HfH Project ~ Celebrating Merdeka Day in a different kind of way... HfH or Habitat for Humanity is an international non-profit NGO devoted to bringing families and communities in need together with volunteers and resources to build decent, affordable housing for the poor. During the Merdeka holiday yesterday, i've had the opportunity to volunteer for one of their local project in Kampung Senibong where, we were going to help build a house! =)
Started the day early, with a quick bite of kolo mee for breakfast before heading away from civilization.... well sort of...

for the later part of the journey to the building site was beginning to look more like a route fit for the Borneo 4X4 adventure challenge. Finally reached with our 4-door sedan still intact... =p

There we met up with another group of youthful & enthusiastic volunteers, mostly from the Kuching blogosphere circle. There were about 13 of us rookie builders on the construction site. Eric, the experienced contractor manning the site (the guy wearing phua chu kang signature yellow boots) gave us a brief comical introduction to building your own house, before dividing us into smaller groups & assigning each team tasks to carry out under his supervision & guidance. Basically, we were initially given simple routine task of cutting & bending steel bars into brackets for to hold the beams that make the foundation of the house together, before long we were running like an efficient production line... by the mid-noon we were already ahead of schedule & had even successfully erected a makeshift shade! To all fellow volunteers, great job! =)
This is also my 1st 'real' outdoor shoot with my 450D. Struggled mightily just to get the right shot & correct exposure... and my toy got real dirty too, in the process. Good thing that I've had the UV filter/lens protector in place. *earlier 3 pixes shot with my trusty old W810i*

This is my home. This is where i live, together with my mom, dad, brother, grandpa & grandma...

& my cat too...

our only mode of transport, on wheels...

volunteers... we are...

uncle, could you please help to build a proper house for us to live in?

Starting out the day on high spirit...

loi & Peggy, who brought us along for this volunteer outing...

girl power hard at work...

looks easy, but it really is a lot of hard work & brute force to put in...

more girl power at work...

finally on to the roof top... *of the makeshift shelter/shade*

mistah sexy-lips really seem to be enjoying basking in the sun...

the most refreshing sight on the site after about 3 hours of work...

What i felt like at the end of it all...

Building a house is no easy task ~ a lot of hours of toiling under the sun, getting your hands dirty, a little cut & bruises here and there... but that's all in a days work for a construction worker. It's been a great experience, fun yet tiring at the same time... for a worthy cause. =)

Other entries about this outing:
- Irene's
- Georgette's
- KuchingBloggers.com

Chopping down the cherry tree - a Malaysian political version

~ by my trackbastard's bitching (courtesy of louis)

Just wanna share with you all an interesting mail forwarded by my fellow colleague.

“Legend has it that George Washington, America’s first president,chopped down a cherry tree in his youth. The story goes that Georgegives the tree a good swing and chops it down with an axe.His father sees the damaged tree and asks his son if he knows who did the deed.
George is quoted bravely admitting the truth:

‘I can’t tell a lie, Pa; you know I can’t tell a lie. I did cut it with my axe.’

Below is a satire of how some Malaysian politicians circa 2008 may have reacted to the question:

Abdullah Ahmad Badawi - ‘I did not cut down the tree , I was just taking a nap underneath it.

Najib Razak - ‘I swear that I have never MET that tree.’

Hishamuddin Hussein Onn- ‘…but I only own a keris ,not axe, how to cut down the tree?’

Dr Mahathir Mohamd - ‘Apa nama cherry tree, yes, I chopped it down because,
I don’t like the idea of Pak lah sleeping under it.’

Chua Soi Lek - ‘Yes it was me, I resign as caretaker of this orchard.’

VK Lingam - ‘It could be me, it might have been me but I don’t think its me.’

Anwar Ibrahim - ‘I did NOT do it, and I am not giving any DNA sample for you to plant on the axe handle.’

Mohd Khir Toyo - ‘The new state government should just trim the grass and not waste time asking who cut the tree.’

Ahmad Said (Terengganu MB) - ‘I chopped it because cherry trees are more expensive to maintain than durian trees.’

Azalina Othman - ‘The cherry tree is not included under my tourism MOU so I cut it down and besides there were unauthorised signboards put up around the tree.’

Shabery Cheek - ‘I challenge you to a debate on tree cutting.’

S Samy Velu - ‘I chopped it because Hindraf members were using it as a meeting point.

Wira Ali Rustam - ‘We have planted durian trees for 50 years and we will plant them for another 50 years, we do not need cheery trees, apple trees , pear trees
and all these other foreign trees.’

Rais Yatim - ‘You must see the bigger picture, Ahmad said cherry trees are expensive to maintain, Ali Rustam said that are against our national identity and I needed to test my new axe, so you see, it is a WIN-WIN situation all around.’

Sharir Samad - ‘I cut the tree because we could no longer afford to subsidise it.’

Karpal Singh - ‘The bigfoot creature did it.’

Bung Mokhtar - ‘The big monkey did it’

Pandikar Amin Mulia - ‘There is nothing in the standing orders against chopping cherry trees. Kinabatangan duduk, Bukit Gelugor duduk .

Khairy Jamaluddin - I did not do it, neither did the Mat Rempits. By the way, what’s a cherry tree?’

Lim Kit Siang - ‘Cherry tree also you don’t know, you are an insult to Oxford!’

Nazri Abdul Aziz - ‘Racist, racist, racist! When we cut down durian trees nobody made a fuss. Now…’

Malaysian Citizens - ‘Oh for heavens sake! Somebody plant something before we all starve to death!’

For certain section of the population - "Make sure what is due to us drop accurately on our opened palm, for if you miss you will be blamed ; and it shall be our birthright to receive and yours to give hence there is no shame to it ."

*This is just so freaking funny, i had to post it!! =p

Toy & Anime Convention @ The Spring Ver. 2.0

~ as promised, here are photos of the event shot using my new toy. This is the maiden voyage of my story. On that same day that i switched ON the power switch & she flickered to life for the 1st time (after an overnight 8 hours of battery charging of course), there i was at the mini-convention going all out trigger-happily firing away the shutter! =D
Shot mostly in manual mode *using the fully-auto mode, like a point-and-shoot camera is most convenient; but it takes away too much creative process to discovering the true potentials of my new dSLR, i find* & i had my 1st hands-on lesson in getting the correct exposure. Good thing that the interior lighting of the mall is sufficiently bright, thus photo-friendly & that my subjects are still objects... Though, more than half of my shots turned out with bad exposure & the other half either looked downright bland or lacked angle. Here are some 'more acceptable' ones of the lot... =D

The banner ~ photoshoped for the zoom effect...
Gunplas galore, but all of 'em are enclosed in glass cases...



any idea how to counter the glare effect reflected of the glass?

Figurines make fine photography specimens too...



or it's just the plain charm of the feminine curves...


tweaking the color temperature to the warmer side... to add a more humanly touch

~ a lil' bit of photoshop-ing to add more depth of isolation... *not too nicely done, though xp*

i foresee more trigger-happy days ahead from now on...the only way to learn how to ride a bike, is to get on the bike & start riding! =)

EOS 450D / Digital Rebel XSi ~ owning a piece of my story had set me back a cool 3K for a full package comprising of the 450D body + EF-S 18-55mm IS kit lens + 2G SD card + standard issue carrying case + very plain looking tripod (thank god it wasn't pink in color). Ouch! That's quite a premium to pay for an entry level kit, if you're looking to take it to a whole new level from the normal point-and-shoot league. Butin the long run, i believe it is going to turn out to be a sound investment ~ i would want to be able to capture the highlights & defining moments in my life, in the best shot possible & piece them together to tell a story from my own perspective. Okay, i'm still a noob when it comes to photography, & i know nuts about getting all the settings: ISO, shutter speed, NA & etc just to get the correct exposure, about getting accurate focusing & about what makes a good photo composition... but i know how to appreciate a beautiful photo when i come across one. Well, life's a journey of discovery... there's no better way to explore photography & discover one's creative touch by investing in its most basic tool ~ an entry level dSLR. I had spent quite sometime contemplating on whether i should seriously invest in one, & given the multitude of choices that are available, where do i even get started? Had done my share of research & read-ups, and after garnering valuable advices from friends with photography experience, i finally set my sight on this one. *heh, finally succumbed to the poisoning thoughts from my bunch of EOS evangelist buddies at work =p * It's has been a decision without regrets *so far =p It's only Day02 after her virgin shot & she's seen over a couple of hundred shots already & the battery will need a recharging in no time, at this rate* =D

*P/s this is not a proper product review, if it's a technical review you want, please log on to www.dpreview.com*

my story ~

virgin shots...

Toy & Anime Convention @ The Spring, Kuching 22~24th August

Here are some photo coverage on the event, shot using my W810i (unedited)...
Gunplas...





& bootillicous figurines to drool over aplenty! =p






cute gals in kimono too...

plus some Naruto characters seen roaming around the complex, did not manage to get photos of them, though.

I did returned to the event today, armed with my new toy at my disposal. Together with my partner-in-crime, we started firing the shutter away like men possessed! Never seen grown ups getting a tad too overzealous with their new toy kah?? Will update coverage Version2.0 when i find the time to do it... stay tuned!

Date with a Japanese Beauty ~ one of the reasons i hauled my ass out of bed on a rainy Saturday morning just to go to work office. Well, my company had its inaugural Family Day *can't remember last time we had one, before this* held yesterday & in conjunction with the autoshow event, this babe was scheduled to make a guest appearance. *Of course, the other reason to go being the lucky draw grand prize of RM1,000. Went home empty handed though.. -_- *
She's none other than the legendary Godzilla from the Land of the Rising Sun ~ Skyline R35 GTR. Likely the 1st of its kind here in Kuching. Okay, she may not be as sleek, or femininely curvaceous as one might expect, but there's that unmistakable aura about her, that the likes of the Prancing Horse or Charging Bull would exude. Downright menacing in sheer presence, meeting her in flesh for the 1st time just makes the hair on the back of my neck stands; & she's not even fired up yet. Boasting a 3.8L V6 twin turbo behemoth of a power plant that churns out 480hp of tarmac ripping fun, it takes you from 0 to 100 in a neck-snapping quick 3.5 seconds, & plus all that jet fighter cutting edge technology crammed into its design & build ~ she's been whipping asses of a fair share of ultra exotic supercars (that cost many, many times more) around the infamous Nurburgring Track ~ the ultimate proving ground for the supercars of today. Internationally acclaimed as the best performance car, $$ pound for $$ pound; means that it gives the best bang for $$ buck. Cost of ownership? Just little below RM730,000 ~ brand new, on-the-road, & without insurance. I guess i won't be seeing her much on the road...

Braving the rain, here are some more shots of her using my soon-to-be sidelined W810i + plus photoshopped, of course.

Good things come in gold boxes...





* macro-shot with W810i + lazily photoshopped with CS2

Current Status: UDT (Unscheduled-Down-Time)
Remarks: down with food poisoning

-_-"

For me, it has been a rather peaceful & relaxing weekend at home spent mostly on the couch catching highlights of the Beijing Olympics... & quite a productive one as well ~ Project MG Unicorn now is at 70% *completion literally he's already on his feet in Unicorn mode, minus the decals & weapons ~ more updates to come... * Like with most leisure time spent off work, time really seems to fly-by faster; back to work tomorrow -_-
My neck & shoulders are still aching like crazy from that new rigorous clean-&-jerk weight workout routine incorporated into my gym session yesterday morning... ~ feeling a bit light-headed & dizzy too; need to pop some pills before going to bed... or maybe going for a round of invigorating nocturnal drive would help... haven't had sessions like these for quite a l - o - n - g while...

=p ~ the thrill, adrenaline rush & the sound of music *VTEC at full song* is just so addictive

Will you rather take this moment?
or the moment coming?
Individual perspective turns every scene,
to become a personal image story.
EOS450D dSLR.
My Story.

*this would be the final blow for u, stitch... BUY! BUY! BUY! hehe =p *

Our country's best shot at an Olympic medal...
Lee Chong Wei for GOLD!!!

*then maybe we can get a public holiday declared too =p *

Come to think of it ~ it has been 2 years, 6 months & 8 days since the inaugural post... over 2 years of blogging-ranting-crapping fun to remember by bits & pieces of the ups & downs of my sometimes colorful & sometimes not-so-colorful life, & also tributes to the dear peoples who have left profound positive indents in my life. =)
& I've yet to fill up my profile with a single word! photo header? theme? ~ BLANK! www.domain-13.blogspot.com? couldn't have sounded more uninspiring... i guess that's why it's appropriately called pieces of me.... too many scattered bits of pieces of me here & there... Okay... nevermind that.
A good buddy of mine is also in the midst of pondering over something along the same line for his blog... he's already got it on his workstation screensaver ~

cunn or not? =p
Just use it, brada! Yours will surely be a HIT!! haha! =D

*on fei-fei's "Your C@mera DO NOT M@tter" ~ very true indeed, i couldn't help but agree... though at this point, i'm already terminally affected with the SLR fever, to resist getting the toy for myself... thanks to persistently pesterings helpful inputs from your hubby, snoopy, louis, my nephiu, jen & loi-kiss.... =o

I always dig her live performances. I've seen quite a few of her concert DVDs from Concert Tour 2000, Countdown Live 2000-2001 to misunderstood Arena Tour 2006 through Countdown Live 2006-2007 , & they've never failed to amaze me. With each new one, she just keeps raising the bar & this one's no exception! Overall, its great right from the very beginning; her vocal performance & of the her band & backup dancers were nothing short of amazing & the complementing elaborate Moulin Rouge costume, set & theme were breathtaking. Most of the songs performed are from her 8th album 'Secret', some past i.e the usual & familiar Evolution, UNITE!, Boys & Girls that has been featured in her many concerts before ~ never mind that as those songs are usually arranged & performed differently from concert to concert. In my opinion, the favorite show-stopper from this concert would be Secret ~ powerful & poignant vocal breakout from her in the last chorus verse, capped with introduction of the flying dancers into the scene.... but then again so was kiss o' kill... just as equally moving & powerful... so was part of me with the beautiful prelogue stage visuals & kimono theme & costumes... can't decide... i just like all the songs performed! One interesting to note is that the behind-the-scenes documentary that covers all from rehearsals to final day of tour in a road-movie extravaganza is chopped up into little parts & integrated into the concert after every song or two, instead of the usual DVD#1 - concert & DVD#2 - behind-the-scenes documentary format. The pace is just nice if you're watching it part-by-part, like me... the downside: when watching from beginning to end (113 + 102 minutes), those little documentary parts tend to break up the momentum of the show. Stage stops of her Asian tour encompassed Yokohama, Nagoya & Osaka in Japan, to Taiwan, Shanghai & Hong Kong. I bet, half of the fans that flocked to the sold out stage stops outside Japan had barely-there proficiency of Japanese language.. just like me! Ha, i guess the sound of music is indeed a universal language... =)
*i dream of attending her concert someday; i hope she's not retiring anytime soon... =p *

~ work in progress...

Camwhoring session at Beccari's

SE W810i + Photoshoped...
*my SE shots are just as good as mr sexylip's RM2.5K brick... =p *

Point-and-shoot Samsung L100 *now gone liao =( * + Photoshoped...

The 102th model of the Master Grade Gunpla lineup released end of last year

Not exactly the best looking Gundam model ever but the fact that it can transform means that it's got a fairly unique & complicated inner frame & shield plate construction ~ enough level of difficulty to give me longer hours of Gunpla making fun!

A 'Version KA' ~ means that it is exclusively designed by Hajime Katoki, a popular Japanese mecha designer who, is highly noted for his works on the Gundam series

Consists of 20 runners with over 500 pieces of individual parts

Got this for quite a bargain ~ 20% off from the hobby shop at Tun Jugah; factor in the shipping costs, that's about as low of a price as you can get, here. Gunpla fans in town might want to go check it out, the stock clearance sales offer still stand, i think...

All in day's work ~ scheduled to be on this weekend's dreaded duty roster, so i took this afternoon off work, just to 'get even'... having had to put up with a demanding job that often leaves me with little control over my own time; long hours, on call-basis 24-7-365, work issues cropping up at the most ungodly hour & the unlikeliest of times (i.e on weekends, in the middle of a vacation), inevitable nasty mis-process screw-ups every now & then & having to eat-dead-cat (somebody has to be the scapegoat) = malang tidak berbau... & all that has got me thinking a lot about my life outside work. Never mind the lucrative OT payouts, but then there comes a time when i start asking myself, it is really worthwhile to be trading so much of my precious time just for the sake of money? Tied down with heavy commitments, such question some cannot even afford to ask. In that sense, i'm lucky to have the luxury of having to do away with these commitments, for the time being. Period. I'm still figuring out my answers to that question. But i do know that now during peaceful times like this (at work), when the activity level is low due to the current bleak global economic climate, i tend to appreciate more, the quality time i get to spend off work.
So okay, done with my rantings ~ i've had quite a productive day off work. No, i did not take leave just so that i could hibernate throughout the afternoon, but i've gotten quite a number of overdue or near overdue tasks completed. Btw, i am a habitual procrastinator... Accomplisments:
1. Restoring order at home: household chores, chores & chores. The whole of my Home Interior Ministry a.k.a mom has been on vacation since last friday & my whole house has turned upside down since.... lots of undone laundry, dishes, cleanings bla, bla, bla... my is not exactly the most tidiest person either, & if i had to depend on her, i will be out of clothes to wear in 2 days time...
Had to restore my current household state to 'acceptable' levels to prepare for the Home Interior Ministry's homecoming tomorrow =p
2. Insurance & road tax renewal for my car ~ for the consecutive last 2 times, my road tax had expired for a month before i realize, so i wanted to be 'well prepared' this time, in case i were to run into some unfortunate encounters. Yet another pocket burning commitment... but the RM625 petrol rebate is going to help buffer it a bit...
3. Claimed consolation $ from 4D (on behalf of my parents); sikit aje... No, i did not strike the 6/52 jackpot. So i will still need go to work tomorrow... =(
4. Got my application for the RHB credit card done ~ all for the sake of getting a DSLR... it is unfortunate that none of my current cards qualify for 0% interese easy payment scheme... *who ask me so hao lien go get a foreign bank's card??
5. Window shopping for DSLR ~ i'm slowly becoming more inclined toward's Canon's camp liao... EOS450D? maybe... =)
After all that, i was still time for a late afternoon nap & woke up just in time for dinner...