Tag: a7r

Conjunction of Venus And Jupiter 2015 – Part 5

Half the world is sleeping
Half the world’s awake
Half can hear their hearts beat
Half just hear them break

I am but a traveler in most every way
Ask me what you want to know

What a journey it has been
And the end is not in sight
But the stars are out tonight
And they’re bound to guide my way

Lyrics from The Journey as sung by Lea Salonga.

All good things must come to an end. The planets Venus and Jupiter are going separate ways in their celestial journey but will meet again on August 27 next year (2016).

I was lucky to see the sun, the earth and the sky bidding them farewell with a spectacular sunset today. You can see both planets in the jet contrail in the upper center. Jupiter is now lower and less bright.

Goodbye and see you together again, next year.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f7.1, 1 sec.

Pit Stop

Is easy not to notice the flashing low fuel warning when you are driving on a country road with such breathtaking scenery. I pulled into an unbranded gas station at the kampung.

Petrol pump attendant Ahmad Burhani asked me if I want the fuel in a ketchup bottle, cooking oil bottle or a mineral water bottle. Only RON 95 grade is available and it starts at RM 2 per bottle.

Ahmad, who is autistic, makes a decent and honest living catering to local motorcyclists who find it inconvenient to ride all the way to town just to re-fill. His father buys the fuel for him.

The affable guy suggested I take all bottles, thinking I was planning to drive all the way to Pahang.

I didn’t even know the Orang Asli kampung and jungle trail can lead to Pahang. Another adventure for another day!

The petrol station’s security guard is a goose and it needs to go for anger management. It kept charging at my knee.

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

Searching for Captain Slim

I have been in Slim River town and surrounding areas, on and off, for the past three weeks. I wrongly presumed the town is named after a river that is slim and narrow. It wasn’t, it seems.

The river and town were named after the eponymous Captain Slim from the 19th century. The British explorer allegedly discovered the river by accident when he got lost.

There is not much info online, except the same info repeated everywhere as fact, when there are no citations or references.

How can someone who had a town and river named after him had no records? Maybe I was looking at the wrong places but is still odd.

Many British sailors would have kept detailed logs and diaries, even if the captain didn’t. Could this be a romantic anecdote morphed into an urban legend?

It is also quite strange as Slim River, the river, is shallow and rocky. Today, it is a white water rafting location, upstream. He’ll be lost today too, as the river is not on Google Map.

I decided to drive alongside the river and talk to village elders to see if they can recall anything they might have heard pass down from their ancestors.

If the good captain existed, and if he got off his boat at this juncture, he would have seen this amazing sight (minus the rails and gazebo).

This is the Ulu Slim hot springs I visited the other day. It is magical today as steam shot up high because of the downpour.

Surrounded by rolling hills and rainforests, this is one of the most beautiful natural sights in Malaysia. Slim River, the river, is about 50 meters behind me.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f11, 1/160 sec.

Kawaii

Two cute siblings whose parents are traders at a Ramadan bazaar in Slim River. When they saw my camera, they happily flashed the V-sign, inviting me to take a snap. How can I say no? Haha.

Cute as it is, few kids know or care about the origin of the peace or victory (V) sign, its original meaning and colourful history.

For Asian kids, this hand gesture became an automatic and spontaneous reaction to a camera.

Its unexpected revival as part of modern-day Asian pop culture is attributed to the Japanese Cuteness Culture known as kawaii.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f2, 1/400 sec.