Tag: malaysia

The Hills Are Alive

The hills are alive from near Tanjung Malim. Rarely noted are the beautiful hills and mountains visible from the vicinity of Tanjung Malim, Behrang and Proton City.

Yesterday, there was two hours of heavy downpour in Tanjung Malim but it didn’t dampen my spirits. I knew the the post-rain landscape will be spectacular.

True enough, the resulting mountain fog, mists and bluish hues were breathtaking. Was expecting Julie Andrews to come from behind the grass.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/320 sec.

Proton City

Proton City is the developing industrial, residential and academic township anchored by the national car’s manufacturing plant.

Other than industrial buildings, there’s currently not much else to see; except maybe the new UPSI campus. It is located about 9 km from Tanjung Malim town.

I like this rainy day view of the Proton HQ building against a gorgeous backdrop of streams, greenery and misty mountains.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/250 sec.

War And Peace

The Larut War of the early tin mining years took place during the second half of the 19th century. Running battles between the Cantonese-dominated Ghee Hin clan and the Hakka-dominated Hai San clan continued until the Pangkor Treaty in 1874.

Near the end of the protracted war, some Hokkiens fled central Perak and settled in more peaceful Tanjung Malim. In the early 1900s, they built two rows of shop houses that formed what is the old town today. A few of these ancient buildings still stand.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 sec.

Time To Talk

Mr Wong is the proprietor of a watch and clock shop in Tanjung Malim town. The family business is now more than 60 years old and I asked him about changing trends. They used to sell Rado, Omega, Timex and Tissot. The current top selling brand is Casio.

But a more important question: Why is the time displayed on a analog watch or clock at a shop always set to 10:10? The answer is simple.

At 10:10, the hands are in an optimum or ideal position where it doesn’t block the manufacturer’s logo (typically at 12 o’clock) and date window (typically at 3 o’clock).

Love the old-fashioned wooden strip blinds on the shopfront. This kind of sunshade, also known as bamboo chicks, are made and sold by another shop in Tanjung Malim town.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f11, 1/320 sec.

Border Moon

The best time to shoot the moon is not on a full moon as what most people think. The best nights start from tonight when the moon enters the ‘waning gibbous’ phase.

Because it is no longer fully lit by the sun, one can see the craters near the waning edge. The angle of the creeping dark side depends on whether you are viewing or photographing from the northern or southern hemisphere.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200 f8, 1/13 sec.