上人每日的祝福

很久沒有聼聼師公上人的開釋。今天，看囘師公上人在十一日那天的開釋。所說的，就如師公上人對我現在狀況的祝福。要我這傻孩子多加油。

所以今天，也想要跟各位分享。祝福大家。

 

Religion

What a ride.

Sitting with someone, who’s a Christian.

Saying that it’s wrong for me to believe in someone who was once human.

Saying that we who believes in him, does not believe in god.

Saying that the only way to heaven is believing in the existence of god.

Saying that those who help the needy will not go go heaven.

Saying that it’s foolish of us to follow blindly at him.

Saying that an educated person like me is wasting time on Buddha.

In short, he’s saying that his god is ultimate, his god is fair.

 

But then again,

did he understand about other people’s religion?

did he understand the truth behind Buddha’s teachings?

did he just say that god is fair because you believe in him?

 

little did he know that everything on earth is because of karma.

little did he know that Buddha’s teachings are teachings, not religions.

little did he know that Buddha wants us to learn and understand, and not follow blindly.

little did he know that Buddha came to earth in the form of human, just like how Jesus come to earth in the form of human.

 

I know these may spark lots of fights, but let me get this straight.

I have no right to comment on other people’s religion because I do not study them as well as you do.

I have no position to say that other religions are bad and mine is the best because every religion teaches the good.

I too, believe in the spirit of Buddha, that one should study them before believing in them. That’s the true path of life.

One should not convince others to change religion just because his is better than others. That’s why, Buddha didn’t ask you to change religion, but believe in the truth of life with great love and compassion.

Tron Legacy

It all began so many years ago… and now, the legacy of it.

I watched the original Tron just a few days back. During the production that time, the visual was bad, music was horrible… but then, it’s a dream of technology and beyond.

 

Now, it’s back, with better music by Daft Punk, stunning visuals and colour, but not worth paying extra for the 3D effects.

Didn’t expect Disney to go so high tech…

Anyways, back to the movie. The plot was so so, acceptable. But don’t go watch the movie with high hopes. The fun parts in the whole movie were the front, somewhere in the middle during a lightcycle race, and the last part. Other than that, nothing much which is memorable.

So, here’s my rating:

Visual effects : 85%

Audio : 90%

Plot : 60%

3D effects : 35%

OVERALL : 70%

 

Then again, Tron Legacy is 20 times better than the original Tron.

兩位打架的國王

傳説有兩位國王。兩位都是很出名的國王，人民也非常多。

可惜人民，又疼又恨這兩位國王。

爲何？

因爲這兩個國王每次都一直派兵上戰場，時時都想打倒對方，佔取對方的土地。

平時只顧著贏，所以往往都忘了手下，忘了自己的兵，忘了人民。

最後受傷的，是誰呢？

還不是自己的人民。

難道只顧著贏，就會受到人民的疼愛？

久了，那人民還會相信這些國王嗎？

相反的，如果雙方國王一起合作，那麽人民不是活得更舒服。

獲取的成就不是更大？

You, Melayu ke?

I got this questions quite frequently, or rather, questions relatively close to this one.

For example, today at PIKOM fair, as many as 8 Chinese salespersons/promoters came up to me to promote their products. Out of that 8, 3 of them started the conversation with Bahasa.

“Encik, mahu cari apa?”

“Printer sekrang hanya jual satu sembilan sembilan saja… Murah, boleh beli.”

If I got anymore suntanned, I must be looking exactly like a Malay boy.

 

I have got used to it actually. But the most hilarious one happened today, at the University LRT station, when a Malay guy was hesitantly approaching me to ask me something. I was listening to my music while waiting for the bus.

“Erm…”

“Huh?” I asked.

Still hesitating… he asked again, mumbling softly “Melayu?”

I couldn’t hear quite clearly… so I questioned him “Melayu?”

I swear, I could see him shocked when I said that.

“Kamu MELAYU? atau cina?”

“Bukan bukan, saya cina la…”

And he went off scratching his head… As if he’d heard something bizarre.

I swear, if I kept on insisting that I’m a Malay, with my (quite) fluent Bahasa, he would have believed me.

 

Perhaps I do look like a Malay. A guy with dark suntanned skin, a short goatee and wearing a cap.

A Universal Studios Experience

The infamous Universal Studios, produced many many great movies, from action and comedy to romance to thrillers. Now, your favourite movies are closer to you with their Universal Studios Experience.

Get the rush of sound room at Lights, Camera, ACTION! with the help of Steven Spielberg. Enjoy the action packed live performances of actors in Water world and Broadway productions. Walk along the classic New York streets, under the glowing neon lights. Soak yourself on rapids thrill of the Jurassic Park. Get yourself haunted by the mummies in Ancient Egypt. And soon, you’ll find yourself wanting for more.

Under the hot sun and evening rain, we toured along 7 main sections – Hollywood, New York, Sci-Fi, Ancient Egypt, Jurassic Park, Far Far Away, and Madagascar. They are equally enjoyable and some sections, you’ll get the opportunity to get splashes, and in some cases, soaking wet. So don’t forget your umbrella or rain coats if you want to stay dry, but you’ll regret later for missing the joy of getting wet.

Along the New York Street, experience Broadway theatre at the Pantages Hollywood Theatre. See the classic monsters of Universal Studies come to live and dance! Sit as close as possible to the stage for a better view.

Another not to be missed is the Lights, Camera, ACTION! hosted by Steven Spielberg. See how many movie studios transform a light room into an action filled room, where you can feel and see the action for yourself.

 

Walking along, the Sci-Fi section was basically quiet as compared to the other zones.

Two main attractions – Battlestar Galactica CYLON and HUMAN roller coaster rides were non-operational. Rumour has it that the field test for the roller coaster ride failed. After a vigorous field test, the engineers decided that it’s not ready to be opened for the public just yet.

Transport yourself back to 65 million years ago, where dinosaurs once roam freely on earth. Take the Canopy Ride and soar above the sky, look at the breath-taking view from sky high. Get yourself wet on the Jurassic Park Rapids Adventure, a raft ride through the research facility of Jurassic Park.

Next water fun on list is the Waterworld live action theatre, where a war to find dry land on earth has begun. Filled with pyrotechnics, loud explosions, and adrenaline-rushed survivors, definitely not to be missed!

Come to Far Far Away and you will be enchanted by prince charming Shrek and princess Shrek. A Shrek 4D movie theatre is a real attraction, with over 500 people in the cinema screaming and laughing at the crazy 4D effects, you’ll definitely find yourself wanting to try it again. Best seat in the house? Of course the middle seat!

A lot more to see here – Ogre house, Enchanted Airways junior rollercoaster and Magic Potion Spin. They’re all mainly for kids and adults alike.

Look at this crowd in the Fairy Godmother’s Potion Shop.

 

“I like to move it move it! MOVE IT!” You’ll never forget this crazy song of Madagascar, with Alex the lion and his friends, they danced along the street and have others go crazy with them.

Basically, you’ll find much joy and fun in Universal Studios. Although there were some glitches while I was there (my sister and I had to queue up for the Revenge of the Mummy Roller Coaster ride 3 times just to find that the ride failed to operate properly during our first 2 queues) and some of the rides were still not completely open to the public, there were still much to see. At the end of the day, you’ll probably start complaining that why this great park closes at 7pm and not midnight. Well, let’s hope that in near future, they’re going to extend their operating hours from the current 10am to 7pm.

When the time is right again, I’ll be heading back there for a second time, and along with a few extra T-shirts!

Tips and Tricks when visiting:

Wear a raincoat or bring an umbrella if you don’t wish to get wet.

Jump the long queues by getting into ‘Single Rides’ zone.

Perhaps an early lunch would help you avoid crowded cafeteria. Vegetarian Meals are available at all restaurants.

Some lockers are for free of charge, look for those.

Water dispensers are available around the park.

One whole day is not enough, you might want to consider coming back!

四個月來。。。

已經是第四個月啦！就快要第五個月了。。。

經歷過種種的情緒變動。。。

從開始什麽都不懂的人，明白了社會的複雜。

每天都借著上人靜思語的陪伴，支持自己走下去。

天天都有父母親，朋友的關心，自己頓時不再覺得寂寞。

久而久之，發現到原來多數人都患上“缺愛症”，都是需要他人關心的。

祝福自己，接下來的十一個月，要更把握時間，超越自己，勇敢去夢想。

縂有一天，回頭去看，就會覺得“我長大了！”

加油吧！

Batu Caves

This was the first time I shoot at Batu Caves. A nice place to meet foreigners and talk to them…

These Iranian kids came here for a week’s holiday in KL with their parents.

 

These two Turkish ladies were huffing and puffing by the time they reach the 200th stairs.

Strangely, though there are over 200 stairs, it was quite an easy climb for me, perhaps because of the short breaks to take photographs along the way?

 

Not sure where these kids are from, but their parents were quite willing enough to allow us photograph their children.

 

As usual, seeing people praying inside the cave…

 

 

The team of photographers… =D

Dinner Together

Dinner to bid farewell to 3 學長姐...

Table full of food, and yet like not enough… they ordered some more!

A final group photo of all of us…

Will miss them dearly when they’re gone… 慈濟路上一同精進，大家加油哦！

Associated Press Photojournalist

Got this rare opportunity to meet up with an AP Photojournalist. It was a nice meet, and I definitely learn a lot from him.

We had some great discussion, saw some of his great photos, listened to how he tells each and every story, his photography life and his passion. Great boost to my photography knowledge and passion.

Definitely cherish the time we sat down to discuss about things that mattered.

Also, he shared some tips and other survival tips on the field too!

 

1. Wherever you go, always bring along DRINKING WATER and a TORCH LIGHT.

1. Zebra brand stainless steel tray is the best bullet proof material.

2. They shoot whatever they like, and share it with the whole world!

2. Always find out what’s going on with the local, ask the local journalists for info.

3. A great photo archive is at apimages.com

3. He uses 24mm 1.4 and 50mm 1.4 most of the time. Occasional 70-200mm 2.8.

4. Shoot more, observe more, study more images.

4. Compose your shots in your mind before you shoot.

5. When you’re there, just shoot, don’t think. Multiple shots helps too.

5. Find your personality. What makes your photographs so special, that people recognise it’s your work almost immediately??

6. Get your settings right before you use your cam. Also, A- and S-priority modes are very useful.

6. Sometimes, you just need a bit of luck on your side.

7. Adobe Lightroom is a very good friend. Organize your photos!

7. Emergency training is vital if you want to go to dangerous areas. You NEED IT!

8. Keep cropping and editing to the minimum. Occasional vignetting is fine.

8. Zip bags are very good during rain season. Cheapest protection is the microwave food wrap.

9.  If possible, keep triple backups – Laptop HDD, External HDD X 2.

9. Understand the local culture goes a long way.

10. During news reporting, always talk to the news journalist. Know what they’re writing.

10. Small cameras go a long way, when shooting photographs at sensitive areas which may attract unwanted attention. Be careful, NEVER attract other people’s attention.

So hope you guys learn some new things too ya!

5 malls + Little India at Brickfields

Went to 5 malls yesterday… it seemed like I surprised myself… haha.

Wanted to look for a pair of decent shoes, not too expensive ones, but the ones I saw were much out of my budget. Anyways, I just took some time to look around.

Some crazy stuffs happening at Bukit Bintang:

(1) People doing promotion on YES 4G service in front of Lot 10.

(2) A tall girl promoting “The Body Shop” Perfume in front of the mall.

(3) People queuing up to spend money at this Japanese Uniqlo shop.

 

Later on, a few friends of mine joined me on a trip to Brickfields for some photoshoot. Since it was Deepavali yesterday, so we went to Little India. Unfortunately, it was a bit of a wrong timing, so not many people were around that area.

Anyways, since we’ve got some time, we dropped by an indian Buddhist temple Maha Vihara at Brickfields.

This lady seemed so depressed… don’t know why…

A nice sunset…

After that, we went for dinner and visit the newly built water fountain at Little India.

So may people there, so crowded…

Here’s all four of us.

Fun, but tiring indeed… Definitely more trips in the future… =D

說不說?

說也不是，不說也不是。

說了，結果就中糟。真是的。。。

三川活水 KLPF Photo Exhibit

This year’s KLPF, the organizers invited Rhythm Magazine from Taiwan (Under Tzu Chi Buddhist Foundation) to exhibit some photos of the Mekong River. As the river passes by more than 6 main countries, the photographers recorded some of the most interesting photos of the people staying around the river.

I was lucky enough to enjoy the large prints of the book prior to the event. Even better, I got the chance to be part of the team that made this exhibition possible.

So if you’re free this weekend, why not head over to Mid Valley Exhibition Centre at level 3 for this annual Kuala Lumpur Photography Festival. I’m sure they’ve got some interesting events and also some free workshops for you to join in.