Category: Culture

The Muslims Of Myanmar On Eid al-Adha 2017 In Kuala Lumpur – Part 1

Today is Eid al-Adha, an important Islamic Festival, I previously covered the famous street prayers conducted by Bangladeshi migrant workers at the Jalan Silang area. They have stopped congregating at the venue years ago. Being a regular street photographer at the Pasar Borong area in Selayang. I was tipped and invited by friendly residents. Knowing my interest, several well meaning workers invited me to sit in with them, even knowing I am not a Muslim. When I went there at 8am this morning, the road and sidewalk was already paved with mats and blue tarp – Malaysia’s landslide solution.
The community working in the wholesale market ans supporting shops are mostly Rohingya, Bangladeshis and an assortment of ethic Burmese Muslims who are undocumented migrants who had such hard life. Their journey to this country was fraught with dangers. They do not have access to workers rights, medical benefits, free education for their children as what a citizen.will get. They do not even have a mosque except a rented shopfloor above a Toto shop.
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Yet they are so commuted to their faith and I am touched by their devotion, humilty, faith.and friendly attitude to outsiders, My journey here was fraught with dangers too, With the 5 day long holiday weekend I nearly got the date mixed up and missed it. When I got home, my folder got deleted! To recover, I have the best software and recovering the expired registration key was a battle in itself. A long story for another day as every photographer will need it one day, Due to some fuckery of Windows, a folder went missing when I renamed it.

Here is a file that came back from death.

Panasonic GM-1, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/250 sec

#eid #prayers #religion #islam #sacrifice #selayang #myanmar #migrant

The Badass Kong Kong

I love this pic post from my friend Sheril A. Bustamanl ‘s Instagram,
now dated as a memory from 31st July 2014. She’s with her maternal
grandfather; the Badass Kong Kong. Lol! The funny hashtags may suggest
an extreme generation gap but yet there is so much affinity between
the two.

Sheril’s father, Tengku Mohd Ali Bustaman (Pok Ku), and I were fellow
bloggers during its hey days. We became friends at the Commodore Amiga
User Club many years ago.

Kong Kong is grandpa in Chinese dialects.

Happy Raya to the happy family!

An Intense Spiritual Experience

The Saint Anne’s Feast is a very unique cultural experience. Although it is a Catholic event, you are likely to see Hindus, Taoists, Buddhists, Protestants, atheists, Vietnamese and people of various faith or non faith from Penang attending. I asked them and many said it was about receiving blessings and also they like to be immersed in the spiritual side of the rituals. On another year, I saw a Muslim girl in tudung who stood out and I asked her too. She said she was the Chief Minister’s photographer and was there early to snap her boss’s arrival.

Indeed, it was a very intense experience to be sandwiched and pushed along by the crowd moving up the steps with lighted candles. For me, it was also about waiting for the moment when twilight balanced nicely with the church founded in 1846. Cameras in 2004 weren’t as sensitive as today and I was nervous about the fading sky and changing disco colours lighting up the building.

#stanne #feast #bukitmertajam #penang #catholic #church #dusk #twilight #sunset #event #mycenhotels

The Flower Bridge Symphony

The Flower Bridge Symphony.

An opportune time to explain Chelsea Ng’s use of Flower Bridge comment in her colleague Veera Pandiyan Manickam’s post comment. For non native Chinese speakers, you may have seen it or heard it. Even for many Chinese, it can be baffling and puzzling. I think I first heard it as a joke in the 90s.

In Cantonese, flowers is Fah, and bridge is Kiu, so combined, phonetically it sounds like a loving “Fuck You”.

Flower bridge to you too, Chelsea. I think you won’t find it in Urban Dictionary. It is a clever and gentle way to say vulgar words politely. Google Search will take you to Flower Bridge in Connecticut and Corsica and a beautiful one by Gamudaland in Shah Alam. Anyone knows where is this Swan Lake? I like to go there and take some selfies.

Pic by GamudaLand in Panoramio.

#flowerbridge #farkiu #cantonese

Tips On How To Ensure Your Camera Survives A Water Attack During Songkran

If your camera is not weather or water resistant, use a rain cape or splash bag. You can also wrap plastic bags around it but it is not the safest or most convenient method.

Remember though that the more you dress up to protect your camera and yourself, the more you will become a target. People hate boorish-looking people. As such, a guy with raincoat and swim goggles will attract attention and loads of water.

Adults generally understand you don’t shoot water directly into someone’s camera or phone. Kids don’t care and will aim at your lens. With so many people armed with gigantic squirt guns, jets of water will come from every direction.

A big bucket splash can be fatal even for a weather-resistant camera. So avoid taking a direct hit by ducking, or holding the camera to your back, if you can.

Even if a camera is completely waterproof, there is one other side effect: splashes and drip on the lens. Bring along a towel for quick wipes. There is no need to wipe religiously though.

Alternatively, you can use a long tele lens to snap from a safe distance but the pictures will look aloof. Nothing beats getting near or into the middle of the action to capture the drama.

Avoid the people who attack you with talcum powder. The fine powder can get into the innards of a lens and destroy it.

I CANT HELP YOU IF YOU ARE A BABE. Every guy, including monks. want to see a female in a wet T-shirt or pants. Every water gun within 1 kilometer, will be aimed at you. In fact. try to avoid walking next to a babe as your camera will die as collateral.

Lastly but just as important, remember also to bring a waterproof pouch for your wallet, phone and car keys. With peace of mind, you will have more fun.

Book a hotel in a Thai city via MyCen Hotels at http://www.mycen.my/
Happy Songkran and stay safe.

#songkran #thailand #photographytips