My morning in Ijok

This tiny sucker is elusive. He flies in random order and only come to rest, perched on the foliage merely for seconds. After a cup of sweat and dirty pants, I still couldn’t get a decent shot on him. This is the best I could get that I need to crop heavily for my image – less than satisfactory.

Ijok is a constituency in the state of Selangor, some 65km from Kuala Lumpur. From my house to this tiny dreary township of Ijok, it is only some 15km on a straight line, no big deal for me to get there. But it’s a big deal to go there if I don’t really have any apparent purpose.

Of all the places on earth, I went there looking for butterflies to capture. As if butterflies are that scarce that cannot be found elsewhere but Ijok. When I got back home, I saw similar butterfly was happily roaming in my yard.

This is my catch of the day – a splendor. What good is Ijok without her?!!

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This beautiful girl in the picture gave me a nice spread of her wings for my shot.

I have a feeling that it is less fun to go capture butterflies in the Butterfly Park where there are actually plenty of beautiful butterflies with wide varieties of sub-species to shoot at.

The thrill of locating them in the wild and chasing after them is perhaps to me reckoned to be called fun as compared to getting just pictures as pictures of beautiful subjects. I don’t know, maybe I am befuddled between my infatuation and my preference here – just like my ambiguity over blogging or just simply upload image in the flickr. Cool!

All I know, I had so much fun hunting them down next to the nippy cemetery in an isolated part of Ijok, Selangor.

This image is my personal favorite. I favor this based on the merit of photography (that I perceived as one)

I’d suggest you to view LARGE to appreciate it better, or LARGER

You’ll see fine details on her upper body with lucid tresses until the head part and the antennas that make significant contributions to the image character. Blurry upshot at the tips of the wings is to illustrate the proximity of the subject being captured as in a way to suggest a sense of depth. And, please don’t be overlooked; the exquisite adornment on the wings with the electrifying color is no less than interesting either – apart from the smooth bokeh that to me is something to be valued at.

It is worth my while to spend my morning in Ijok with these great captures.

In Memories of Raffie Hussain

This picture is my last photo of Raffie Hussain. I took this in the office during an interview with a local publishing house, 2 weeks before Aidilfitri last year.

He had already becoming an artist when I was still in high school. He was one time dubbed as Elvis Presley of Kelantan for his singing style. During my absence for studies in overseas, I learned that he was also making name in acting ─ he played in a popular local movie, Azura.

Little did I know in my later years, Raffi Hussain would be my business partner of which it abruptly ended in October 2008 when he collapsed and passed away at his parents' home in Gombak due to heart attack. He was supposed to celebrate his 49th birthday the next day, 15th October.

I was in the middle of Hari Raya Celebration at my wife's work place when I received the news. I took my whole family, rushed to the Selayang Hospital, only to wait for his remain at the mortuary. He was pronounced dead on the arrival.

His movie project on "The Chini: Awaken" came to a halt and had practically die off as well..

May Allah Bless His Soul!

These are Raffie's kids out of five (The youngest was not born yet the time he passed away). It is taken during the family "majlis buka puasa" at our office. I'll do what I can to see these kids grow up.

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Istana Jahar, Kota Bharu, Kelantan

Istana Jahar is a remainder of the great Kelantan Monarchy in the bygone eon. As I learned, this palace was built in 1887 by Sultan Mahmud II for his grandson, Long Kundur. (Note: We hardly have this primeval name around for a person now).

This palace is finely carved out of wood with complex patterns; a conspicuous testimony of fine craftsmanship employed by the people in the state.

It's now been transformed into a museum showcasing Kelantan’s culture. If you have the opportunity to be in this part of the planet, please do visit the place. They also have things on display include photographs, artifacts and other exhibits.

Looking at this magnificent edifice, I couldn’t help but fantasizing me as a king living in it. I could imagine I’d be at the balcony enjoying my tea brewed from the finest tea leaves while watching a cock-fight in the compound, cheering for my favorite rooster to beat the hell out of the opponent rooster.


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Gunung Senyum.... Here we come!!!

You can see big smiles on my children’s faces in the photo (Sam – left, Fara – middle and Edrin – right) They had better, as to live up to the name of the place, Gunung Senyum.

The place is located some 160 km from Kuala Lumpur in the state of Pahang. It’ll take you to a sleepy township of Temerloh after a smooth ride on the Karak Highway. From Temerloh to the mountain proper, you’ll enjoy the ride on the trunk roads with the staple view of oil palm plantations all the way. Travelling time from KL is about 2½ hours (2 hours if you’re driving Porsche)

If you care to scale a mountain as an adventure for the whole family members, Gunung Senyum is the right place to be at. It comprises a fairly less challenge climb as the track to go up is readily available. With little boost in stamina, even an elderly grandmother can make it to the peak.

It’s a pity if you’re overweight that could even barely enjoy a climb on a stairway of a 2-storey building. If that’s the case, better off stay in the comfort of your living room.

SMILE!

Fara and her little brother Edrin are impishly making faces for my shot. This is taken at the entrance at the foot of Gunung Senyum.

The mountain does keep her secrets that only meant to be disclosed to the nature lovers who are keen to make realize a rendezvous. If you are one, you’d be delighted to explore the place. Apart from her natural beauty with lush greeneries of the virgin forest, the place embraces many interesting caverns and handsome rock formations.

Later in the day, you’ll head home leaving the grandiose of the mountain behind with respect.

Oh yeah, don’t forget to bring along your smile to the mountain.

Do you have 6 hours 45 minutes of your life to see what the place has got in store for you? That is what reads in the notice prepared by the state authority the approximate time taken to summit and back.

These images, as in any other images of my kids, they will serve as a record of a good time we have had. As it is valuable and precious now, it would be even more in years to come.

One fine day when the kids are no longer under my arms, I’d wake up in the morning; flipping through prints of the images of the past just to feel exactly what I was feeling many years before.

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My stopover along the KL - Putrajaya Highway

I stopped and parked my car at the truck parking lot at the Rest & Recreational area along the KL - Putrajaya Highway for this capture.

The trains of traffics with the headlights beaming and the street lights looked amazing when I was on the top of the hill tolerating the undulating slopes with smooth roller coaster ride minutes before. I thought I would have captured it nicely but what can I say, the view point at the place I stopped at was not as good as what I saw before.

I bet many KLites have not even used this highway yet. It only opened in recent months.

It offers road users a shorter and more direct route to the federal administrative capital Putrajaya, Cyberjaya and the KL International Airport (KLIA), cuts short by 30 minutes to get to the airport from Kuala Lumpur. It is accessible from KL starting at Kg Pandan Interchange.

Of an old man in a sorry state

The old man of 80-plus in this picture is actually no other than my own flesh and blood. He’s my mom’s cousin. He’s been down with hemiplegic for the past 6 years, helpless and confined to a wheelchair. I knew him as a well-built and strong man when I was little but now he is in a sorry state.

I visited him during my last holidays in the hometown. While talking, he seems lost in his own thought. He spent much of his time pondering – staring point blank moments after anything he rests his eyes upon.

It made me sad. I could almost feel what he was feeling especially when I asked about whether his grown-up children in KL visited him or not. He scrambled for words amidst his grumble and I knowingly nod without a definite answer given.

Note:
Often time when I have image of an old man in hand, I would want to have it treated in Black & White. The image of this old man is no exception. It must be something to do with what entrenched in the back of my mind. Perhaps, I’d automatically associate old man with the past era when the technology of the day had yet to see the arrival of color printing.

Maybe the scars of experience crafted in the face make good exercise for my experimentation with tones. Or maybe black & white finish would give better mood due to his suffering.

Be as it may with the underlying principle, I think it’s cool to have this image treated in such a manner.

God of Prosperity and the winning photo

This is a picture of a man in God of Prosperity costume showing thumbs up for the photo hanging on the wall. “Ichiban” he said, means, “Very good!” in Chinese.

That photo is actually one of the selected photos exhibited at the Annexe Gallery in Central Market Avenue, Kuala Lumpur (Jan 18th - Feb 1st, 2009). The exhibition is organized by PhotoMalaysia.com with the theme “OUR VANISHING HERITAGE”.

I am proud to tell you that, the photo on the wall is a work of my own personal friend and neighbor, Dr. Zul, here. He deserves to be recognized for this great street photography shot. The photo complements the exhibition theme and it satisfies the panels’ stringent criterion for quality photo to be exhibited.

I went there this morning for the exhibition. I didn’t know they were having function in the area in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year Celebrations. The Minister of Arts, Culture & Heritage, Dato' Seri Shafei Apdal was the guest of honor. They have lion dance, musics played using traditional musical instruments, a parade of men and women in traditional costumes with photographers from local media on the tail and the God of Prosperity as a mascot.

I just blend in with the photographers and even met my old friend Bazuki, shooting for Reuters.

When the entourage reached the gallery, I looked for the opportunity to have the God of Prosperity to pose for me with Dr. Zul’s picture. He sportingly did what I asked with both his thumbs pointed up.

The God of Prosperity is very often associated with Chinese New Year, as in the new coming year, the Chinese will pray that they can prosper and become richer.

Gong Xi Fa Chai to all my Chinese friends.

Have a nice weekend and HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Finally... they tamed the lion

Seen here is the lion head of the costume for the lion dance lying on the pavement. In a moment, a trained chap will be behind it with help from his buddy ducked behind him to form the lion's body and the hind legs. The lion will then dance to the unassailable yet rhythmic pounding of a drum and cymbals with the agile moves and finesse that would mesmerize the spectators.

I was once standing next to the cymbals player watching the dance, only to have me ringing in the ears for the whole day.

This year, the Chinese celebrate the Year of the Ox in their lunar calendar. In Malaysia, people at all levels would “celebrate” the occasion as much as everyone would also “celebrate" Eid Al-Fitr for Muslims, Deepavali for Hindus and Christmas for Christians. Well, even if it isn’t essentially everyone’s festivity, to the very least everybody here in the country is enjoying the long public holidays.

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!!!

Expensive things always come in a cheap way

The shells are cheap but the memory is expensive. No big deal if we go buy ‘em somewhere but it is a big deal when we had fun collecting them at the shore.

It happened many months ago. I was at the unlikely place with my children, early in the morning at a small fishing village in a tiny coastal township called Sekinchan, Selangor — collecting these shells.

Bakawali bud and cactus in flawed pot

Call it mysterious if you like. The flower only blossoms at 12 midnight and lasts for as good as 3 hours. The plant in my yard flowers a few times already but I am yet to witness it blooms before my eyes.

View On Black

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From Wikipedia

It’s known as Epiphyllum oxypetalum scientifically. Epiphyllum oxypetalum or Dutchman's Pipe is a species of cactus and one of the most cultivated species in the genus. It is also referred to as Night blooming Cereus and often confused with species of Selenicereus.

This species was originally described from cultivated material and its true place of origin has never been truly understood. In 1909, C. A. Purpus collected a slightly different type in St. Ana, Orizaba, Mexico. It has carmine red outer petals and the flowers have an unpleasant smell, rather than being fragrant. It was originally named Phyllocactus purpusii, but does probably not deserve any botanical recognition.

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Right! The pot is not perfectly circular. I got it 3-for-RM10 from the reject shop in Merbau Sempak, and not too bad for my cactus.

P/S: I am still having hard time to figure out how the name Merbau Sempak comes about.

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Of governing Pedra Branca and reminiscence of rice field

Those square shapes are actually paddy plants that been moved from the nursery before it is plucked and planted in rows and lines with 1 or 2 or maybe 3 strands of it in a single cluster. More room for them to grow when spaces are created in between the clusters. The nursery for breeding the plants is in another plot of land. They are taken care of right from the seeds until such time to move them over to another land plot like in the photo above, to be planted and to yield the rice when they mature.


Pedra Branca is better known as Pulau Batu Putih among Malaysians. It is a sad thing when we have lost our dominion over the tiny island to Singapore. A few lessons can be learnt from the incident. On the administrative level, the lesson is, do take care of our soil and never let people establish their footing for you will later loose the ownership.

For civilians like you and I, accept it wholeheartedly when we were once put the trust in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to tackle the dispute and they did their job, delivered the verdict and substantiated well legally.

Whilst it has been hard to accept the fact of loosing Pedra Branca as far as sovereignty and pride are concerned, perhaps it is not too hard on me personally as I still remain as the governor for the island – GABENOR PULAU BATU PUTIH. I am kidding! I know that’s silly but I love saying foolish thing like this. LOL!

Forget about Pedra Branca for a moment. Let me relate to the pictures that grace this entry (as you may later see my digression due to pivotal point of Singapore). These pictures are taken when I brought my family to Tanjung Karang a couple of months back. For those of you who are not aware that Tanjung Karang also does have rice fields, I want to assure you, it does. Their economy is not just confined to sea-related produce alone as the impression one might have. Or you may not even have any idea about it?!

The serenity and tranquility of the rice field brings me back to my childhood days. And not without the kind of special feeling that always comes knocking upon looking at it. On an occasion when I am all alone entertaining my own thoughts at the edge of the field while my eyes would go as far as my eyes can see, mixture of feelings would come without warning that makes my eyes water. I would see my frail body splattered with mud playing in the field. I could hear the echo of a cow mooing in the distance. I’d vividly hear grandpa shooing a school of birds to be away from the field. And I would see cynical smiles and contemptuous smirks from specters for no apparent reasons.

Yet I am there slightly get my pants soiled upon sitting on the grass and come to realization that it happened in the past decades when the giggles of my kids playing nearby overshadows.

I was staying with grandparents as dad passed away since I was small and mom had her own life somewhere. To make matter worst, we were staying with another two cousins under the same roof. Due to some ill twist of fate, my uncle had divorced his Singaporean wife. The wife refused to take the kids along and he was then facing concrete wall in juggling his life in Singapore between career and small kids under his arm. By the way, my uncle studied in Singapore when he was small, staying in there since and even calls Singapore as home until today. See here

Decision was made; sending his small kids under the care of my grandparents would be better idea, at the onus of poor old folks.

There we were, surviving by the day with least allotments to continue living. Somehow we pulled it through despite of the hitch, thanks to the fine nurturing that taught us to be not just tough but also not to be deprived from self-esteem. And it also circumstantially taught us to tell no difference between siblings and cousins.

Now all of us have grown up, became adults, have families and lead quite successful lives on our own standard, but the very lives we had under the care of grandparents is always special to us.

And rice field will always be dearly to me.



It's a classic design of a simple bridge made out of wood that normally would be constructed to connect between the dry land to rice field across the waterway. This sight can be seen everywhere in the area.


This is an essential element to grow rice – a waterway, to irrigate the land. With its presence, not only it is meant for practical reason but it adds serene and beauty to the area too.

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Moronic product of edification

It captures the imaginations of kids with this icon of a Japanese cartoon series. The irony of it all is, many years ago, it became an issue and debated over in the Parliament. I don't know whether the MP was silly or Doraemon was too influencial until it makes a debut in the Parliament.


I was once wondered why kids like to watch cartoons!? It took me long before I got the answer, that not until I stumbled upon an article about it in the local dailies.

As kids do not possess the complexity in thinking, simple by nature; they would prefer to see things in simple form. The outward appearance of cartoon characters made kids easy to be acquainted with, perhaps requires less chemical processing in the brain to finally accept it as something they like.

The cartoon character is only drawn with the basic outline to resemble the look as for the eyes, nose, mouth and ears which finally sheathed in the shape of human face. Likewise the basic outlines are applied to resemble animals and objects too.

For kids, that is enough to incarcerate their thoughts and imaginations as those are life characters, impartial to the level of their brain activity.

But we adults, our minds are corrupted, way too sullied to see those simple characters without harboring thoughts of proper skin tones, precise facial expressions with specific facial muscles at work, a degree of grace in movements and all until it becomes less appealing to enjoy those cartoon characters as much as kids do.

In short, we make things complicated. Throughout the years lived, we keep on adding unnecessary paraphernalia in our standard for taste and liking. All the basic outline and figure of things are no longer enticing as we keep on piling the pre-requisites for our penchants.

Onto that, little wonder the real fight between humans is only demonstrated when they are grown-ups and are smart enough to discern between good and bad. The irony is kids fight more often than adults do even at a snap over a cookie. But, due to their simplicity in way of thinking, the inferno settles down as quickly as the outburst and tantrum built up and oblivious over the earlier affray.

Adults can be at their lowest point, worst than kids. Adults even fail to see flag as a flag when they start seeing what colors and design they made up to be.

Sheesh! Kids are better than you!

I was driving around on that Saturday morning looking for good place for breakfast and it brought me to Kg Baru area, a traditional village in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur. I stopped over at Dewan Sultan Sulaiman to find out that an open field next to it was filled with school kids from the elementary school nearby.



Coincidently, a busload of kids stops over in that afternoon when I was there at Sultan Abdul Samad Mosque, KLIA

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The mockery of my guts

It puzzles people when I show this image to them. It is fun to see their foreheads wrinkle, as much fun as I am photographing it. I name it as Pseudo-Galaxy. Can you guess what this is?

I may be writing and replying in a lot of political issues in prominent blogs in the cyberspace under assumed nicknames but I want to keep the record clean in my personal blog from politics. This is mainly due to realizing that I am not the type of person inclined towards partisan politics but more on quests of understanding the nature of the issue is raised; try to rationalize it and for my own consumption, figuring out the best possible answer to it to resolute community unrests – and on top of it to visualize what would benefit the society.

Throughout the pursuit, I found out that more often than not, issues are just mere blusters and innuendos. They’d blow things out of proportions over the course of justifying what they want to have the way the very issue is projected. They’d shout profanity at each other and blasphemous over others’ prudent. It is hardly can be seen one agrees with what opinionated by the counterpart even though when it principally deserves an agreement for it indisputably is meritoriously spot-on. They won’t easily trade-off. It’s a tough thing for a living soul with a heart like me to comprehend, let alone to swallow – and it is saddened.

Anyway, I don’t want to carry those frustrations, disappointments and disenchantments into this “From the Governor’s Desk” blog. Let it remain as the place for me to entertain myself with the heavenly things that I see in my day-to-day life. Let it remain for me to record the growth chart of my kids and it is for me to see what kind of emotions behind what I had to write when I would later recall. Let it be the place for me to rekindle my past to have me reminded from where I come from and what pasts made me today.

And let it be the place of sojourn from my daily tasks.

And….. You know what? The one I wrote above comes from deep within me despite of my digression when I hit the keyboard without knowing what I want to write.

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I want you to enjoy these pictures.

These are taken during our recent trip on Sunday (4th May 2008) to Kalumpang Resort in Kuala Kubu Baru. I had fun playing in cool water of the stream with my boys Sam and Edrin. Fara and her mom were just contented to just watch us from the distance.

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