Balinese Statue

In Bali, You can almost see statue everywhere and they have different shape as well as size. Interestingly, there are more than hundreds of variation of the statue and there are few that gigantic, that they put in the middle of roundabout, to the smallest that they can put inside your bedroom.

Bali Statue 1 480x318 Balinese StatueThis statue I notice lie outside temple. Bali has hundreds of temple and there are few outstanding one, most common one that you can found is the temple at Tanah Lot. I like this statue, it is like giving feeling of welcoming. It is most common gesture for Balinese people to welcome and even to say hello, if you have been travel to Thailand, they also do the same gesture.

Bali Statue 2 239x360 Balinese StatueThe statue that has elephant nose, is at the entrance of my hotel. It is likely they worship this statue every morning as I can see many flower trace that found near the statue. Although Bali famous with their sunrise and sunset landscape, their statue also bring strong interest to some group of religious that come mostly from India, Thailand, Cambodia and even Indonesia itself.

I love Bali and next few post are still related to Bali.

Chilling Fraser Hill

I just come back from Fraser Hill, which need to drive roughly two hours from Kuala Lumpur to the north. I seldom heard about Fraser hill compare with Cameroon Highland, or  Genting Highland, or even Bukit tinggi. These are places that really wellknown in Malaysia for their chill environment as well as many attraction.

chilling fraser hill 480x318 Chilling Fraser Hill

I manage to take this great photo that required me to wake up around 7 am and then go outside from my hotel room, and I have prayer group with few brothers before I took this picture. I love the environment and also the temperature over there. The weather is really wet and it rains often so it is pretty dangerous when bring DSLR camera without water proof bag.

Taking picture of landscape in this condition is pretty easy, I always put my focus on nearest land, which is the trees area, and I increase my f-number to gain sharpness of my background, and I wants to get ‘blue’ feeling in my skies, so I increase my shuttle speed which force me to increase my ISO to make the exposure correct.

High ISO makes my photo looks grainy, which the effect that I do really looking for, and set my white balance around 5k area to make it ‘cold’ effect. Thus with this technique I manage to obtain the picture above, and with little correction in saturation in the lightroom (decreasing it around -2) and wallahhhh… My photo is achieve the effect in my mind.

The Sea is Calling

It has been months since my last post in this blog, been really miss a lot writing thoughts as well as the memories that I collect for these past months. I can tell that so many things happen, good things as well as bad things. There are periods where I do feel really sad about life and I tried my best to make myself busy with work, events, and also tasks so that I really wish by doing these things it can take away my time for being sad. Few factors that make me sad but there are more things that makes me excited about life.

I am still keeping my memory about my last trip to Tioman, to get my diving license and also to enjoy the nature underwater. I have so much fun with the gang that I went with, the instructor is really kind and funny, as well the amusement when I see the beauty of underwater, which makes me addicted to go dive again and again.

DSC 6654 600x398 The Sea is Calling

DSC 6657 398x600 The Sea is Calling

Few precious things that I learn during this trip are:

1. No need to worry much.

it is pretty common where we are overwhelming with so many things, especially if you stay in Kuala Lumpur or major metropolitan anywhere in the world. Our life is so full of schedule, tasks, events, appointment, and responsibility that really often took a lot of your time and energy. Worry begin creeping in and stress level increase a lot which makes people feel easily tired or always tired mentally. I have many experience mentally tired and it really took almost two weeks to really clear it, and before I manage to clear it, a new things are constantly happen.

DSC 6676 600x398 The Sea is Calling

It is why in this holiday, I do not make any busy schedule, and we just easy-go-lucky style. No need to rushing, pushing something to get things that you want. admire the life style of cat. They just  freely go to anywhere and relax, the things that I do really need so much to recharge.

2. Enjoying Friendship.

Going trips with friends is something that I do really looking forward, no matter it is big group or small group, even two person going to trip is indeed something makes me excited. Traveling is my second highest enjoyment in my life, right after drinking coffee in the rainy weather.

DSC 6760 600x398 The Sea is Calling

This diving trip, I have planned it from the start of 2011, which initial members are around 14 people. Many are interested to join and enjoy the fun, and slowly when it is closer to the month itself, one by one pulling out and left only two person above who said confirm during early 2011. Turn out, the trip really super duper fun and we really enjoy.

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It is really our luck to have friendly diving instructor, he is really good in make things simple and really patience teaching us. There is a time where he ask to wear our equipment on top of water, we keep failed to do, especially me where I keep asking him to repeat the move again and again, carefully watch him to do the demo until we all manage to do and pass the exam.

DSC 6705 600x398 The Sea is Calling

Even after so many months that I have left the island, I really miss diving, how the sea waves sound, as well as the beauty of underwater. It is really true when you dive the first time, you will get addicted and you will looking forward to dive more and more. Good thing that this month I will go to Bali to dive over there and really looking forward for the trip as well as the good holiday.

DSC 6784 600x398 The Sea is Calling

So cheers, I will upload more about the photo in Bali.

 

PS: the last photo that I upload is natural ones, without any edit at all. Just put your camera and lens inside air-con room with 16 degree, and next morning your lens will be foggy.

CNY 2011 in Penang

This year Chinese New Year, I decide to go Penang to have my vacation and also have fun time with my friends who are in Penang. We travel from KL in afternoon, purposely eat the KL char kuey tiao for comparison of what I am gonna eat in Penang. I have visit Penang for three times and all the trip that I go there are not as long as the trip that I went this CNY holiday.

It takes five to six hours to drive to penang, but the time spend to travel is depend on who drive the car, some might spend only four hours or even less depend how fast they drive. I can’t remember well what happen during the road as most of the time in the car I rest my eyes and charge my energy for this trip. When I open my eyes, it is already near Penang bridge.

Glance of penang bridge 600x398 CNY 2011 in PenangMotorcycle in Penang Bridge 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

Love the picture of the motorcycle above, the guy directly have a post when he knows there are few camera aim to him. Wanted to tag him to facebook but I do not have time to ask facebook address as we are on the highspeed highway.. Love to see Penang bridge as we are almost arrive at Penang and my food journey is almost start. Another feeling that I am happy to see Penang is, I have decide to commit to run in Penang bridge 42 KM for this November if I am not mistaken. My friend from Australia has been pestering me to join marathon with her and Last year I can’t make it as I need to travel overseas. Another goal that I want to achieve this year icon biggrin CNY 2011 in Penang

After arrive at Penang, my host gives very warm welcome to his house and cook for us. He is famous among his family and peers of how good he can cook and I have the highest privilege to taste his cooking that night, Stuff with a lot of food and also steam fish. I love the steam fish and it is very popular dish. The moment I took my camera and plan to take some picture of steam fish, it’s only bone. Prove that it is indeed really delicious.

steam boat 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penangsteam fish 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

The next day, Wake up around 8 am and that is the time for our journey for food is start, we hit the old market at Penang to taste some good quality food that some of the shop has history for serving good food for more than 25 years old. I love going for local market to try local food and also seeing how many local people are trying to sell their product, food, vegetables, cutlery, and even singing on market for some penny. It is really good exposure to seeing how local people in the place living their life daily.

Penang market 600x398 CNY 2011 in PenangLocal food1 398x600 CNY 2011 in Penang

In this market, it is my first char kuey tiao that I ate in Penang. Total char kuey tiao that I ate on that day is three plates and even the last plate cost around RM 7.5 per plate and the portion is small and service is indeed beyond human can accept. It is in the lorong selamat and it has been review in many travel magazine, in the lonely planet book, and even some travel television also do review with this restaurant. It seems to me that the taste is not as good as what the review told. Never ever will go back to this place again.

char kuey teow aunty 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

Beside all the eating and also visiting food store, tasting all the food that we must try while in Penang, we also went to batu feringgi, a good place to have beach vacation in penang. The time we went there, the place is appeared in nation newspaper due to illegal water sport in that place that run independently and ‘Take your own risk’ attitude without proper safety measure. I do love the place, but I still miss Kuta beach in Bali that I stole my heart.

Beach at batu feringgi 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

So many good places, good food and also good companion in Penang that really makes this holiday become memorable. I do love to come again to Penang mainly to visit friends and chuch member. I love all the activity and really enjoy my holiday to the max. I feel the time is stop and make me allow to release all my burden and have a rest and just enjoy the moment.

Penang in vintage 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

Last but not least, we manage to see Nasi Kandar Beratur (Queue Kandar Rice). It is quite hype in Penang at the moment. You need to queue to have some taste that the restaurant offer and I see many people willing to queue and during weekend the queue will be longer than the picture. I never taste it before but ‘Nasi Kandar Kayu’ still better and tastier according to local but the price in Kayu much higher I guess.

Nasi kandar beratur 600x398 CNY 2011 in Penang

It is conclude that I do really enjoy for all the activity and also the trip.