RANDOM | After Show

Just a quick post to end the year 2007, which have been an interesting year, be it good or bad, still an interesting year.

Just like performing a big show, the curtain's drop for the year 2007, and there's a new "journey" to look into for the next year, i.e. 2008.


Having a break after performing a national performance.

Another photo taken from the EOS 300X last few years.

BRUNEI | WEDDING | Behind The Scene

Sunday is quite synonymous with functions, particularly weddings in Brunei.

Outside, people are waiting for the arrival of guests.


Whilst inside, there are people getting ready, preparing for the big event.

On the other note, it is interesting how nowadays, one can get so much information just by watching television, especially from those cable TVs. The type of info processed in one's mind depends on what they choose to watch, if you wanna gain knowledge, then knowledge you will get, and if one tend to choose otherwise, then, you will get what you seek for.

Of which, leads to some interesting myth, of our local "folklore".

Let's not go far, some case studies can be found during the wedding ceremony itself.

One of the reknown myths or kepercayaan during a wedding function, is for the bride/groom to throw/put their soiled undergarments on top of the roof, to prevent from raining!

Before we go into a conclusion, here are some interesting or intriguing facts/scenarios:

1. Is there any scientific explanation for this? Does the soiled undergarment not add up to the increase of CO2 i.e. the effect of global warming or anything watsoever, that it will counteract with the weather situation, hence preventing it from drizzling?
2. Does the thrown undergarment gonna be picked up later after the function? OR will it be just left as it is for the whole wide world to see? Perhaps, it can get famous if someone finds it thru Google Earth!
   
3. What if this person never wears any undergarment? What shall he/she throw out? Their pants? skirts? shirts? socks? shoes?
4. Imagine if due to some unforseen reason, the undergarment or the item slips, and drops to the ground, or worst to someone's head! It ain't gonna be funny, or it will! (eh what's that on your head? Nice Tudong eh! Eh atu karing sutungnya! Adeh mahal jua underwearnya atu!!)
   
5. There are in fact more stuffs that's on top of my head but I just don't wanna put it down, except this one, baik tah cakap melayu saja, memandangkan perkara ani selalu terjadi kebanyakkannya arah perkahwinan masyakarat Melayu, yang semestinya berugama Islam, jadinya, adakan dalam ugama yang menyatakan kitani mesti membuang seluar "inside" atas atap supaya inda ujan? Banar plang nya orang tua-tua catu, but kadangnya, ada perkara ani mesti jua kitani luruskan, pasal, kalau perkara yang salah, selalu kitani buat dan bila orang kan meluruskan, jangkal dan salah rasanya, sama jua sebaliknya.
6. Jadi, my point is, kalau sesuatu perkara atu ada dalam Islam, then ikutkan tia, mun nada, baik tah tinggalkan, bukannya apa, karang ditakuti kitani "percaya" kan Seluar dalam atu tia pulang ( nah tersabut tia perkataan dalam atu), sebab inda jua kitani kan mau terpesong daripada akidah kan, apa tah salahnya, berdoa plang supaya inda ujan, atau memohon supaya dipermudahkan kelancaran sesuatu perkara/acara atu, kan sanang.

Just imagine, if such act is really true, then the weatherperson will have some hard time, or easier time, as long as they throw away their undergarment to which ever place, then that place will receive no rain! Brilliant ain't it! Aduiii!

Ok my frens, might bring up more local folklore/ myths that need to be talked about, we will try to check if it is really a myth (so that it can be busted) or if it is really a fact.

Bah just remember, apa-apa ani atas kekuasaanNya jua.

Selamat berhari minggu, your last Sunday for this year. ;)

REVIEW | CANON EOS 300X + 28-90mm

Was sorting out some camera stuffs at home, and remembered that, I still have not finish the roll of film in my Canon SLR EOS 300X!

I remember the last time I used the camera was during Brunei's National Day Parade 2-3 years ago!!

So I just snap anything, and quickly developed the film in one of the camera lab at the capital.



The above photo was taken with the Canon EOS 300X; 28-90mm, scanned digitally by the photo lab, and I just convert it to Black & White.

A sample coloured photo taken with this camera can be found here.

I was quite amazed that, even after the 2-3 years, the film was still good & usable!

The camera itself is very light, easy to operate, FULL-FRAME (as opposed to some DSLR with 1.6 ~ 1.3 crop factor).

Convenient for traveling due to:

1. With the advancement of Digital Camera, the 35mm film negative can be bought cheaply almost any place in the world.
2. Need not panic if no power supply to recharge your batteries, as EOS 300X is using 2xCR2 batteries, which also can be bought it most camera shop everywhere.
3. No need to worry about inadequate disk space problem.

You can find many good reviews for the camera, just search for it online.

Despite its goodness, I'm thinking of selling this camera if there's anyone interested, might do a special post about it some day.

REVIEW | Leica R8 + Summicron 50mm f/2

This is just a quick simple review of how this machine performs at low light/ night time.

An earlier photo sample from this machine can be found here



The above photo is the actual photo from the Leica R8, where the film negative was developed then scanned digitally directly from the photo-lab, so from my side, there is no additional post-processing or 'watsoever', and it is a full-frame, real 50mm view.

This was taken some time ago during a night discussions.

As you can see from the photo, it is easier to focus as it is using a full manual focus system plus the large clear split-image view i.e. "parallax error system" , it performs brilliantly under a low-light situation, where some dSLR with AF find it difficult to focus perfectly.

As you might already know, the Leica R8 is a film SLR (thou you can buy the add-on digital back, so it can be used as a digital SLR, but with a hefty sum of about $9K!), anyway, the film used in this photo was the one with the ISO400, (can't find any higher one).

In short, this is a very nice camera if you are want to do a photography in a "relaxing" in-your-own-sweet-time photography, as it is a full manual camera, hence everything need to set accordingly before you can actually capture those moment.

Note: Not recommended for Wedding, unless if the subject has so much time in hand.

Sepurnama Telah Berlalu ....

TRIVIA | Guess of the Month

KL? Singapore? Bangkok? Bali? KK? Bali? Lombok? Surabaya? Cilacap? Kuchrrring? Brunei? or where?


A simple yet, elegant building, so guess where is this place.

TRAVEL | SINGAPORE | Bugis Street

Whilst traveling, it is good to go to those "happening" place, where many people will be there one meh, just like this place, everytime going here, for sure so many many people wah.

So many photo opportunities, as there are so many cute kiosks selling itsy-bitsy-nitty-gritty items, hence so many stuffs to buy ( for those who loves shopping that is).



Oh, BTW, Merry Christmas to those celebrating it today.

In some parts of the continent, if you listen carefully to the radio stations, some or most of them are not manned! Some of the programmed were already pre-recorded, thus people need not got to work, and can celebrate the festive season with their love ones.

ABSTRACT | The Spiral Waterway ..

... waterway is usually smooth and straight .... but this one caught my attention ....



.... a spiral cascading waterway.... which one is up .. which one is up .... hmmmm...

STREET | Orange Attack ...

... walking along the street one morning .... when suddenly ... saw these people in Orange attires ...


... the "attack" of the orange polo short people ....

... no real oranges to give away thou ....

.. speaking of which ... you can now find loads of oranges in the supermarket in various sizes and shapes ...... those small ones can even be eaten as whole.... no need to buang the kulit one meh ... so they said ..... hmmmm.....

WEDDING | E&F | The Journey Begins ...

... beginning of a new journey .....


.. braving the rain .. eeermmm... nope... braving the shine .. on the way to a new beginning .....

BRUNEI | KNK | Penambang ...

... Thailand's proud of their Tuk-Tuk ... Indonesia ... have their Bajaj .... some eastern countries with their Beca .. or Rickshaw ... and Venice with their Gondolas ....

.. Brunei also have something to be proud of .... the Penambang of the water village ....



... one of the numerous Water Taxis along the Brunei River .... a single short trip across the river can be as cheap as BND0.50/pax ... and a half-hour cruise along the river can cost roughly at least about BND15/pax ....

.. come rain ... come shine ... the Penambang guys will always be there for the customer .....

WORLD | SALAM AIDIL ADHA ...

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILADHA



... a.k.a .... Hari Raya Haji .. or Hari Raya Korban ......

TEASER | Coming Soon ....

Coming Soon .....


(viewing the photo in large mode is recommended, as usual, click photo for larger image)

... hmmm... what is coming soon ...?

.. announcement ? ... scandals ? .. gossip ...? .... new style....? controversial photos ? ...... ada kenjutan ? enjut-enjut ... mmMMmmm...

... that .. we'll just have to wait and see ..... ;)

WEDDING | Happy Faces ...

... what do you do when something like this happens .... people on the top floor .... whilst u'r down there....... and the only lens attached was the ultra-wide lens .... no way to zoom in real close .... plus ... some "obstacles" was in the way....

... change lens ...? too late ... asked them to come close? ... nearly impossible .... asked them to pose ... ? takes too much time ... and just not my style ... ;)



... so what to do ... just capture the moment as it is ... and make use the obstacle as the framing ...

.. thou ... something's amiss with the photo ... but you can't turn back time .....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | The One After Berpacar ...

..... held usually after Majlis Berpacar ....



... Majlis Masuk Pengangunan ... will be held at the bride/groom's room ... to symbolise that the bride/groom is now ready for the married life ....



.... traditionally the bride/groom will be accompanied by their aunts and their elderly ....

.. candles will be lit .. just a symbol of a light to the new path .... (thou .. I'd presume .... in the olden day.. there were no electricity ... hence they use candle to light up the room ...and the tradition continues......)

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | Wedding Day ...

Congrats ...


... with loads of love from all of us ...

BRUNEI | WEDDING | Bunga AJK ...

.... some prefer the host family & relatives (the working comittee) to wear the same coloured dress... but usually they just wear some sort of a decorative flower on their chest ... so that the guests can ask for directions... or any query with regards to the function as a whole ....


... sample of the decorative flower....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | Majlis Berbedak ... 2

.. what else ... hmmm... since the time taken in preparation was quite lengthy ... hence.. might as well... posed with the traditional attire ....



.. amacam ... gagah sulnya ...?

... hmmm ... if Kevin's Backstreet Boys were to be in the traditional custome ... this is how he would looks like .... ;)


.. trying to find the right mood ... and suitable angle ....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | Majlis Berbedak ....

... another function .. after the "first" one ... and soon .. another ceremony will take place ....

... placing the "Berbedak" ingredient to the groom's palm ... a gesture of blessing by the elderly ...


... the decorated container to place the "ingredients" ... with the groom smiling at the background .....

.... more photos to come ...

RANDOM | The Origin of Sushi ...

Did you know that, Sushi was originated from Brunei?


.. look at the photo ... familiar ...? What is it ...? (No ... don't scroll down first ... but oh what the... I know you'll just do it anyhow .... ) ....

... here it goes ...

..... before the World War ... the Japanese ... traveled all over the world to gain knowledge ... yeap ... knowledge ....... no.. nope ... not Knowles ... that is Beyonce Knowles ..... btw ..... knowledge ... in whatever way it might be .... technology .... lifestyle .... including foodstuffs ...

... so during their occupancy in Brunei .... they found out about our local delicacies ... which includes ... yeap .. u guess it .... Pulut Panggang .... ( steamed stuffed rice wrapped in leaves)


.. from the above photo .. u can see there's a whole load of similarities between Brunei's Pulut Panggang ... and the so called Japanese Sushi ....

.. but as time goes by ... and the people .. are more and more innovative ... and of course ... more health concious ... so ... the Japanese .. they improvise the delicacies .... exchange the dried prawn in the pulut panggang to a healthier raw fish or salmon ... then exchange the leave wrap .. to the edible seaweed ....

.. so ladies and gentlemen .... there you go .... the origin of sushi ... believe it or not .... ;)

NOTE: This is based from my research and finding, the actual fact needs to be studied thoroughly.


On the lighter side of life ...

.. have you heard about the concert done by Stevie Wonder.. while he was in Tokyo Japan ...?

... Stevie Wonder .. has belted out for the past hours his hit songs .. but obviously the audience can't get enough of him ... and from the audience there's this guy shouting ...

.. " A Jazz Chord! ... A Jazz chord!! .. "

... so without hesitation ... thou he's not an actual jazz singer ... played a simple jazz chord on his piano.....

... after he finish the jazz number ..... the crowd "stubbornly" still yells out ....

... " A Jazz Chord!... We want ... A JAZZ CHORD!!!! ... "

... so trying to win the fans ... Stevie tried to play a more complex jazz number .......

.. and after ten minutes or so .. hoping to satisfied his fan .....

... the audience still keeps on shouting for more ..... " A JAZZ CHORD!! ... A JAZZ CHORD!!!"

...... Stevie Wonder ... getting a bit annoyed ... then asked the man in audience to come up to the stage .. and show him ... what he really really want .....

... and the man eagerly run up the stage .. hold the mic .. and sing the song they wanted ...

.... " .. A Jazz chord .... to say ... I ruv u ..... " .....!!??

... jgn marah ah ... ;)

RANDOM | ENRST LEITZ | LEICA IIIB (Leica F) - 1939

.. this is a rangefinder.... manufactured in 1933-1939 by Leica ....

... in order to look thru the viewfinder... one needs to really squint to see properly ... it is quite tiny ...... there's actually two viewfinder .. one to "see" what you are capturing .. another for focusing purposes...... thou there's an external accessories for it ....

.. built like a tank .... ( what do you expect if it was built during the World War) ... u can drop this on your foot .. if u want a bump on your foot that is ....

... the lens could be extended accordingly ....


...loads of dial ... and obviously ... everything is manual ... setting the aperture ..... the shutter speed....focusing.......and such ... hence the know how of manual photography is crucial here... in order to have a well exposed photo ....

... one interesting aspect of one of the many dials is...... for setting the shutter speed ... if u need to set the shutter to .. say 1/20s .. then u turn the knob to the 20 mark ... and the knob will rotate for 1/20s ... and if u want it to be at 1/200s.. then set it to the 200 mark ... and the knob will then move 1/200s ... i.e. the length of the opening of the shutter ....

... holding this classic ... ( won't say antique ) ... in your hand ... is like holding a piece of history ... or being a part of the history ... hmmm.... I suppose so .... oh well...

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | The Headgear ...

... in the local traditional wedding scene .... also one of the important piece of items as part of the cultural wear is the head gear ....

.. for the bride .. it is usually the "crown" .... or in Malay .. called the "Gandhi" ....

.... as for the design ... it is up to the individual in how they want it to be ....

... but this time around... I found this to be quite interesting ..... obviously it is not the typical crown .... and at first glance ... it seems to be like beads ....



... the head-band-like head accessories .....

... the photo was composed as such .... to show the position of the accessories .....

BRUNEI | WEDDING | E&F | Nikah ...

... congrats on the special day ...



... officiated by an Imam ... the Akad Nikah was held in front of families and friends .....

...btw... as usual ... the effect was done "in-camera" ... contrast was then done adjusted accordingly ...

RANDOM | Kain Bertenun ...

... Kain bertenun .... is a special kind of woven clothes .. use usually during a special function or ceremony ....

... a piece of the cloth (2M length) can be as low as B$200 and could be as high as more than B$3000 a piece ... especially the Kain Tenunan Brunei ...



... the one with the golden thread .....

RANDOM | Sepinya Si Kerusi Biru ...

... being alone is one thing .... being lonely is another .....
.. thou being alone doesn't necessarily mean being lonely ....

... some are not alone ... might be accompanied by loads of friends or families ...
.. yet they are feeling lonely still ...

....so I guess being lonely is more miserable than being alone....
.... hmmm.. would u be along or lonely ....?

... the feeling of loneliness ... cannot be cured by money .. or can they ...?


.. an isolated .. and empty seat ... in a large foyer ...

TRAVEL | SINGAPORE | The Royal Plaza on Scotts... Experience...

... one of the most important things to have in hand.... or one should have booked earlier prior to the arrival to a destination.... is a place to stay .. be it a simple lodging ... plush hotel .... friends/relatives' crib ... or wherever... as long as u have a decent place to stay ... and to store your belonging safely ...

.. with the advancement of the internet .. it is now a "breeze" to book a room via the net ... but one must be aware that ... peak seasons ... and very close to the destination.. one could experience a nightmare in booking a room ... the price could also be hiked ....

.. so once u get your ticket confirm ... book your hotel ASAP ....

... one can be spoiled for choices in making a choice in booking a room .... some prefer ... proximity .... one prefer comfortability ... some ... price... some doesn't really care .. as long as there is a place to stay ....

.... but .... if one prefer a dirt cheap hotel ... one should also be concerned of the hotel's safety rating .... so how can u know how good the hotel is .. if u have not been there before ....

... well... ask around... surely .. you've got someone who have been there ... or otherwise... u can just check on the net for ratings and comments ....


.. the reception at the Royal Plaza Hotel on Scotts .... the reception in any hotel is the very first place you go to everytime you walk into the hotel .... but not in this case.... why ...? .. I'll let you know in a bit ...

.. situated less than 5 minute walk from the ever bustling Orchard Road .... the hotel is the first 100% smoking free hotel in Singapore ...

... during a vacation in Singapore ..... and as the Airport taxi stop in front of the Royal Plaza on Scotts' main entrance ... the taxi door was opened by the hotel's staff and immediately ... to our amazement ... we were greeted by our Surname ..... !! WOW! .. ( how many hotel do such thing? .. name me one or two more ... )

.. what an amazing first impression .... not to be bothered with the luggages .. entering the pleasantly nice aromatic scent in the lobby ( it always smells that way every time you walk pass the lobby!) ... we were then ushered into the lift .... and straight to our room ....! .... everything was done in the comfort of the room ....

... so there's no need to fill in any form .. standing .. or what so ever by the reception desk ...

... see I told u so .... in fact ... checking out can also be done in the room ... but ... I just wanna meet up and greet the staff at the reception during checking out .. so I just walk there....

... everything was pleasant during the length of the stay .... and the good news for Muslim travelers ... the restaurant at the lobby i.e. Carousel .. is Halal certified by the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore .... and the food was great ! .....

.. and for those who loves shopping for branded goods .. such as LV .. Coach .. Dunhill ... Mont Blanc .. Gucci ... Le Sports Sac ... and such .... next door is the Duty Free boutique ....discounts for tourist....

... hmmm .. what else .. oh yea .... free mini bar ... the mineral water and soft drinks are replenish daily .... good news for those soft drink lovers... and good news for the " I-can't-stand-without-connecting-to-the-net" ... free Wi-Fi for the guest .....

.. hmmm... final say ... Royal Plaza on Scotts ... with their slogan of " What can we do for you" ... is totally recommended for your next stay ...

TRAVEL | Hotel Babylon ...?

.. often ... on the telly .. we can watch .... the series of only some batch of working professional .... like .... Police ... Hospital ... Lawyers .. and such ... but do they have a series about .. eermm... Engineers...? ... Architect...? ... Geophysicist ...? ...

... but I do know they've got teachers (Mind Your Language) .... hmmmm what else ... Chef ... loads of 'em ....

..... well .. there's an interesting series on BBCE .. about the hospitality industry ... i.e. the inside operation of managing "an exclusive" 5 stars Hotel ... called Hotel Babylon ..... not connected with River of Babylon .. nor the Hanging Garden of Babylon .....

.. it is very interesting really .. watching their 24-7 operation... some sort of eye opener ...

.. so if u haven't watch it ... try watching it once or twice.... u might like the hang of it .... :)


... so is this part of the Babylon .... or ...... gambar hanya sekadar hiasan .... ;)

RANDOM | That Reflection... & World AIDS Day ..

.. just a simple reflection on the car's screen of a function/ ceremony taking place ...



... on the other hand .... I got this thru email for you info ...


WORLD AIDS DAY ...

World AIDS day was marked on the 1st of december 2007. Brunei Darussalam Aids Council will mark Brunei's version of world aids day occasion on the 6th of december. This event is open to public.

Details are as follows:

Date: 6th Dec 2007, Thursday
Time: 1400 HRS - 1630 HRS
Venue: Bilik 2, ICC, Berakas, BSB

Guest of honor: Deputy Ministry of Health

... with performances from youth- dance troupe, bands..... and the theme for this year should be leadership:talk and act ....

.... so all of u are invited .... :)

WEDDING | The Guest ... Ver.2

.. so here's the 2nd part ...

... a lively smile .. just for the photo moment ... :)

WEDDING | The Guest ... ver.1

... actually I wanted to post this quite some time ago ... anyway .... here u go ....

... whilst posting multiple photos ... some commented that .. it takes a while to view the full photo .... so ... I'll just upload this in 2 parts ....

WEDDING | Tempat Penyiraman ...

.. another one of the props use in traditional Malay wedding .....

... "tea-pot" for "washing" the groom's feet ...

.. well... it is not really use to literally clean the feet .. but just some sort of a symbolic gesture ..

.. but perhaps ... in the olden days .. they actually do clean their feet with it ... but as time goes by ... our sanitary system .... is getting better ... hence... the road.. is much more cleaner.... and even the groom need not have to walk passing thru the dirt ... it is one house... then to the vehicle... then to the bride's place......