So it’s right smack in the middle of winter and guess who decided to hit the beach. Me… and a group of Malaysians and the ever i-don’t-care-if-its-freezing-cold-i-want-to-get-a-sun-tan locals. This time around, UQMSA (credits to the organisers, thank you ) organised a Whale Watching trip. Members paid only AUD 60 which is a deal, considering that transport was also provided! Gathering point was at the UQ bus stop and Malaysian timing got the best of us.. hahaha (okay, most of us came on time!) Organising committee gave us a curry puff, juice box and a pill for seasickness each. “Take your pill 1/2 hour before going on the boat!”. Ah yes, I was screaming… “PILSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS”, just like the guys in L4D. Classic game. Loved it lots

Okay, we got on the bus and before we knew it, we were already there. Quickly received our boarding passes and off we went! The “ushers” constantly invited us to proceed to the boat. Wonder why? We were not even late at all. Geez. (Guess they just want everybody on board the boat ASAP). Just like in L4D, I didn’t take my pills. Reason being I don’t know for sure whether I suffer from seasickness and wanted to test it out. Board the boat and greeted the personnel “pirately” and got a “pirate” reply.. hahahha. Bla-bla-bla, yada-yada, we were out to the vast ocean, hopeful to catch some whale action. Ah, I never expected anything fantastic today as the longest focal length I was a pathetic 70mm (x1.6 crop factor) – similar to your eye. T’was this guy with a 300mm F2.8L IS USM with a 1.4x extender.. holy cow!

A first for whale watching, it was almost my first time having a polarizer attached to my lens. I noticed dust on my sensor (looking at the pictures) and tried to “clean” it. Whatever I did didn’t do anything. Got fed up and didn’t bother about it. Photoshop to the rescue!! So, the boat runs on a combustion engine (DUH). Fumes from the engine just messed up my head. I got a headache after taking a whiff … wait, make that 100000 whiffs. So I can’t conclude 100% whether I am immune to seasickness or not. Though I can say that the first 30 minutes of the boat ride I was feeling great. I so need a military grade biological mask. Ah yes, the waves were moderate today and everyone was treated to a roller coaster ride. Those at the “front” (okay, I don’t know terms for boats!) had “fun” with water splashing on em…

Woopiee yai yay, we did see some whales but unfortunately they “were not on drugs”. All we could see was just a tiny part of the whale on the surface to exchange air. Only once did a whale make a big splash. I missed it. Was more interested with covering my nose with my sweater. Remember the fumes? Ugh. Gave up on trying to take pictures and just enjoyed myself. That was certainly much better. Heh. Was glad to set foot on shore again .. because I DIDN’T HAVE TO INHALE THE TOXIC FUMES ANYMORE! After the “exciting” whale watching expedition, we rode the bus to Surfer’s Paradise for “free time”. Everyone went their own ways. I took a walk along the beach with my buddy. Oh no, they weren’t any topless women.

Reached UQ at 6.00 PM or so.

Considering the fact Valentines day and the 1st day of Chinese New Year were on the same day this year, we have decided to postponed her birthday celebration until much later.

On the 27th of February, a total of 10 of us made our way to Souled Out Cafe & Bar in Desa Sri Hartamas to celebrate her 21st birthday.

This, is the infamous Lisa Khoo. HAHA! Never fail to have all sorts of funny and weird poses for the camera! Like seriously, its like her trademark LOL!

Food was great, no complains at all, albeit abit pricey, but what do you expect? We’re eating in Souled Out. Haha, though I must compliment the portion of the food, they’re huge for the price we pay!

See what I mean? LOL!

Anyway, if you’re wondering whether we brought the funny hat and glasses, no its not from us. The management of Souled Out forced them on Lisa! HAHA! Guess its like TGIF, Souled Out too had its own style of making birthday celebrations memorable.

Like this, it was taken and processed all within 15 minutes!

I was actually quite amazed by the efficiency. I’m not joking! Call me jakun, okay. Haha!

Of course I have a better quality one taken using my D40. =P

So, Lisa, hopefully you did enjoy your belated 21st birthday celebration, despite the mishap at the end of the day. =P Hahaha. Well, it IS memorable in a way. LOL!

Happy belated 21st, once again!

P/S The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

Both of my closer friends have graduated from ACCA, and will be starting their employment stint with Ernst & Young on Monday.

Congratulations to you two, Andrea Mah and Kay Sim! Well, Kay Sim if you’re reading this, don’t be jealous the title of the post only includes Andrea’s name, this is entirely because the post is suppose to be about her graduation party in Novotel Accor Hotel! XD

On the 26th of February, Andrea’s parents treated a bunch of us, mainly her close friends in ACCA and also from her High School to brunch in Qing Zhen, Novotel KL!

Andrea, Ee Leen, Kay Sim, Edmund, Jun Xiong, Edgar and I were probably the few remaining remnants of the original Group 3 of CAT Jan 2007 who attended the party.

I remember when Andrea first know me back in CAT, she actually thought I was gay. (Argh, darn it! 1st impression epix fail max!) That was probably due to the fact I wore a pink long sleeve shirt with a super brown golden hair on Orientation day. T_T whyyyy laaa did I went to dye my hair back then?! Hahaha. Anyway, we became fast friends with a whole big bunch of us! However, as we progressed, the harsh cruel reality of ACCA eliminate us from the bunch one after another.

Soon, I was eliminated from the pact by the F5 examiner. =/ but well, life went on as usual, thank God we still keep in touch! and yeap, now that the 3 year period is up, Kay Sim and Andrea are the only ones from the bunch who manage to graduate together. Guess Ee Leen, Edmund and I will have to wait for the next one then! EH EE LEEN WE MUST GRADUATE TOGETHER WEI!

Qing Zhen was a great place to feast, despite it being a Chinese Muslim Restaurant (HOW CAN NO PORKKKKK??! T_T). The ambience of the place was very nice, though the restaurant itself is actually quite small.

The whole lot of us really reminisced on alot of stuffs, some really funny too. Considering the fact that all of us haven’t really gotten together like this to CATCH UP in a very long time. Okay, maybe they did but since I was quite distant from the pact now because I’m mixing more with another bunch due to classes.

Well anyway, all the best in work and in life, Andrea Mah Jia Yi! Do keep in touch! I’ll see you IF I manage to get into Ernst & Young okay? XD

The rest of the photos can be viewed here.

P/S – Oh yea, do thank your parents once more for the amazing treat! =D

I could’ve sworn that phrase sounds familiar. I know, Thank God It’s Friday! So why thank Shirley? Well, you might just have to read on and find out why. (I hope you find out eventually hahaha) It is a few more days, 1 more week to be exact before I fly to Brisbane, Australia. Something’s missing. Good food! I’ll be missing all the food in Malaysia! But wait a second, isn’t TGIF available in Australia? Yup, but you have to pay Australian Dollars. Ouch! And… I have to pay for myself hahahaha!

It was a little last minute, plus I had to leave during Chinese New Year. Everyone’s going back to their hometowns then, right? So it makes perfect sense to have a mini farewell during this week! Mrs. Shirley Tan (my high school teacher, teacher in charge of the school’s editorial board, my “colleague” and my kawan baik ) organised the mini farewell for me. She called my high school friend (good friend in fact), Da Wei along too. Not to forget Pn. Teo (best disciplinary teacher I have ever known) and Pn. Evelyn (best PJ teacher.. haha always lets us go for PJ even when she took relief for our class!). However, Pn Evelyn couldn’t make it as she had other obligations.

The initial plan was to have it at a joint in Taipan. Anyone up for Mexican food? (hint) However, due to the new MPSJ ruling (maximum 1 hour of parking at Taipan), we had to ditch the plan and head for Subang Parade! Guess who was the driver? It was none other than Da Wei! And he drove his spanking (or rather his parents’) new Mazda! Woot! I’m so lucky! So is Pn. Shirley! Pn. Teo has her own ride!

We had a choice of between TGIF or Swensons. Well, I’m sure if you were observant enough, you might have guessed we chose TGIF. It was an easy pick. “Swensons got not much choices la”. We ordered our foods (oh yeah it was an extremely late lunch ) pretty fast! Wow! And I’m amazed that the waiter could remember all of our orders! Good memory, dude! As usual, we yakked, “GOSSIPED” and discussed over food and drinks. Good times….

I guess that’s goodbye to people who have enriched my high school education. Teachers, friends and perhaps enemies as well. Thanks for all the inputs and the experiences. It has made me what I am today. ARIGATOGOZAIMAS… Hope to see you in Brisbane!!!

Oh and, THANK GOD IT’S SHIRLEY! GUESS WHO PAID THE BILL?

We had loads of free time – most of it were well spent at the basketball court or the swimming pool . Our dorms were in front of the horse stable! No, we didn’t have any foul smell in our dorms or the vicinity! Some of us even got to pat and “whisper” to the horse. Our very own FGA USJ horse whisperer.. hahaha Anyhow, I took the opportunity to take panning shots of a horse in action! Usually its cars or vehicles for me! A first! I believe this is one of my best shots… although I prefer another shot (but it didn’t show as much motion).

One of the teamwork activity line up for us was the raft building activity. We initially planned to have three groups but decided to go with two, according to the circumstances (having 8 to 9 people to the raft is just murder ). The activity was similar to what I had during my prefect camp stints. At least this time they taught us how to tie the raft properly! We had to walk from our dorms to the seaside… a great way to start the morning! EXERCISE! I had my digital camera along with me (with a zip lock from Li Teng) as I intend to record the action at sea! Did I mention we were going to raft at sea? WOOT!

The best shot taken during the whole event, was not taken by a DSLR nor by me! It was taken with my IXUS 60 by Pastora Zoo! I really like the shot above. It shows teamwork, leadership, competition and action! Although those are my opinions but I’m sure you share them too! My team certainly had a good laugh (me at least) when our raft decided to go left instead of straight at the beginning! Rafting sure does take a huge amount of coordination and teamwork! My team came in second (last) but we didn’t give a hoot! All we cared was having fun!! WAN ZHU ROU!!!

The race was still on until a team finishes disassembling their raft and returned the materials back to its original location. With that done, we treated ourselves to a cup of water and a group photograph! Hip Hip Hooray! Notice the Styrofoam cup I am holding Not to forget the Monash University T-Shirt too.. hehehe We were all winners at the end of the day!

Besides rafting, we also had the obstacle course in the evening, and management games the next morning. They were all fun but very tiring! I don’t mind doing the obstacle course but please remove the 8 foot wall! Oh, I would like to brag that my team got the fastest time for the obstacle run! Hehehehehe! I would definitely frame the picture above… sweet memories with the Leadership Team.. haha all the best!!

As you can see, the number of people at I-City was relatively lesser. Hope you guys enjoyed the squeeze fest at other locations

There were stalls set up around the vicinity of the area (they were invited by the authorities). Tried some keropok lekor and that was it.

The fireworks started with a minor glitch. The announcer counted down to zero but there was a 3 second delay before the fireworks went off! Ha ha! It was my first time shooting fireworks and I learned a few things or two. Watching the fireworks go off first hand at a close range was really an experience for me! It was loud, and the shock wave was immense. Imagine the shock wave produced by a bomb going off! Thank God my lens didn’t shatter. Right, I was exaggerating

First, thou shalt not be too close to the fireworks! Second, thou shalt require a wider lens! (24mm on a 1.6x is not wide enough IMO) Thirdly, it was tough as I had no idea where the fireworks would happen next!

Blessed New Year to everybody!!! P/S : Coffeestops! 3.0? anyone?

Ding Yan, Ying Wei and I headed off to Tesco Puchong to shop for ingredients on Friday afternoon, which were mainly chicken wings and non-halal items. Haha! We then headed back to Ding’s house to help marinate the chicken.

What do you get when you add a whole bottle of BBQ sauce, olive oil, spices, pepper, garlic and a bottle of HEINEKEN? The answer – epically g00t stuffs! *two thumbs up!*

Our jewel for the night!

Ying Wei picked both Lydia and I up on Saturday evening, and off we went to Melody’s place at Sungai Besi. She stays at the Petaling Indah Condominiums. Well it was raining pretty heavily, and it showed no signs of rain stopping, so it was a quite the worrying initially. Thank God the rain decided to slow down after we reached Mel’s place.

The rest were there shortly after we arrived. The guys helped to set up the BBQ pit while the girls got on with their recipes in the kitchen.

Lydia was preparing her “Lydia’s Special” with Eliza, Sue and Melody helping her out, in which she described that will savour our taste buds! Well of course it did, it was great and I’m sure everyone would agree. Haha!

Surprised as to what she got installed for us?

It’s a 100% Pork affair – Bacon + Jumbo sausage + Prunes!

The salad was great too! Not forgetting the banana dessert, which she jointly made with Melody!

I was helping Ding Yan the whole time with the bbq-ing of the chicken wings. Skewering the chickens and making our own chicken satays. Guess it wouldn’t hurt to have some male bonding session along the way. XD

Half the time, I wasn’t aware what the others were doing. Haha! I know they were busy eating, as everytime I turned my head, everyone seemed to be munching on something. LOL!

Ding Yan, our main BBQ chef for the night!

Lydia on the other hand, after finishing her work in the kitchen, she proceeded on to entertain us with her uber piano skills. Creating several solemn and cheerio atmosphere, I almost felt like emo-ing a couple of times HAHA! The piano educated wasn’t limited to her alone, both Ying Wei and Melody took an attempt at the piano too. =D

Say hello to Lydia!

The highlight of the night wasn’t the BBQ actually, it was suppose to act as a cover for Ding Yan and Ying Wei’s surprise birthday party.

Proceeded on with the plan, I signalled the girls to get the cake to the back of the room while some of us distracted Ding Yan and Ying Wei. Suddenly the lights went off, and the girls appeared with the birthday cake singing along the ‘Happy Birthday’ song.

Though our surprise failed in the sense that, the candles went off thanks to the wind in the process of our ‘surprising’ LOL! and we had to light the candle again with Ying Wei and Ding Yan stoning in the middle of the room.

At least I think they are surprised =D not sure about Ding Yan, but Ying Wei had no idea the cake was for him too. So yea. =)

Melody, and the two birthday boys, Ding Yan and Ying Wei.

The cake was entirely done by Lydia herself, if you’re wondering.

Lydia’s Special II – Cheese Cake!

After done stuffing ourselves, everyone helped to clean up. Some washed the plates and cleared the food, while those of us who were helping out earlier with the BBQ, got to rest a bit.

It was an awesome night altogether, I don’t know about everyone else, but I personally had fun. =) To think I only joined this bunch at the beginning of August, I already felt like I’m part of the family.

Special thanks once again to Melody for being a great host, and also to Lydia for the amazing food! If God willing, we shall do something like this again.

We ended the night with a few group pictures of course!

Thank God for wonderful friends!

I finally step foot into Bazaar Ramadan for the first time in my life! It might be my last time too! (for a very long time at least) I followed Pei Yi (driver xD TQ!), Ee Leen, Jessica and Kay Sim to the SS18 Bazaar Ramadan after an evening shower (I didn’t shower. It rained.). A sign that you are closing on the Bazaar Ramadan is the scent of fried chicken wings and satay! (If you don’t smell it, don’t sue me =P) Don’t forget the smell of smoke too!!! Notice anyone familiar above? Ha ha! Look at how hazy it was!

The bazaar doesn’t have much to choose from if you would ask me. Many of the stalls sell the same things. I saw kebabs, roti john, nasi lemak, ikan bakar, kuih, fried rice, mee hon etc. Okay fine, maybe there is much to choose from then!!! I was looking for something special I guess! I did however dig in on a chicken kebab. It cost me RM 4.00. Not to my liking either! Guess I shouldn’t be whining too much.. hahaha! The row of stalls were about 100m long.

One stall in particular caught my eye though. This stall sold baked potatoes with meat (chicken, beef) on it! Mmmm, it sure sounds delicious! (If it doesn’t .. don’t blame me =P ). Sad that I didn’t give it a try. I had to think of dinner at home! Pfft, been talking too much about myself. Ee Leen, Jessica, Pei Yi and Kay Sim bought satay (chicken), chicken kebab, some rice ( I can’t remember) and chicken wings!!! Muhahaha… that concludes my first and last time at Bazaar Ramadan =P

You all haven’t forgotten about our hiking trip to Broga Hill on the 4th of April (Saturday) right? I’m excited about it, I think some of you are too. For those that aren’t, you have about 10 days to get excited about it! The scenery is going to be awesome and we’re going to be having lots of fun! =)

“Old” people taking a group picture at the Broga Hill’s first peak.
Sorry Jessica Chua
Didn’t notice you were being obstructed.
Taken at 6:56 AM.

One day, a bunch of old people decided that we should go for a hike at a nearby hill. By old, I mean youths that are oldest in the IMPACT group i.e. college going youths. To be more specific, cell group leaders.

We will meet at Sri Melur, USJ 17 @ 4.30 am for light breakfast and then leave for Broga at 5 am SHARP (please be punctual ah). The journey will take 45 minutes to 1 hour and we will begin our hike at approximately 6 am.

Kevin Phang at the top of the first peak.
Taken at 7:03 AM.

We went in two cars. The first was driven by my sister while the other one was driven by Jonathan Loh. We left the mamak slightly after five and quickly made our way towards Semenyih. In case you haven’t got the picture, Broga Hill is located in Semenyih. It’s very near to Nottingham University.

Appreciating God’s creation.
Taken at 7:03 AM.

We arrived at about 6 AM. The entrance to the hill was unmarked and the only landmark we had was the rabbit farm. Our journey to Broga Hill had a hiccup. We accidentally made a wrong left turn into a housing area and made a U-turn after noticing it. We parked at a palm oil plantation. Car engines off, it was pitch black! Thank God we brought torch lights as per recommended.

The road less taken.
Taken at 7:15 AM.

Things to bring:
1. Torchlight – for the first part of the hike when it’s still dark (important!)
2. Bible – for devotion (important!)
3. Insect repellent- if you’re afraid of mozzies
4. Camera
5. Small towel
6. Extra t-shirt
7. Water – 1.5 L should be sufficient
8. Snacks – eg. buns/biscuits/granola bars in case you get hungry

Tian Pei Yi taking a picture of the scenery.
We’re still on the first peak.
Taken at 7:15 AM.

As for me, I brought my Gideon Bible, devotional book, torch light, water bottle and my camera. I wasn’t expecting any real mosquito threat ( which proved to be a fatal mistake later on ). Therefore, I wore shorts and didn’t bring any insect repellent. Maybe I totally forgot about that. My brain doesn’t function if I’m deprived of sleep! Sleeping at 1 AM and waking at 4 AM doesn’t make my brain happy!

Song Ee Leen and Jessica Chua taking a moment.
Still at the first peak.
Taken at 7:23 AM.

We started our hike by walking into the darkness. We had torch lights to light our path. For me, I felt as though I was back in high school. Fellow prefects, remember night walks? Having long legs definitely helped me cross a few obstacles but my height had me bending extra to avoid hitting my head on branches! Had some challenging obstacles but teamwork triumphed over them. Kevin Phang and I were behind as security guards. Hey, it was an important duty!

The XX’s and Broga Hill.
Taken at 7:27 AM.

Light illuminated the sky even before we reached the first peak. But it was alright. The sun hasn’t risen yet, technically. Thanks to the hills, we had extra minutes to make it to the top before the sun was visible in the sky. We spent quite a while at the first peak to take some shots as well as enjoy the sunrise. I just noticed that there isn’t any group shots of the XY’s alone.

Onwards to the second peak.
Taken at 7:31 AM.

We should be able to reach the first peak of Broga Hill in time for the sunrise. After the sunrise, we’ll find a spot to do devotion together and then conquer the subsequent peaks. After doing everything we want to do up there eg. taking pictures, etc

A group picture on the way to the second peak.
Taken at 7:31 AM.

I noticed that my camera’s auto white balance produced different results for each shot. I don’t know whether it was supposed to be like that or rather it’s just me ( not understanding the camera fully ). While taking the picture above, the brushing of my backpack against the tall grass created sounds that sounded like there was an animal behind me! I was freaked out. Looked behind and saw nothing. Thank God.

Our Daily Journey.
Today’s about going the extra mile.
Taken at 7:47 AM.

At the second peak, we found suitable place for us to do our devotions and proceeded with it. We were joined by other loud and joyful hikers too! Figuratively of course. Got some weird looks from passersby too. Guess they haven’t seen a bunch of people sitting together reading the same material. The Gideon Bible really came in handy. Small and compact!

“The hills are alive”.
Tee Tze Mien singing while hiking up the third peak!
Taken at 8:34 AM.

As if having two peaks was enough, there was a third peak! ( I thought I heard that there were five! ) Immediately after devotion, we made our way up the third peak to run away from the crowd.

Up we go.
The hill gets steep after this point!
Taken at 8:35 AM.

Broga Hill presented is final and hardest obstacle to us at its third peak. It was really steep and definitely impossible to climb up without the rope. At the end of the rope was a huge boulder where you had to climb up barehanded. We all made it up alive.

A group picture at 330m above sea level.
Tried some HDR-ing.
Took 5 different exposures.
Forgive me for my sloppy work.
Observe the patches in the sky.
Taken at 9:02 AM.

Broga Hill, conquered on 9:02 AM, 4th of April 2009.

Down we go.
Taken at 9:10 AM.

We were quite brief at the highest peak. The highest peak was quite a let down as the view was blocked by big boulders. I shouted “IMPACT!” at the top of the peak though! I have a certified girl’s scream too. Tze Mien mistook my scream as Pei Yi’s. Ha ha!

At the back of the pack.
Taken at 10:08 AM.

we’ll hike down the hill, have lunch and go home!

Through the rubber plantation.
We were all starting to experience dehydration!
Taken at 10:10 AM.

Remember the advice to bring mosquito repellent and wear longs? Well, that advice was really handy when we were going down hill! Everything was fine as we tread downhill until we entered the forest. Immediately, everyone started feeling itchy! We were swarmed with an epic amount of mosquitoes! Even the repellent didn’t deter the mosquitoes from sucking our blood! Guess the advice was not as useful after all. Oops.

Are we lost?
There were crossroads along the way down.
Taken at 10:10 AM.

The mosquitoes had to be the highlight of the journey down hill. We were spending most of our time slapping ourselves. We slapped each other too. God knows how many mosquitoes Kevin crushed on my back. Even clapping the air randomly would score you some kills! Just imagine the number of bumps each of us had on our skin. Kevin’s mosquito bites were epic. I had my fair share of battle scars too.

Happy to be on our way out!
Taken at 10:12 AM.

The mosquitoes got lesser and lesser as we made our way to the edge of the forest. We were not very sure about the path we took as there were crossroads along the way. Thank God we had great guides and a PDA with a working GPS to guide us! We were going to make it out alive! Oh, it seems that the mosquitoes were attracted to black.

Viva la Oldies!
Taken at 10:26 AM.

As though as a losing army makes a last ditch attempt to inflict as much losses on the enemy, the mosquito just couldn’t let us exit the forest in peace! Even beside the main road, swarms of mosquitoes were attacking us. No wonder it felt itchy while we took the group picture!

Man 1 : Wild 0 – Kevin Phang

Well anyway, here are some of the people shots taken during the Aquaria trip.

Whilst at the orphanage,

L-R: Jessica, David, Sofie, Jo Lynn, Elaine and Ying Ling.

The love for Liverpool FC – Sutha and Khaled.

Lisa, showing what it means to get World Prize.

President Rebecca hates the sunlight~

Whilst at Aquaria KLCC,

L-R: Rebby, Sofie, Madeline, Lisa, Gee Hou, Wui Li, Tsen Li and Sutha.

Doing the ‘Lala’ pose – Sofie and Madeline.

Liverpool fans UNITE!
Top (L-R): Edward, Yours truly, Wui Li, Sutha, Manoj and Khaled.
Bottom (L-R): Lisa and Hui Leng.

Whilst at KLCC Suria,

All smiles! – Rebby and Lisa

L-R: Madeline, Rebby, Lisa, Sofie, Yee Zhen

L-R: Manoj, Aruna and Sutha.

L-R: Rebby, Sutha and Mary.

Beauty and The Beast? – Manoj and Aruna.

Thus ends the pictures of some amazing peeps in the SAC, the past and the present.

Well, it was a great outing whatsoever and definitely a fruitful one for the D40′s appetite! XD

Till next post then! =D

P.S – This is a scheduled post. The author is now enjoying his vacation in Hainan Island!