Fraser Hill

Last weekend was perhaps the best and the worst weekend ever.

It was my first visit to Fraser Hill. It is a slow going town with a cool weather. Definitely one of the best place to stay.

Getting close to nature is the first thing you can do over there.

Spiders spun webs all over the grills and gates.

The smoke house.

...Cosy and warm house to stay in

There is also a waterfall about 5km away from the clock tower of Fraser Hill – Jeriau Waterfall

You can ride horse at The Paddock or play archery here.

Not much you can do up there at Fraser Hills. But if you would like to enjoy the cool weather and some nice sceneries, you’re most encouraged to go up there and experience it yourself.

 

 

Dear all readers,

     This would be my last post for the year 2009. I would be heading off for holidays soon, and will be back in Malaysia on the 11th January 2010. Thanks to all for being so faithful to this blog… haha.

     Anyways, before I leave, I’d like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Do enjoy the holidays while you can!

Christmas at Pavilion KL

After visiting the lab yesterday, I decided to dropped by Pavilion KL to have a look at their Christmas decoration…

A view from the shiny globe…

Lots of trials and errors stitching and editing for this almost seamless photo stitch… still not a perfect stitch… No wonder the Nat Geo photographers took over thousands of photographs just for a perfect stitch…

Then it started ‘snowing’ out there… at 8pm sharp…

Snowing in the Tropics…

The ‘snow’ is not actually snow… just some foam like soap… haha.

Everyone enjoyed it though… and lots of people are taking photos…

A visit to Setapak FYP

So… I dropped by Setapak FYP labs for a visit… have a chat… and attempt to feel the hustle of getting things done in the Setapak FYP lab… no wonder everyone is under a lot of stress…

 

This lab has less students in it… or maybe they’re absent… not sure…

Cleaning the glasswares after PTC lab…

One of the best shots of the day…

 

And the cutest photo of all…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Big headed Greg… haha… specially shot with wide angle lens… Give it a try!

The end of Lab Work…

Now that I’ve finished my lab work in Kampar… I am starting to miss the lab life here already…

I’m so going to miss these things…

The troublesome Gilson Micropipettes…

...where I have to manually pull out the pipette tips instead of pressing the ejector.

 

The tedious agarose gel preparation…

...where I have to boil and boil and boil before I can cast the gel… and risk getting my migrating gel curved just because my gel is too thick or thin or not well hardened.

 

The place where we put our tools and run our prepared gel…

 

 

LB Broth and Agar…

 

...where I have to prepare the cultures in streak plates and broth before I can proceed with DNA extraction…

...and the tools I use to culture them…

...and the horror of changing the Campingaz canisters when the gas has finished… as if the gas tank would explode or something.

 

The Microcentrifuge machine…

...quiet hum of the spinning samples… telling me that I’ll be able to separate the pellet and supernatant soon.

 

The tube trays…

...where I can hold all the microcentrifuge tubes prior to any lab work…

 

The cute little red PCR machine…

...where I have spent lots of hours trying to figure out why contaminations were still there even after countless times of changing the reagents.

 

The distilled water bottle and tap…

...to clean up the glasswares after using them.

 

and last but not least…

 

 

 

...the God in my lab…

  

...haha!!!

 

I’m sure others would miss their lab hours too… the contaminations, the worries, the troubles, the arguments, the toleration, the helps, the laughter…

They are part of growing up in the lab.

Cure for sickness?

I know that prevention is better than cure… but sometimes, when the cold virus hits, you really have to take measures to heal faster…

Instead of going to the Doctors, I’d rather spend money on Vitamin C… 1000mg a day… no harm if you take twice or trice a day…

Then, I head over to sports stadium for exercise… Badminton for 4 days in a row… do sweat a lot…

And gargle your sore throat with Listerine… I know it stings a lot, but you feel very comfortable after that… also, don’t forget to drink lots of water… it helps.

Take hot shower on from head to toe… then cold shower for below the chin… Cold water will cool down your body, while the hot water will keep your head warm and comfortable…

Sleep with thick blankets and jackets to sweat all night… the more you sweat, the better you are the next morning… haha

 

And see… without antibiotics, without anti-pyretic drugs, without flu meds… I’m feeling so much better already… =)

**May or may not work for all people… I’ve done this multiple times… that’s why I know it’s effective for me.

Blue, blue sky…

It’s been a while since I updated my blog…

Last weekend was not a very enjoyable one… don’t want to talk about it. Let the past slip…

Today, another team of people requested me for another shoot. They’re (again), very easy to photograph… except for the personal portraits.

This one looked better as compared to the previous photo shoot… but there are still room for improvements…

The sky in this shoot is fantastic, but due to my lack of equipments, I do not have sufficient lighting to light up the subjects. So, I had no choice but to take 2 shots – 1 over exposed, and the other underexposed. Although I don’t really like heavy Photoshop edited photos, I made the choice to merge the 2 images together, to make it a better image.

I know that the 3 guys’ heads are literally ‘glowing’, but this is strictly no Photoshop! I only used to merge the sky… some sort like HDR.

Anyways, here’s a full panorama view of the blue blue sky…

Really fascinating…  do not hesitate to click on the panorama to enlarge it. See it for yourself…

Just follow law???

I was yelled at twice today and yesterday. Both times by the guards. Why? Good question.

1st yell – I cycled through the ‘OUT’ side of the gate to enter KTAR.

Their reason: I didn’t not follow the signboard. I should enter using the ‘IN’ side. I was cycling against traffic.

My reason: The cyclists and motorcyclist on the left side were cycling and riding at lower speed. I do not want to get knocked down or cause an accident as I was cycling at a higher speed.

2nd yell – I used the main road to cycle instead of the bicycle pathways.

Their reason: As stated above, they wanted me to use the bicycle pathway prepared for cyclist.

My reason: (i) There are over 8 speed bumps on the bicycle pathways. This is insane! How fast would the cyclist go? (ii) Some of the cyclist are riding in the middle of the pathway, obstructing traffic. I was cycling fast… so can these people be a bit more considerate, rather than happily yapping away in the middle of the road? (iii) Some of the cyclist are new riders. They can’t even control their steering well. Over taking is fine with me. I’m more afraid of scaring them with the sudden overtake and cause them to loose control and fall. (iv) With more considerations in thoughts, I’d rather use the main road, since there is also an additional special lane for cyclists.

The guards should cycle instead of riding motorbikes. They are terrorizing these places as if the building is theirs. They should be stern but considerate. They should get a feel of what cyclists feel when cycling at these roads.

Enough said. I’m more concern of my safety. I don’t want these people to affect my mood of the day.

Saving up in Kampar…

I thought that I could save more money in Kampar.

but…

I ended up spending more… on food especially…

and I still loose weight… which is good… right?

on second thought… I spent quiet a lot on phone bills and transport… hmm…

Group Photos… Techniques

Group Photos are mostly easy to shoot… and I’ve come to notice that some group photos are meant for a different meaning, and some are for a more formal and professional shoots.

Here are some of the group photos I have taken… and you tell me which one you like most.

Simple group photo shots would involve this very common and basic shoot… Arrange everyone according to height and just shoot.

A more interesting shots, would be arranging people in a more different manner… and in a more relaxed form… still keeping the rule same : one row.

For an even better group photo, you can try layering the people, two or more rows… but most of the time, I stick to this very important rule : people in the picture should be big, not small small faces… but sometimes, this rule has to be broken, eg. Too many people…

Note: Thanks to Chun Nee for taking this shot.

Although the faces in the previous photo may look a bit small, but they are still reasonable… and is not as bad as this…

This is way way way too small… try to avoid this whenever possible… but in such circumstances, you can try multi-tier… the photo above has 8 tiers, and if possible, add more tiers. Reason behind it, try to increase in height, rather than width… this would enable you to move in closer to your subjects, and thus, increase in facial size… not to the stage of being able to see the pimples la…

You can also try to photograph people from high above… you can do this if there is a high rise building around you, that enables you to do that… I don’t have a shot of this type, but you can take a look at this poster shot…

Another interesting method you can try is, by combining some of the techniques together… I think you’ve seen these types of movie / drama posters before… for example…

Ugly Betty…

Grey’s Anatomy…

 

Heroes…

This technique is not hard actually, just that… you need to spend more time to arrange the people. and if you are close to the people or you know them very well, you’re most definitely going to spend a hell lot of time to arrange them…

Reason behind it is that your friends would not take your work seriously, so they tend to play around or shift in position once you arranged them… so ended up, more time required. This is the time where you take charge, tell them what YOU want, or else you’re going no where…

The concept is that you put space in between people, regardless of height, order, or position… but at the same time, make sure they are in order.

so here are some of my work… not much, but at least something…

One of my long time favourite…

I posted this in February’s entry… they’re quite close friends, and again, it took me some time to arrange them. Simple, chaos in order…

The irony of the playground really brings out the shot… professionals at a playground… go figure…

and here is my work today…

I personally like this shot, because it incorporates the small “business hall” at the back, giving the impression of professionals working in concrete jungle. Also, this shot shows a lot of ‘oomph’ that these people are real professional in their work…

But due to the usage of the photo, I have no choice but to crop the photo to suit the printing purposes…

Still it looked real nice, and these people are real fantastic to work with… easy going, cooperative (as expected, haha!)…

Anyways, I don’t think these few shots I took today is not good enough… the people arrangement is still not chaotic enough… haha… and some of them overlapped with each other. Must space them out even more…

You can try to put the most important person of the group of people in the middle. But sometimes, it doesn’t work and rules are meant to be broken…

Also, here’s another technique you guys can try… arrange them at the staircase… something like this…

So… I hope you learn something from this post… next time, take a different approach when photographing people, especially group photos…

Photomicrography

I didn’t know that Nikon has this annual Small World photomicrography competition… and here are some amazing photos of microscopic objects and creatures.

Pleurosigma (marine diatoms)

Larva of Pleuronectidae

Snail Eggs

Fluorescent actin protein filaments

Polyurethane elastic fiber bundle

Soap Film

Real Fascinating…

Source of info: Mercola Articles – 35 Years of the World’s Best Microscope Photography

Yes! tet Genes…

Yes… I got my genes right… Transform!!!

Galeri Petronas

After a visit to the Education Fair UK, I managed to wander around KLCC while waiting for the rain to abate and that was when I stood in front of the Petronas Art Gallery – Galeri Petronas. I have always wanted to enter the gallery, and today, my chance to visit the art gallery.

No photography allowed, so let me try to put them into words.

The current exhibition is on Raja Shahriman’s work – Rhythm of the 21st Century. A display of art and sculpture, portraying the current war in the 21st century.

I personally find it stunning and I believe that if you’ve got the time, DO pay a visit (and it’s for free too!)… I would go back to the exhibition again, most definitely… It’s been a while since I last experience the joy of arts… somehow, they feel a bit similar to Mike Shinoda’s Glorious Excess Dies…

Anyways, Raja Shariman’s artworks are now in display till 24th January 2009.

 

Galeri Petronas is open from 10 am to 8 pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Free admission.

Argh… PCR…

I’m going to faint soon…

PCR… why I can’t get some nice bands de??

Can anyone help to pray together with me???

Life changing experience

Yesterday was the day I realised why some people say live life to the fullest, cherish it as if you're dying. VERY, VERY TRUE.

Last weekend spent in KL was another life changing experience. I realised a lot of things during this short time:-

1. Family comes first, at the same time, when you're out there alone without your family, your best friends care about you the most. Thanks to all my friends who knew me well enough to cherish our friendship. I learned so much from you guys, and am still learning.

2. Time really flies, make sure you spend your time wisely. It is crucial for everyone to use all the time you have for something more beneficial. Don't waste your precious time on computer games, watching countless hours of drama, and others. Allocate more time doing sports, reading, exploring, learning and bonding.

3. Travelling by bus is very different from going on a train. You see your life journey flash before you... People you meet, talk to, pass you by, they are all very real... Take the train alone and see it for yourself, go meet people, try to chat with them, and you may get life lessons from them.

4. I can only give comments to others, it is not my responsibility to change you. I may influence, but I cannot force anyone to change, unless the person is willing to learn. So, in short, I do not feel offended if my ideas are not taken in. It's just life. I accept it.

5. Getting up early gives you more time to get your work done.

6. Diligence with wisdom and intelligence is upmost important.

7. Will and determination gets you anywhere you want to go or who you want to be.

8. Lend others a hand, you never know when you need a favour.

I know this post is a bit long, but I hope I can share some knowledge with everyone. May you keep learning and be open to new knowledge. They help.

Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen – BluRay

I didn’t expect to get something like this yesterday…

Although I don’t own a BluRay Player, two friends of mine got this 2 disc BluRay version of Transformers 2 : Revenge of the Fallen

One word… *speechless*

Awkwardly, the version I got has a different cover from the photo…

Thanks for this gift… the both of you really made my day. Thank you.