from ordinary to extraordinary

i’ve been wanting to take photos of the “non-natural-beauty” category and turn it into something of “artistic value” i.e. from ordinary to extraordinary. my recent trip to pangkor served as a good platform for that - particularly visits to a fish produce processing factory and an old dutch fort. managed to catch a few good pictures, but still much to learn about post-processing to bring out the best in the photos

roots creeping in between the old brick works

an old forklift next to a wooden ladder

door no. 5

sunnies

finally. with some extra fashion sense in the form of my dear sister, I finally purchased my first pair of Oakleys - CONDUCT Black Chrome Frame with Tungsten Iridium Lenses.

“Life in Sepia” - May Tan

family time?

public transport

today is the first time in AGES i actually took a bus from KL back to my hometown in Bentong. reminded me of my younger days (not that i’m THAT old now) when i had no car and had to take the bus back from KL. though i must say i enjoyed not having to drive, waiting for the bus wasn’t exactly something enjoyable. there i was lugging my laptop and sweating it out. anyway, took some time to capture a few shots on my camera and here i am now, back in Bentong

z

Sat
0100 ~ 1000 [9 hrs]
1900 ~ 2400 [5 hrs]

Sun
0300 ~ 0900 [6 hrs]
1900 ~ Mon 0700 [12 hrs]

That, is a whopping 32 hrs of sleeping time over approximately 60 hours!

renewed

fact of the month : i reached office early for the first time in the past one month or so!! yup, you read that right

just to get some facts right - i do NOT go to sleep PLANNING to be late the next day. i do have sufficient sleep. it’s just that my body just seems like it doesn’t want to get up in the morning. yes, i know that sounds lame, but that’s the truth. i think the reason why this was happening was due to the work situation i was in. but even more so, i think my body was reacting to what is going on in my mind with regards to the circumstances i was in. discontentment and negative thoughts were aplenty.

so, being able to clock in early today meant a lot! have my circumstances changed? no. but by God’s grace, my mind has been ‘renewed’. somehow, God just enabled me to shift my focus back onto Him, and away from ‘things of the world’. this shift of focus has also changed my attitude at work. over the past few weeks i had been poorly motivated and just tired. i really thank God for lifting me up.

such can be the influence of the mind over the body. for better, or for worse.

“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
- Romans 12:2

not your average superhero

the last few movies i’ve been watching have been superhero movies, namely - Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk and most recently, “Not Your Average Superhero” - HANCOCK! While the former two were flicks I had been anticipating, the latter was totally unplanned - especially since i thought Hancock would be one of those movies you in which you enjoy youself in the cinema laughing but end up coming out wondering what exactly the movie was about.

so, did i enjoy the movie? boy, i sure did! well yes, there were lotsa scenes which were - dumb. but yeah, it is supposed to be a comedy after all, and it sure did make me laugh - but what i really liked about the movie was that it portrayed moral values (albeit the handful of vulgarities throughout the movie) in an outstanding manner. two that really stood out was seeing the good in others and sacrifice - particularly on sacrifice.

sometimes what you want isn’t what’s best for you, and/or others. and sometimes, you just have to sacrifice what you want (most), for good to come out of a particular situation or relationship.

anyway. what’s up next? Dark Knight. ANOTHER superhero movie!

the pig

in Spanish, that’s El Cerdo for you that’s where me and a bunch of friends had our dinner recently. as the name would probably give away, yes, the main dishes all have to do with - pork!

i usually don’t blog about food, but i just had to, on this occasion. for two reasons mainly
1) the food. DUH! but really, if you’re looking for a porcine meal with great ambiance, this is probably the best place to have it. everything is just pork pork pork in all it’s various forms - delicious of course.
2) the bill! that meal cost me and my 10 other friends a whopping RM1600+!!! may have burnt a hole in some pockets, but definitely worth a try nonetheless.

El Cerdo
52 Jalan Tengkat Tong Shin , Kuala Lumpur
Opening Hours: Tues-Sun, 6pm-11pm
Phone: 03-2145 0511

wishlist

i shelved the idea of getting a DSLR when i got my P5100 Compact (with Manual Settings) Camera. then again, maybe not…

emptiness

“half full or half empty?” - a question many of us have heard before. diverting from the usual - notice how emptiness takes up space? it fills. emptiness fills.

ALL of us as human beings yearn for something to fill our lives with. Purpose. Meaning. some of us find it in Work. Some in Love. Others in Religion. You name it. inevitably, through these of which we occupy ourselves with, we somehow fill our lives with emptiness. a state of nothingness.

ever came to a point in your busy busy life when you ask yourself, “what am i doing with my life?”. do our activities, priorities, actions coincide with a Greater Purpose? or are we just in a temporary state of, if i may, meaningless existance? we fill our lives with a host of things. activities. in the thick of it, we may find some kind of direction. some meaning. but at the end of it, we may just be filling ourselves with emptiness.

emptiness - it fills. emptiness - it consumes. am i filling my life with emptiness? are YOU?