of failed relationship. Leong added that it would be caused by "falling for an older man" - haha...

Anyway the ideas manifested into one form or another and we decided to carry it out yesterday since Amy was not working. Lu Xiao was totting around and helped Leong and I to carry the reflector and also watching out our stuffs :P 

After about 2.5 hours of shoot, I came home and finished up this MV. :)

Back To Business

Wow... its been some time since I last checked my blog and I am glad I did. I have received a few emails asking me if I am still alive and what happened since I stopped posting any posts or photos for about a month or so. Well, life has been really busy and there was not much of a mood for me to be posting ramblings and cock-talkings these days.

Anyway, I guess I am back in the mood now ;) and it's only right to kick start back again by posting photos of the cute Amy - whom I had a photoshoot with just recently. Many peeps who viewed her photos in my flickr asked me (and also made wrong guesses) how old is she. I can tell ya'll that she looks young for her age... seriously. 

I am having another photo session with Amy in the coming weekends :) Keep on the lookout!

On The Move : Jinan Day #3

Nothing much special went on yesterday, and here's a quick breakdown of what took place:

1. Gu and Fany went to immigration dept. to collect all the passports. Apparently the rest of us need not go. Which is good, so I can sleep a little more since I has very little rest after finishing talking to mom on skype, only around 6am.

2. Met up with Gu at the hotel restaurant around 11am. We ordered 3 dishes and only 2 came in time. The roasted chicken was not on the table - and thats something which I really wanna eat. Oh well...

3. Checked out from hotel and took the taxi to Jinan Int. Airport. I slept in the cab even the trip was just about 50 minutes or so.

4. At the airport, I chose the check in counter which had the cutest ground staff mending it :P. Boy she was really cute. Anyway, check in was a breeze.

5. The security check point was also guarded by 2 really cute policewomen (I think I should refer to them as Policegirl)... but they look rather sleepy or tired, so I better not try to be a funny arse. It was also the first time I had a lady police who runs thru a body check on me in the airport security!! 

6. Boarded the plane around 3.30pm. Flight took about 2 hours. 

7. Landed in Hangzhou around 5.30pm. The 6 of us booked a van-cab which costed RMB600.

8. Departed Hangzhou and reached  Jinhua around 7.40pm.

9. Tan called and I had to go accompany him on some semi-unofficial event.

10. By 11 I am totally wasted and left earlier. Reached home and landed totally knocked out on the bed due to exhaustion.

That's how everything go yesterday. And today, I am feeling smashed. Throat's dry, head's spinning and I think I am having some slight fever. Called in sick and now I am keying in this entry while I am having tummy ache. Darn...

On The Move : Jinan Day #2

Last night we had some crazy @ss spicy Sichuan food for dinner. Why the heck do we eat Sichuan food when we are at Shandong anyway? Ok, that aside, the meal we had was already a tamed version of what the real deal of spiciness the people of Sichuan would love to have. It was so bloody hot and spicy that I even forgot to snap a photo of the restaurant when I left the place. Nevertheless, I manage to snap a photo or two of the most numbing plater of that night. Feast your eyes on them and imagine how they would fry your tastebuds. Trust me... if you Malaysian chaps think the cilipadi is hot - you clearly haven't land something like this in your mouth.

Asrul tucking into the bowl of oil covered black fish *more like covered with chilli*

Anyway, I woke up this morning with tummy ache - probably due to the spices which found its way in my tummy. Nothing much to do today and pretty much too lazy to go out and walk around Jinan. Although the sun is out, but the low temperature outside pretty much fizzles any encouragement I have to leave the warmth of my hotel duvet. 

So here I am spending the rest half of the day without lunch yet typing and surfing thru the internet. Bah... I think I will just brave the coldness outside to grab something to eat. Will be getting my passport back tomorrow from the Immigration office after getting my Residence Permit done. Until then, cheerios!

On The Move : Jinan Day #1

So... a company of 6 people moved out from Jinhua around 12.30 noon by 2 cabs, and we reached Hangzhou International Airport about 2.5 hours later. Managed to grab some MacDonald's for lunch and boarded the Shandong Airlines small plane at around 3.35pm. Plane departed around 4.15pm and 2.5 hours later, we landed at Jinan.

The weather here is a little dry. Cold and dry. Unlike back in Jinhua where it has been raining for the last week or so. Jinan today is a little better than when I came here 6 months plus ago. Back then I remembered the air was stinking and polluted - thanks to the steel mill which is covered a HUGGGGGEEEE area. Trust me, this steel mill could easily be as big as 30 football fields. 

Anyway, the air is rather fresh now. Which is something good and I ain't complaining about it. The sky is also much clearer now, unlike then which was literrally orange in color and I remembered feeling the metallic taste in my mouth.

That's all for today, and gotta rest soon since it's gonna be a long day tomorrow.

Cheerios!

On The Move

I'll be flying tommorrow, to a place up north of Jinhua, Zhejiang. The flight is going to take about 2 hours or so, but I hate to think about the ride from Jinhua to Hangzhou airport. I always hate sitting in a shuttle for a few hours. 

Anyway, my final destination is Jinan City in the province of Shandong. This is a business trip for some official matters, so I guess it aint that bad afterall. I will be expecting to fly back to Hangzhou and make it back to Jinhua by next Wednesday. Then on, I am planning on some excursion trips out of Zhejiang for the next following weekends :P

Till then... cheerios~!

Night Strobing At People's Square

Manage to pull this off although its a last minute decision to go into an all out night time shoot. Ya Ting just got back to Jinhua from Ningbo, and she called me up for dinner. So, we sorta chat about how beautiful her blue jacket is gonna look like under lights at night - and it hit me. Why just talk about it when I can get it done and put it into photos.

So I called up Tan, Desmond and Amin; geared up, and we met around 8.30pm to head towards People's Square. I knew for certain that by 9'ish, there wont be much of people who will be there, so shooting would be somewhat more relaxed.

I am posting up a behind the scene shot and a simple portrait of Ya Ting first. More to come.

Cheerios!

Photoshop Tutorial #1

I just came up with a short 20 odd pages or so, of a basic Photoshop Tutorial for post processing portraits. While there are actually many ways and methods which is used out there to turn normal photos into something with a little bit more of a wow factor - here's what I normally do with mine.

I am sharing with all my readers here, since well, my friends and most of the people who happened to chanced upon it find this tutorial useful. To download the tutorial simply click on the link below. It is a PDF file and it shows various methods and steps taken that I would usually go thru in processing my portraits.

Download the file here.

Have fun! 

Jinhua Teppanyaki

I went to a local Teppanyaki restaurant, which could be potentially the only such outlet here in Jinhua City. The place is nested just opposite the new InTime Mall which is located on the Southside of Jinhua (there is another InTime on the northside).

Anyway, the food served by the chef was good. What I've always liked about teppanyaki concept is that you get to see what's being put into the food which you are gonna chump down. No MSG. Less salt. Less sugar. More spicy. Anything that you request can be cooked on the spot, right in front of you. I always feel safe and secure eating from teppanyaki, and I am glad that there is one such outlet in Jinhua.

Here's what I ordered for the evening:

2 portions of black pepper beef (tender and juicy)

1 portion of crispy honey chicken (the shop's famous dish)

1 portion of squid

1 portion of fresh veggie lightly cooked

1 portion of fresh prawns

fried rice

Damage : RMB150. Considering the price, the size of each portion and the service... I would say this is one hell of a bargain. Bear in mind the food was meant for 3 persons. :)

Lu Xiao

This young lady works as our secretary in our company. Her name is Lu Xiao - which literally can be translated to Smile (Xiao), and I can definitely say that she never fail to make me and other colleagues smile while we are in office. One chirpy and active young lady which made Tan and I cant help but to organize a quick photoshoot for her.

We sent her to a local saloon for a hairdo and a makeover session. Unfortunately the day was getting gloomier and started to rain when we wanted to start shooting. Thus, we ended up booking a nearby KTV. Here are some photos of Lu Xiao.

Calvin & Jessie

One of the many things I think I will remember for this Chinese New Year is that one of my best buddies - Calvin, engaged me to shoot his pre-wedding photos. His trust in my capabilities is greatly appreciated. 

Calvin and I has known each other since we were 5 years old. Back in those days, we both studied in Children's Corner Kindergarten (in Alor Setar). Then we both joined the same primary school - Sekolah Rendah Kebangsaan Iskandar, and subsequently enrolled in the same secondary school - Sultan Abdul Hamid College (SAHC). We were both either in the same class or just the next class up until we were in Form 5. 

Then after splitting ways to pursue higher education where he pursued Mechanical Engineering in POLI-PD and me in INTI College Subang. Subsequently after some rather "adventurous" experiences, I joined POLIMAS where we met up again and we were then both taking Mechanical Engineering.

On to the photoshoot day. It was rather a rushed up job considering the fact that Calvin needed to travel from Alor Setar back to KL for the shoot and also to start working. And my timing in KL also didn't allow much allowance since I will be flying back to China pretty soon. So I had it all planned out for him, right from the outdoor shoot to the studio ones. Calvin wanted it to be as simple as possible so, simple it is then ;). The outdoor location was easy - Cyberjaya park, with simple casual wear theme. Then the next one for studio theme, we went back to my house and used a vacant room to do the shoot. Wahhlaaah job done! 

Those were the days. And now, Calvin is tying the knot on 9th Feb 2009. I would like to wish him and his beautiful wife, Jessie a happy and blissful marriage. 

Back In Action

Phewww... what a break... a holiday I long needed. I was back in KL and also my hometown for Chinese New Year, and the amount of food which I feasted on was definitely worth the hours of waiting and flying and travelling around. Anyway, I am back in China now, feeling rejuvinated and soul full of content. I no longer crave for the nasi rendang or char koey teow - although I know I soon will given a few weeks down the road. Nevertheless, I'm very happy now :)

So, let's see what took place when I was back in Malaysia. 

I became trigger happy. Not that I went shooting up people with some AK-47... but I went for a local model shoot. This took place the very first weekend right after I landed in KL. The models were Monique and Andrea (there was one more but I just wasn't up fot shooting her anymore, so kinda missed out her name).

So  here are some shots of Andrea and also Monique.

The Journey Back

I will be driving back to Alor Setar later; at around 3.30am, then plan to have a quick breakfast stop over at Ipoh for some dim sum. Expected time of arrival would be around 10.00am and just in time for another round of breakfast with Dad. Sometimes, I come to think of it that my life is very much about eating.

*Looks at own self in the glass reflection of a Starbucks wall* ~ Frappucino and cheese cake - food... food... food... and more food during Chinese New Year.

Oh well, what the heck, life is good. Yum Yum... hahaha

Life Is Good.

It's amazing.

2 trips back to Kuala Lumpur within 2 weeks. It feels like having water after being put to a dry desert for a week! Refreshing to the tastebuds and also rejuvinating to the soul... ahhh... :D Anyway, I've started to design the interior decor for my crib. Been to IKEA for a few rounds and kinda know how I wanted things to be like. I just submitted an ID to a contractor for quotation and let's see how much will be on the tag. I am expecting it to be around RM12,000. Here are some of the things which I wanna do.

1. Level kitchen flooring

2. Kitchen cabinet (complete with acrylic backing) with a huge mama stainless steel sink

3. Induction cooker with hood from FAGOR

4. Re-route pipes and wiring for washing machine

5. Concrete work for divider with tempered glass as full height wall

6. New piping and wiring for air-cond points

7. Boxed plaster ceiling with 4+4 downlights

8. Plaster ceiling for kitchen area

9. Conceal toilet window (so that it wont be smelly in the kitchen area :P

10. 3-pane sliding window for yard covering

11. Additional power points and re-routing telephone point into room

12. Ala china-style clothes hanger

The list could actually go on, but my pockets ain't that deep to allow for that :P So I'd have to leave it as it is for now. Haha... Anyway, life is exciting now with plenty of adventures to look forward to. Since my contract is extended until April '09... and the project which I am working on is going into a very exciting phase... I doubt I would have much time to bother about other issues. LOL.

For now, I'm just looking forward to go back to Alor Setar and celebrate Chinese New Year... so signing off with a Gong Xi Fa Chai!! :D *I know its a bit too early haha*