overdued Penang postings....

and well back to the previous penang postings, my ex-colleagues and i visited temple after temple, u name it from the Kek Lok Si temple, to the oldest Kuan Yin Temple in Georgetown, Penang to this one, didnt manage to get good pics from the former but this wasnt really great either! this was sumthing we visited on the 2nd day after a bloatsome buffet breakfast at Sunway Hotel, Penang Island..

i could hear a disgruntled Jon reluctantly ferrying us places in his zippy red Myvi...... (*shuyii pokepokes Jon*)

well he got to visit Midlands Mall in the end to shop for his transformers... so there!
*jon pulls a sulky face*

by day's end at Kek Lok Si temple, after having our dinner at the famed Ayer Itam Asam Laksa, his face was longer than a bittergourd's, haha! and i am amused, sHnapping away! *smiles gleefully*


well, without further ado ofcourse : -

entrance of the Thai Buddhist temple, its glorified gilded gate greeting us all!

got these sleepyheads posing for me...(note the tongue-in-cheek look on Ken's expession!)

bright sunshiny rays catching a rare sparkle on the crown of the stupa

lastly but no least, finally a shot with me in it
the shuyii on the far left, Kian, Danny, Kim & Ken (Jon is m.i.a AGAIN!)

and i do notice for the past few postings... i am kinda like a *portrait-liking-person... for at least most of my shots are composed that way, (and i have no idea why!!)
didn't realise that till a friend of mine pointed out my portrait-tendency while we went shooting interesting sights in Malacca last Raya holidays! more pics to come next..

i hope i will be finished by the weekend for the KLPac posting as i will be busy on 11th & 12th October 2008 for the 1000 Offering Event organised by LDC (Losang Dragpa Centre) at the Chinese Assembly Hall from 10am - 9pm! please do all feel free to come! :D

Kek Lok Si temple, Ayer Itam

here are the remaining pictures taken at Kek Lok Si temple at Ayer Itam, Penang Island! I very much look forward to visit this particular temple , (much to Jon's chagrin) particularly during the Chinese New Year celebration for their Lights and Lanterns displays... Hundreds or THOUSANDs of these beautiful red & yellow lanterns made up the vibrant display of lights which filled the night's sky and the temple's exterior with an air of warmth, evoking the festive mood, truly an awesome sight to behold!

a random shot at the foot of the temple... testing out my shutter speed, flash & camera settings..

here's kim, my first subject for a night shot! :)

we were greeted with strings and strings and more of these red lanterns when we approach the Grand Prayer Hall...

Kek Lok Si Temple, flanked by strungs of colourful lit lanterns & fairy lights! :)

a different view of the same building....

My favourite shot of the batch as it emphasises symmetry, just tad dissapointed as the tip of the tower's cropped off...

Spot the S.I buddies!!!!!!!! :) :D

Reminiscent of Funfair Grounds, fairy lights, the sweet burnt smell of caramel popcorn, pink Cottoncandies, Juggling Clowns on stilts, the familiar tune of carnival music tinkling, children's laughter in the background...

another view taken at the base near the parking lots.....no flash in this shot so gotta hold real still in the wind's chill! *shivers my timbers*

with little flicker of lights from the bustling streets coiling and meandering its way up to the temple

and lastly, the S.I Buddies! clockwise :- Jon, Danny, Kian, Kim & Ken
m.i.a : ME (cos i photograph!) teheee!

nikon d80 debut appearance

a few experimental shots.. some shaky ones as my hands detects a sudden shift in weight from the nifty *icKle Canon S3 IS to the robust Nikon D80.. please bear with me and do feel free to C&C... ten Qs.

do clicky for larger clearer images
light & flower offerings at temple in Kepong on Mooncake Festival

Buddha's altar laden with fruit, MoonCookies, waterbowls & pretty Chrysanthemum arrangements

way to the chambers........

Merry Christmas To You!!

lethargic.

so its almost the end of the 2week long celebration for cny.
gone rounder? very much!!!
all from the excessive makan sessions at fren's place, relative's,our own reunion new year's eve (a MUST every year!- and we play host) - thats about 24 hours straight ofsteamboat's worth!

not to mention feeling so bad for threwing up my lunches two days backs in a row, they could have gone to much hungrier tummies. festive seasons oways an excuse for wastage, thrwoing unfinished food and such. and i hate mamak! im gonna ignore mamak for as long as i remember having my head half buried in the bowl painstakingly emptying my bowel. i felt like a drab. sourish after-taste in my tongue. i remembered it like its still on my tongue! yikey!

will be posting my post(or pre-)nauseating pics soon (when i was in Tioman with colleagues and were well fed and seasoned - yes note my new tanned tint!)

waking early to watch Charlotte's Web tmrw with fuz. sitting next to piggy watching another! whoops. speaking of the year of the oiNk, im determined to work my way out of my piGgy state -its hurting my ego that fuz is starting to workout at gym while im dreamily wishing the spare tyres to roll away by themselves one fine sunny day! whaM*! back to reality!

but i gotta be heading to pig now, its almost 3am! nitesy!

Motion Blur (not HAZE blur!) ;P

since the city's been shrouded in haze recently, and my camera's been under the sheets for few darn weeks. an ex-colleague of mine just called and asked me if i m interested to join him for shotting tomorrow at Bkt. Jalil,and i had to decline him because im catching the movies tomorow! im going shooting next week hopefully, and i hope the weather's finer by then! i hate bleak, grey, depthless quality pictures.

pictures are taken sumtime last month before the haze craze, inspiRed by Motion! :)

a lantern festival event held at Puay Chai Primary School. Parents, kids throng in with lanterns!

testing my night taking shots here, i didnt realise someone running across till i edited the text earlier! i was standing very still taking this shot, with a very slow shutter speed~!

younger sis blocking her face from view, she;s camera shy By Nature!

blocking her face again with her favourIte stuffed Smurf! can u tell if its sHrinking or ExpandiNg?

a Car captured speeding past, leaving a trail of taillight behind! :)

to support the online petition : BAN AEROSOL FOAM SPRAYS pls click ----> here
for more infos on the topic go Here
as for why i am putting that all up

more elaborations in upcoming entries

chaos peePs!
HappY neW yeaR!

the wEekend's ((merry)) itinerary

had a gOod nite rest the nite befOre, it was a loNg (but short) Boxing day (26/12/05) spent all in one place suPPosedly doiNg my model, but ending up doIng some other stuFf as well. Lunch@ BV was great, it was first time having toMyam on an empty stoMache without having to end up with gastric after that. saW soMe decoRated gingerbread housEs, they lOok toO adOrable a buNch to be muNched, all dressed up in coOkie/cereal rOofs and windows, M&M's, marshmallows, caNdies, chOcolate brIck walls, coloured croquant floors!! so sacchariNe-loaded!! (shivers like jelly now, lol)

started woRk afteR lunch, redrawed my 1st and 2nd floOr plan, trace again with gRids, plot points onto my board, cut, paste, but looking at it i've only done so .... little! dangz! Had a very simple yet unusual dinner, steamed chicken (stuffed with red dates) with boiled potatoes in jackets and butterhead lettuce salad! lol. having dinner without rice for a change at friend's place :) thaNk you tedDy for cOoking for us! *grIns*

drove home at approx 10pm feeling a feeling i havent felt before. it wasnt tired or exhausted. it was a contented feeling. the sort that leaves u breathing calmly, suddenly driving home isn't something i dread doing, or woRrying what lies beyond ready to leap on me at the destination. suddenly all these don't matter anymore, puzzles me. lol

toDay i chatted with dee agaiN and she sent me some piCcies that werE taken with her camera. so i decided to post some in toDay's entry as a certain teDdy complained about reading a *boring* bloggie with no visuals.

meant to blog about the field trip to pd and chRistmas diNner but i guess i am tOo lazy now trying to recall so i'll just let the piccIes do the talkiNg... well here's one taken in Port Dickson when we'd just arrIved! dee so Can't wait to take pictures but this was a quiCk one by ouR fren anNisa! everyone just wHipped out theiR cameras and start clicking away!

in Port Dickson....................................

dee & i at PD when we arRived, steppiNg on a whOle lot of pine/durian cones. ummm. foot massage anyone?

can u see hair getting into my mouth? lol. that was the wiNd! it was blowing at (seemingly every direction) because wherever i stand, my hair lOoked blowN asKew!!!

the weather was great as the clouds are doiNg a supErb job curtaining the rays of sun. the pouR earlier helped made the beach breeze cooler too. it was a happy day to hop and frolick by the shore, kicking the sand and getting washed by the waVes...

after much exploring, we settled for an area to stack our belongings and were split into groups. We have about 4 juniors in our group of 8 and our fIrst tasK was to complete a saNdcastle within an hour, resembling as much as the oRiginal building, as detailed as can be.

Was the slowest group to start as we had no clue what building to build. No Petronas Twin Towers or Eiffel ToweR or Chrysler Building!!! then Megna came along and decided to join us in our sandcastle building, she suggested a certain *city ruins of the Mohhenjo-Daro* we knew it is NOT a building but we all knew how easy it is to build a ruin!(no matter how DETAILED! haha) the lecturers aka the judges (suRprisingly) approved of our *building* so we started runNing to and fro fetching water in pails, diggIng, softening the sand, making a good mix with seawater, erecting the buildings and making it as *ruin-ish* as possible! The cylindical tower makes it the hardest to build as dee and alEx had to build and rebuild over a number of times just to get it stand! 3 parts of sand to 1 parts of water......... or it it 2:2???? errr...

higgledied - piggledied mass of sand - the city ruins of Mohhenjo-Daro! does that look like early civilisation to u???

Although we didn't win the best sandcastle, but we didnt bag the woRst either! *phews* lol. the group who lost is going to get buried in sand! but it turned out we don have all time diGGing for the 8 of them so kenji and wayNe will just do as pRoud rePresentatiVes, lol. don't have the pic at the mo, but its hilarIous when u get to see it, readers under 18, u aRe ForBidden! lol

came across thEse crab holes(homes) while strolling by the beacH! resEmble a lot like the *tong yuens* i made that morning, albeit not in that muddy colour..silly!

a self-taken piccy of meself!! HaiR askew-again!!!! the wiNd is eveRywHere! definitely not a place for wigs...

was a great trip altogether, i just forgotten one thing and it was my sunblock, everything else was just nice, the company, food, activities, weather

i just SO don't like my lobster appearance now, thats all. lol

on Christmas Eve.........................................

dee & i,on our way to midvalley foR christmas eve dinner..i am so blackenned!!!!!! arGHhh

dee and i, (again) all decked in white for the white christmas!! a few falling snowflakes will just complete the beautiful atmosphere :)

hanging icicles, frOzen froNds, barren tWigs, an elfin cottage, trees laden with pretty baUbles and twinkling fairylights in the Centre Court of Midvalley Megamall.

this is dee and i again!!! lol! we loOk great thanks to the photographer, the lighting, the decoration and that idiot whose body partially came in and ruin the whole thIng lol

at San Francisco's Steakhouse...............................

camera is every gurl's best companion........not mine! taken by dee,i cant even hold a camera still for a decent picture......

satiated, satisfied and filled to the briM...laurie's had his hand over his pot belly,lol!!

the three stooges -Victor, Kwooi & Laurie

on the other side:: dee, i and wats

victor :: all i want for christmas is my.........N70 (miraculously Fishes it out from his pOcket, ta-Da!)

all in all the dinner was... okay.. except for the turkey i guess, which was supposed to be tonight's highlight anyway. staffs in SFS don't seem to be able to diFfer chop from slice. i guess no more SFS next year, we'll head elsewhere where people understand english better, and spare us from having chopped turkey serve in a plate as they would when you visit a chicken rice shop...... no chicken rice for another consecutive year....

as the hour is still early, and i have to be home before the clock strike midnite, footman turned into mouse, car turns to pumpkin (poor wats), and we have yet still exchanged pressies, so we head to Friendster Cafe for a second round, (before they head for a 4th and 5th and 6th....)

we had the pressies all laid out with number labels and for 2 times wats toOk his own number. i dUnno how lucky he is, till the 3rd and final time, i tOok his number! Lucky me lol! there's a snowglobe, a fanCy stuFfed clock, a kungfu kick-ass keychain,bodem coffee mugs, liquer chocs and dOggieshaped calendar!!!! we each tooK a *bottle* of liquoR from Vic's pressie and drank to ...er... (i can't remember, but was it the merrIest chRistmas?!) lol!

at Friendster Cafe.....................................

wats :: A cloCk!!!??!! u wanna me to die-AR????? (roars with laughter)
while uncle octi stares into his very own dreamy space........

i & dee :: sharing a very cool blended Peach Friendstercino

to cap off the memorable nite, i was given a pressie and was told to open in when clock strike midnite! i hope its something that stops me from being Cinderella!!! :> lol

well nothing like that, but something really sweet! an entertwiNed two heart pendant and a chain ;) awww.. thaNks for the gift teDdy... hugshugs

every chRistmas eve...

its the mOrniNg of chrIstmas eVe,
woNdereD how it will feel like in UK rite now. (lol)

dreamiNg heh
now in Malaysia, had a great gatheriNg the 2 nitess before
at suewen's place! (she talks in pence and pounds and snow and how-NICE-UK-REALLY-is)
its the first time we have gathered as a whole group siNce year 2001!
thats a whole lot 5years,
fortunately i doN see 5 years of age on these faces!
they all lOOked practically the same
but most noted i loOk alot healthier since the lasttime they saw me (yes, i had a bad sun tan from PD earlier)
LOL!
left albeit late around 12, as we stayed to siNg yet(another biRthday soNg)to sHihui (dec 23rd baby)
pOpped estheR and shihui back to theiR nests and begaN to head to mY own after that
reachEd hoMe aPproX 12-25, (thats an HOUR past my curfew,!!)
and dad was (obviously) wasnt very pleased with that
but i maDe no eFForT to look upset when he was *sarcastically* bringing it up over dinner (with mum) which WAS indeed a mean THING to do, cos then i hear mum yammerINg after hIm...
i just kept a straight face, lol
doN't want the slightest smallest thIngs to affect my temperaments.
cos it wasnt in very good shape really

with people making last minute plans and not really informing me about it
i've had it with last year, won't put up with it this year
will just ignore things(or people) that upset me
and focus on things that delights me (like my couRsework, bLWeUk!)
and thanks to myself for reminding, yikey

has something to loOk forward to this evening
(shove the bad thoughts sue, shove it back)
lol
talking to myself does help
esp when no one understands the *sue language. lol

this is so much of depression on eve's morninG
(shove it back again....)!

will blog about tonIte's diNner
till theN, sEe ya!
and Have a MeRry Little Xmas.!!!!!!