Canon Roadshow @ KLCC

Just got back from attending a Canon Roadshow held today at KLCC. It was my intention to participate in a photography contest that was sponsored by Canon. The first prize? Canon EOS40D DSLR! You heard me right, pilgrims! A newly launched Canon EOS40D DSLR with an 18-55mm EF IS kit lens! (So, there I was thinking, hey, I'm the Richard Avedon of Malaysia. Oughta be a clinch, ya know what I'm sayin'?) Oh, the crowd? Mainly overly excitable teenage schoolgirls waiting for their idol, a Taiwanese boy band to show up. And in the foreground, a 300mm fast lens from Canon.

A close-up of teenage female hormones in action. I swear, my ears are still ringing from all that screaming. Instead of talking crap about schoolgirl uniforms, those righteous minded folks ought to make some reasonable suggestions like banning live appearances of boy bands at KLCC. And if I remember correctly, isn't a public gathering of more than five persons require a police permit or something? (I'm tellin' ya, schoolgirls have it easy, unlike some fellas here that I know of...)

Earlier, I managed to stake out a vantage position in order to shoot for the photography contest. Unfortunately for me, but fortunately for the teenage female horde, we all had to watch the Taiwanese boy band make an appearance first. These boys are being sponsored by Canon to endorse the IXUS range of cameras. And I don't even know their names! Apparently, even each of these boys had his 'own' fan club. Can someone please tell me the name of this band? (Lady, will ya quit incitin' those schoolgirls by pointin' up. Those intoxicated teenagers on the 2nd and 3rd floors there just might jump, for God's sake....)

OK. So maybe I'm no Richard Avedon. Funny thing happened when I collected my entry form from the Canon staff manning the booth. A guy in a black polo Canon T-shirt mentioned in passing, "only for SLR cameras."* Huh? Whoa, hold on there, buddy. Ya mean, in order to take a good picture, ya need a DSLR (digital single lens reflex)? Canon! Ya gotta stop makin' those bridge cameras like G9 or those IXUSes ya askin' those four pretty Taiwanese boys to endorse. I mean, can ya guys imagine hordes infatuated teenage girls buyin' those IXUSes only to find out that it couldn't take really, really, really good pictures like an EOS40D could?

* Whilst the contest form did mention participants are required to supply their own '...camera, lenses...', neither was there an express clause stating the exclusion of other type of cameras. Or brands. Or an overly ambitious and unrealistic amateur photographer.

Anyway, the contest was a modeling photography contest and that, more or less, usually means overly excitable grownup working guys taking really, really, really good pictures of beautiful young models strutting about the stage. OK, fine, I admit. It was the reverse of what happened with the Taiwanese boy band bar the screaming. But hormone levels were on par. (Hey, can ya blame a guy for tryin', huh?) You can see from those cameras below, it was absolutely jam-packed near the stage. Anyway, an obese and obviously deprived moron next to me was so certain that his photograph would clinch the first prize of an EOS40D that he got 'irritated' that my backpack was hitting him once in a while and was too 'loud', thus disturbing his 'concentration'. Either that or he is just pissed off because I manage to 'claim' a better vantage position. (I'm tellin' ya, some folks are just too good for the Malaysian photographic scene, ya know what I' m sayin'?)

Anyway, I met a new friend there. Hiya, Andrew! Hope ya readin' this post! Yeah, I know, it truly sucked shooting from far with slow lenses at telephoto ranges! What to do? Sometimes amateur photographers, unlike a so-called 'professional' that we both know, make do with what we have at hand, right? Look, do ya really wanna wade inna crowd like this, huh? Seriously, man. They'll eat ya alive.

The Grand Poohbah hereby do decree under the powers vested in her by the Great Bayer Megapixel that with a DSLR, thou art a PRO! Sympathizers of non-canonical bridge cameras are hereby sentenced to death by reading out-dated camera brochures and manuals for eternity. The Poohbah has spoken!

Anyway, all in all, I guess I took a whole lot of really, really, really crappy shots. Well, at least I now know I'm no Henri Cartier-Bresson. I guess there may be some truth to the insinuation that using a DSLR does make a person a better photographer or capable of taking really, really, really good pictures. What do you think?

Kidz R Us

"Dr Mahathir Mohamad has warned of possible unrest in multi-racial Malaysia, accusing his successor, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, of failing to assert his authority." - Malaysiakini May 24, 08 12:49pm

Here's some opinions and reactions from fellow Malaysians regarding the comments by the former Fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia...

"Lemme tell ya what's an unrest. It's wearin' the same diapers for 22 hours non-stop!"

"I donno 'bout you, but in my books, 22 minutes of constipation constitutes an unrest!"

"An unrest? Lissening to the first 22 seconds of 'Put Your Hand Around My Shoulder'."

"An unrest is what happens when you take 22 pictures of my little sister and none of me."

"Havin' to watch 22 consecutive episodes of Barney The Purple Dinosaur. Now that's what I call an unrest!"

"Ya don't know the meanin' of unrest until ya hear my fourth uncle sing 'Crooked Bridge is Goin' Down' for 22 times in one sittin'!"

Buddhists Greets Pak Lah On Wesak's Eve

A Sinhalese dance troupe from Sri Lanka and a local Lion dance troupe waits patiently to greet the arrival of Malaysia's Fifth Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi at the Buddhist Maha Vihara temple at Brickfields. It was actually more or less a last minute decision by the Prime Minister to make an appearance as the Temple's program sheet for the week did not mention his coming at all for a High Tea sponsored by the Malaysian Buddhist Consultative Committee, which was scheduled to be held from 5.00pm to 7.00pm.

Pretty Lady! Yeah, yeah, I know. Hey look, this was one of the reasons I took up photography. Can ya blame a guy for tryin', huh?

Pak Lah's arrival at the Buddhist Maha Vihara was met by a scrum of reporters and photographers.

Pak Lah entering the temple flanked by Barisan Nasional leaders of Buddhist faith. Tan Sri Dr. Koh Tsu Koon of Gerakan is right behind Pak Lah on the right, and partially hidden at the back, with forehead visible, is Datuk Wee Ka Siong of MCA. Pak Lah would be the second Malaysian Prime Minister since Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj, to ever set foot on the grounds of the Buddhist Maha Vihara temple.

"I get more enthusiastic reception here than the last five UMNO meetings I've been to!" The arrival of Pak Lah at the temple was greeted with a riot of music and colors by the Sinhalese and Lion dance troupes.

"I'm tellin' ya, I get a coronary every time I hear the words transition plan and party crossovers, ya know what I'm sayin'?" Pak Lah accompanied by Chief Reverend Most Venerable K. Sri Dhammaratana of the Buddhist Maha Vihara temple.

Pak Lah and the VIPs together with senior Buddhist monks sitting at a table for a photo-op. At the foreground, in white 'tudung' with her back to the camera sits Nurul Izzah Anwar, Member of Parliament for Lembah Pantai. (Sorry I couldn't get a good photograph of you, Miss Nurul, but nobody tells me anything these days, ya know what I mean? Yeah, I know, ya not gettin' any respect at all...)

Wouldja look at this. Check out the earpiece on this guy. Malaysia's very own Secret Service! Someone oughta tell whoever's runnin' this outfit that pinnin' a yellow badge on the shirt collar is so... Austin Powers.

After shooting a couple of frames within the hall where Pak Lah and Chief Reverend Most Venerable K. Sri Dhammaratana was busy giving speeches, I decided to step out. This fellow from the Sinhalese dance troupe, direct from Sri Lanka, obliged me for a pose.

"I donno 'bout you, but hangin' round this guys kinda reminds me of orange juice. Gotta tell Jeanne to rustle up some for breakfast tomorrow..." Pak Lah says his goodbyes to the VIPs and senior Buddhist monks as he prepares to return back to Putrajaya. Malaysian citizens of Buddhist faith extend their appreciation and a heartfelt thank you to the Prime Minister for taking time to make a courtesy call to the Buddhist Maha Vihara and the community on the eve of Wesak Day.

I take this opportunity to wish Happy Wesak Day to my good friends Fox Fairy from Selayang, The Moon in Puchong, and Sabah Mari at Cheras. I also extend my greetings to readers of Buddhist faith who stumbled, by design or accident, upon my insignificant blog. And finally to all Malaysians of every faith under the sun, may you all be Well and Happy always.

Cute And Dangerous

"Don'cha just love flyin' Economy Class, huh?"

"This ride's crampin' my style, ya know what I mean?"

"Hand over the banana and no one has to get hurt... bad."

"Pssst! Hey, kid. Wanna Rolex?"

"Being cute comes real easy for me."

"I'm telin' ya, it's a reflex reaction to the sight of a camera..."

"Didya have ta make me pose for this moron with the camera?"

"I see you!!!"

"That's it. I gotta get myself an agent..."

"Someone call the cops!"

"Trust me. I know what I'm doing."

"Whaddya mean ya outta ice cream?!"

Candlelight Vigil For Detained Blogger

A candlelight vigil gathering for a detained Malaysian blogger, Raja Petra Kamarudin, was scheduled to be held at Dataran Merdeka in Kuala Lumpur on the evening of May 8, 2008 at 8.00pm. I arrived around half an hour beforehand and was greeted by the sight of the boys in blue coming out in force at both ends of the main road fronting Dataran Merdeka.

As a picture montage of Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak, appears in the background at the City Hall building, the cops takes a breather for some chit-chat. Raja Petra Kamarudin, a member of the Malaysian royalty, was charged on May 6, 2008 with sedition charges in respect of his article, 'Let’s send the Altantuya murderers to hell', for allegedly implying the deputy prime minister was involved in the sensational killing of a young Mongolian woman.

After 20 minutes past eight, I was beginning to think no one, except for the cops, would show up for the candlelight vigil. Then a woman all wrapped up in what looked liked a burqa, as seen on the left of the above picture, appears and starts a commotion. So the plainclothes cops decides to drags her to a corner for interrogation. As I start photographing, the cops come to realize of my existence and asks me to step out of the security cordon surrounding Dataran Merdeka. (Hey, it isn't my fault that my barber thinks I look better with a paratrooper haircut...)

See, now I get booted out of the security cordon and have to shoot from the other side of the barrier. Even this cop's not givin' me the time of the day! I'm tellin' ya, I get no respect at all...

The police officer in charge demands that the small crowd milling about, obviously appearing for the candlelight vigil, to disperse within ten minutes. From what I could see, the cops definitely out-numbered the crowd at least by a factor of 5 to 1. As the crowd break up slowly, some the cops trail along until both parties reach a nearby 7-11. (A Slurpee from 7-11? RM2.50. Sharing it with the cops? Priceless. For everything else, there's Blogger.com)

"This is better than strolling along the Seine River! Ya know what I mean?" An obviously cheerful Hishamuddin Rais (writer and social-political activist) and likewise Tian Chua (Member of Parliament for Batu) appear moments later and head out to Dataran Merdeka accompanied by a band of bloggers and supporters.

"How's the back pain coming along, huh? Ya oughta try yoga someday, ya know what I'm sayin'?" Tian Chua greets a plainclothes police officer.

"How's the kids, huh? What did you say? Fighting one another and blaming each other? Gee, sounds like a party I know..." Tian Chua greets another police officer, this time in uniform.

Tian Chua and Hishamuddin Rais negotiates with the police officer in charge for access to the Royal Selangor Club, which is located within the grounds of Dataran Merdeka. Apparently the wife of Raja Petra Kamarudin, Marina Lee Abdullah, was already in the club premises and waiting for Tian Chua and the rest of the entourage accompanying him.

The police officer in charge, a Mr. Anand, takes a moment to consider Tian Chua's request and calls in to his superiors for consultation. Moments later, he gets the green light and permits Tian Chua and the entourage to enter the grounds of Dataran Merdeka with the conditions that they do not stop for any reason whatsoever before reaching the club premises and that no candles be lighted up during their transit.

Marina Lee Abdullah and a friend in the club premises. Despite the ordeals faced of having a husband detained in jail, she manages to retain a degree of cheerfulness for visitors and well-wishers. Later, she confirmed that Raja Petra Kamarudin has agreed to post bail and would appear tomorrow at a Sessions Court for processing of the bail.

The candlelight vigil for Raja Petra Kamarudin. Tian Chua, Hishamuddin Rais, and others light up candles placed on the fence of Royal Selangor Club facing Dataran Merdeka. Since the vigil was being held within the club premises, the boys in blue did not take any action and merely observed the proceedings from the other side of the fence. All in all, the said article and the chain reaction it has provoked may well turn out to be either the end of a beginning or the beginning of an end. But as to who, what, and where, I shall leave it to speculation.

A Night At The Opera

How Come You Do You Like You Do?

At about an hour or so before the curtain rises, the actors from a Chinese opera troupe are in earnest preparation for the evening show under the curious gaze of a child whose parents whom are also members of the opera troupe. Unlike their contemporaries in the West, makeup and putting on of costumes is carried out personally without the need for a makeup artiste or wardrobe assistant.

The Charm Of You

The striped, blue tarpaulin cover seen in the background gives away the nature of the stage; makeshift and outdoor. This particular stage, a temporary structure, was raised on the grounds opposite a Chinese temple. Seen on the right are draperies depicting interior or outdoor scenery, which are then raised or lowered according to the acts enacted on-stage.

I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister (But, Hey, I Got Milk)

These two toddlers accompanying the opera troupe are piqued and perplexed by the presence of a stranger bearing a camera in their midst. This particular opera troupe hails from Phuket, Thailand. Most of the members of the troupe are descendants of Teochew immigrants from China.

We're Gonna Stomp Mr. Giacomo Puccini

The percussion side of the Teochew opera. The musician on the left, pounding on a Chinese drum, reads from a hand-written notebook instead of a musical score. The notebook is inscribed with dialogues of the performers together with description of scenes to be portrayed on-stage. An odd way to read music to be sure, but it works. The other two musicians, seen on the right, will follow the cue of the former.

Hello Dolly

"Louis Armstrong" here happens to be the horn ensemble for the opera troupe. He also does double duty by playing the erhu, a traditional Chinese musical instrument that can be best described as the Western equivalent of a violin. Except that the erhu rests on the thigh rather than the collarbone as the violin does.

I Only Have (My) Eyes On You

Another good reason to watch Chinese opera even if you do not speak the language would be to feast the eyes upon the elaborate costumes worn by the actors. The costumes, which are mainly purchased, are approximate facsimiles of armors and apparel worn by the Chinese centuries past. Aside from being eye catching, the costumes give indication as to the status (or nature) of the character portrayed on-stage.

Too Marvelous For Words

A female troupe member assume a male character role on-stage. Apart from the fact that this is necessitated by the relatively small size of the troupe, consisting of slightly over a dozen persons, it is also indicative of their flexibility and talent. But it also hints at that the troupe may have had difficulties in recruiting men as other more lucrative, and less seasonal work presents a far better alternative.

Struttin' With Some Arkhi*

This particular actor seen here is depicting a Mongolian Khan whilst bearing a replica of a distinctly Chinese melee weapon.

* fermented horse milk with the addition of vodka

Someday (You'll Be Sorry)

It is not all Wagnerian with Chinese operas, despite the clash of drums and cymbals with a martial beat. These two performers are depicting a humorous scene, in which the female character on the right with the clenched fist, is pacified by the male character on the left with a winning smile and cajoling voice.

Jeepers Creepers

The following three sequential photographs, depicts an actor slinking from off-stage to on-stage in deliberate slow motion. With a comical display of various facial expressions bordering upon boredom, incredulity, and skepticism, he will shortly be joined by other performers and engage in a hilarious exchange of words.

That's A Serious Thing

As the end of the show approaches, one of the performers puts on a mask and proceeds to display a message intended for both audiences Heavenly and Mortal. The message, in an approximate English translation, is as follows :

THANKS TO HEAVEN FOR ITS BOON
MAY THERE BE PEACE ON EARTH

(I Got Stars In My Eyes) It's Funny That Way

As their parents and the other performers congregate on-stage for the finale, the children stand by at the sidelines and eye the show from an exclusive viewpoint. Whether they will follow their parents' footstep into the world that is of Chinese opera has yet to be determined. For now, they only have stars in their eyes and the night is still young.

A Mother's Heart

“Making the decision to have a child - it's momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.” Elizabeth Stone

My good friend's nephew in the arms of his mother. At seven months old, he weights in at 11kg thus prompting much speculation amongst us as to the mother's diet during pregnancy. Anyway, he was a good sport and did not bother to touch, much less attempt to remove the Santa hat.

“The mother's heart is the child's schoolroom.” Henry Ward Beecher

After being unceremoniously booted out of a ride by her eldest sister, the toddler on the right threw a tantrum and was pacified when the mother picked her up. When I inquired with the parents as to how they dealt with three extremely boisterous “Energizer Bunnies” and remained sane, their reply was truly practical, “we out-sourced the migraine to a nanny.”

“Mother's arms are made of tenderness, and sweet sleep blesses the child who lies therein.” Victor Hugo

Mother and daughter from Mauritius photographed at KLCC. The mother was fretting over her daughter who was down in the dumps due to a slight fever.

"There is no friendship, no love, like that of the parent for the child." Henry Ward Beecher

A Korean tourist in Kuala Lumpur with her son. An adorable bright eyed boy, he was strolling in the heart of Chinatown with his mother when a display of local fruits catches his eyes. He is immediately drawn to the sliced watermelons.

"God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers." A Jewish Proverb

Photographed on board of a ferry en route to Penang Island. She definitely takes up after her mother. Unfortunately her little brother was not in the same time zone, and refused to give me the time of the day!

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.” Abraham Lincoln

I was surprised by the presence of children with a traveling Chinese opera troupe from Phuket, Thailand. Whether she will assume her mother's mantle in the opera troupe remains uncertain.

"Who is it that loves me and will love me forever with an affection which no chance, no misery, no crime of mine can do away? It is you, my mother." Thomas Carlyle

Photographed on board of a bus en route to Kuala Lumpur. At eight months old, the exuberant and chubby baby girl was not shy of strangers and was keen on taking in the sights during her short journey in the bus.

"To understand a mother's love, bear your own children." A Chinese Proverb

The mother is originally from the Borneo Island, Indonesia. Happily married to a Chinese Malaysian in Penang Island, more than a thousand kilometers away from home, she cradles the youngest of their two daughters.