Category: Thoughts

Picking Up The Pieces

Picking Up The Pieces.

One of the many unsung victims of the floods are the small independent businesses. Not many shops are insured or can insure against such natural disasters. The damages for each shop can exceed millions of ringgit.

At this electrical shop, this young man is trying to salvage whatever that is left. He is wiping and brushing mud off a LED bulb, hoping to sell it cheap. He can’t test it now as this part of town is still without electricity.

Expecting the usual annual floods, the shopkeepers and workers moved everything to the upper shelves. The fast rising water that swarmed the shop was unusually strong. The shelves, racks and goods collapsed.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f5.6, 1/80 sec.

#floods #banjir #landscape #damage #temerloh #pahang #malaysia #blackandwhite #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss

A Eulogy

It used to be a empty space or open air car park rented out for promotional activities during the F1 season. A distracting white tent would rise from the spot.

I was worried when I saw some construction taking place. After all, the strategic traffic light junction was the last unfettered view of KL’s most iconic landmark. A multi storey car park rose from the spot. It was short-lived as a guard told me recently that the covered car park was going to be demolished to make way for an MRT station. It is now closed.

The rooftop on the fifth floor was perfect as one can get a nice panoramic view of the skyline that included the KL Tower. Only problem with an isolated place in Malaysia was that it attracted many horny couples who came to park and make out in cars. That made the guards nervous and they would close off the floor to subjugate any acts of immorality.

Photographers can still get up by walking the staircase. I went on a lonely, rainy evening by intent. Reflective wet floors were perfect. It was lonely, unnerving and was easy to forget how a silent drizzle can become heavy. Me and camera were soon totally drenched.

On fireworks nights such as NVE or Merdeka, one can almost not find a spot to park the tripod. Every inch on the edge, on every floor, was taken up by one of thousands of photography enthusiasts congregating there. It was madness as it was an ideal location as it was elevated, there was shelter should it rain and the car can be safely parked nearby.

This picture serves an ode to a valued and unheralded vantage point. The venue faced another Malaysian problem while it lasted. Many photographers were selfish, protective or secretive and they hid the location from others.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f5.6, 2 sec.

‪#skyline #‎landscape #cityscape #nightscape #skycrapers #klcc #petronastwintowers #kualalumpur #landmark ‪#rain #‎sonyalpha‬ ‪#‎a7r‬ #zeiss‬ #tbt

The Filo

Pronounced as File-loh, it was short for Filofax, it was a leather bound personal organiser with ring binders where you can add pages as refills. That was the business model. It was like the forerunner of Facebook. Functioning as a diary, everything from birthdays, contacts and business plans were recorded on it.

People were lost like zombies when they misplaced their Filo. Who are they going to call on the showy tiny flip phone that was the Ericsson T28. Who can also remember a brand called OKI?

If you are too young to know, the yuppie was the guy who rolled up his sleeves to below the elbow when they go to a pub for happy hours. The knot of the tie was also loosened in a specific style as a fashion statement.

Their most irritating habit was their penchant to do ‘air golf swings’ at pubs or any open space. A Tag Heuer was their dream possession. Maybe that was why they rolled their sleeves higher, One yuppie told me he saw it on LA Law.

The Filo and the yuppie are now extinct, thankfully.

#nostalgia #filofax #flashback #tbt

Pretty Picture With An Ugly Backstory

If you park in the mall basement, you are forced to return to the car park by walking through the very long vehicle tunnels after midnight. All human exits and access were closed due to the enormous crowd and security concerns. Not a pleasant walk when you have to lug your heavy tripod and camera gear. Pity those with young kids or elderly parents.

The standalone multi-storey car park behind was ideal but it is now closed and to be demolished. Park your car outside on the roads and it can get ticketed or towed away. Going back home and negotiating the crazy gridlock is another nightmarish story.

To secure a good camera spot and to avoid traffic congestion, one may need to go as early as 9pm. Many eager beaver photographers ended up pointing their cameras at the wrong direction through wrong prediction or guesstimate. Talk about over planning and early set up. There was always a last minute scramble to re-frame or even to change to a wider lens. The fireworks will usually shoot higher than the towers. Use a wide zoom for flexibility,

A close proximity spot presents another problem. Hot debris and burning ash remnants from the sky will rain on your head and equipment. Wear a hat, don safety goggles and cap your lens in between.

There was another struggle or scramble. Getting the exposure correct in the first minute or two after first ignition. The surroundings will be obscured by a pall of lingering or trapped smoke; destroying your pics.

The results may be pretty but the backstory is ugly.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f10, 1.3 sec.

#newyearseve #newyear #nye #fireworks #countdown #bungaapi #petronastwintowers #malaysia #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss #tbt

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya – Part 9

I like the visual contrasts created by the group of women in black burqa and the shiny reflective floor. I am guessing they are group tourists from the Middle East as only guided tourists shop in groups. No?

When I saw the scene from outside, I was thinking “The world is a stage”. The shop front is like a Chinese opera stage. The challenge was keeping perspective distortion under control. I used Photoshop ‘select by colour range’ to isolate the reds.

So, what is a Yubi So?

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f3.51, 1/80 sec.

#ioicitymall #mall #shop #shoppers #yubiso