Paddy Museum & Dannork, Thailand

Day after Ivan and Helen wedding, was invited by Mr Pong to visit well known paddy museum located in Alor Star. Heard about this museum for quite sometimes, a lot of tourism company had specially organised a tour to visit this museum. Well once arrived, I was amazed by the unique architecture of the paddy museum which represents the harvested rice stalks. All right, this is from my personal point of view, although the the architecture of the museum kinda attractive, but inside the museum was kinda boring, Joan's even felt sleepy after a walk inside. But i don't deny it was really giving a good educational material indeed. It showcases the paddy cultivation in Malaysia over the years (I have no idea how many years) but seems like those display tools and equipments were used when i haven't been born. Maybe 50 - 100 years ago.

Here are some info for the museum. Entrance fee will be RM3 per person and own camera will be charged for another RM2. So for those who wanna snap some pictures inside got to pay RM5 per person. Walk into the museum will follow by a staircase going up which you will see a hemisphere design of room. Next you'll see a giant painting in a form of circle at the wall. Seats are provided for visitors to see the painting. Here come the interesting part when you're enjoying the painting, the platform is actually spinning but with the snail movement speed. So you know how slow it could be. This is the reason why the room had to construct into a hemisphere design. Spinning platform to let the visitors watching the paintings in the form of circle. Few picture taken from the giant painting.





Anyway I found something interesting, Let's take a look at the picture beside, what do you guys think of it made of. I don't think you guys can guess it right. COW "SHIT" LOL. See below for the description. Cow Dung Coated Granary- The granary is used to store threshed and cleaned padi. The container can be kept inside the house or downstair. The framework of the container is made of bamboo and is coated inside and outside with cow dung and clay. The purpose of this coating is prevent the padi being destroyed by termites, ants, caterpillars, or other destructive insects.

Follow with this pic was taken at the downstair exhibition hall of paddy tools and equipments. It was a picture of the giant painting as well which i merge all together with eight pictures.



So, Later in the evening, we had visited a place call Dannork, Thailand, located at the border of Malaysia Thailand, custom entrance at Bukit Kayu Hitam. It is somehow quite near which take about 30 minutes from Jitra, Joan' house. We fetched Ivan & Helen halfway at Lye Huat Garden which we didn't make it to visit on that day in the morning. Our main purpose was wanna take our diner at the restaurant by the lakeside call Water View Restaurant, It got fantastic lake view with the hut along the lakeside. Breeze along the lake side was so refreshing and relaxing, thumbs up for this restaurant and really recommended for everyone. Check out the picture beside, they deliver the food by boat.



For the food , i'll rate 6.5/10, check below for the food.





Lastly I kinda like this pic, taken beside the washroom which used as decoration!


For more pictures please visit my flickr site at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/colinkiung/ or my Facebook colinkiung@gmail.com.

Ivan & Helen Wedding

What a lovely couple of Joan's sister and brother in law, Ivan & Helen. Joan and I were going back 2 days before their wedding day to help a little and prepared for their big day. Wedding day held on 12th of December 09, what a remarkable date to remember their anniversary later year. Well reaching Alor Star almost 7.30 pm at Ivan's house to fetch Helen and manage to take few shots of their new room.




Later that night, me and Joan were busy creating the movie slide show of their wedding photos for the use of wedding dinner later. Here's the result


Night before their wedding day, Joan's family was having a small buffet dinner or wedding feast at the car porch for the soon to be bride's relatives and friends. This could be their culture in Alor Star cause i didn't see any of this at my hometown only wedding diner at that particular day.



Continue with the making of chinese dumpling call "汤圆". Its for the bridegroom and bride the next day when the bridegroom come and fetch the bride.



Here comes the day of their big day, the bride , Helen had woke up early in the morning. I think most of the bride can't sleep well the day before their wedding day. So by the time waiting for the pro photographer coming, i had taken some shots during her make up session.

Now's the turn of the bride's mate make up, check up the outcomes.



Make up dones, so we gottta prepare the stuffs for the game later. Games are for bridegroom and his brothers team before they step in to the place where the bride stay. Normaly these kind of games are some torturing games, lucky i'm not one of the brothers. Games prepared are drinking super bitter tea, wasabi bread, and let the picture do the talking as shown.

Around 11.30 am, here comes the bridegroom, Ivan and his brothers,



By the time they arrived, sisters were all well prepared, and show time... I got few video clips of them while toturing the brothers but forget it due to too shaky video.Photos can do the talking as well, enjoy.And finally brothers managed to finished all the task given by the sisters, So just one final step before Ivan can get Helen, again sisters ask him to sing and not forget about "ang pao" too. Same old school tricks for chinese, let's say just make it simple, come and straight away go to the bride and tell her "i love you" let's go! Going to airport and ready for 6 months honey moon, I like this way better. Just a sudden thought appeared in my head. Well, back to the story, so after success geting bride out from the room, what next? Bridegroom and bride gotta start giving tea, it's a chinese culture showing of respect to the elderly and then the elderly will give"ang pao" or gold bracelet as return. And later the young one like kids or their younger relatives will say something nice to the bridgroom and bride, in return younger one will receive "ang pao" from them.



As usual, once finished the traditional ceremony during daytime, one last occassion for the newly married couple, wedding dinner. Didn't take much photos during this session, anyway will still share some of the pics. Finally i truely wish both of you a very happy wedding, love each other, help each other and stay an endless love. God Bless!

Christmas Time

Well, Once a year, Christmas time soon be coming again. I've been thinking what to buy for my loved one as a present, last year she got her LV Damier Bloomsbury, and this year gonna be something different. She's been looking for a netbook. Guess what, Santa had replied her wishes. So she got her Fujitsu M2010 netbook last night! Ok here something funny, i was drinking with friends last night at local pub, by the time i reached home, she almost fall asleep, immediately i waked her and asked her to look for her Christmas present, when she got it, she's backed in live and full of vigor. I can see a happy face from her. I'm glad she like the present.

Nissin Speedlite aka flashgun

Finally i got myself the nissin speedlite Di622 after owning a DSLR for almost a year. As i read from the forum most of the new DSLR fans will soon invest in those accessories like flashgun, 50mm prime lens ( i got 50mm f/1.8 already) lol, DSLR bags and so on after they got their DSLR. I've been waited and of course to save before i can own it. I've been eyeing on Nikon SB-600, SB-900 and Nissin Di622 and finally i've made up my mind to the nissin. I'm pretty sure there's a question asking why nissin, well my reason was that simple, SB-600 & 900 too expensive, furthermore 900 was too bulky and professional, i'm not reaching that level yet so Nissin finally become my choice (cheap and quality). So what is so good or advantages using a flashgun huh? So for my understanding was just get the correct exposure or softer skin tone. Well from the powerful wikipedia the flashgun can be define as "A major purpose of a flash is to illuminate a dark scene. Other uses are capturing quickly moving objects or changing the quality of light". I wanna show some of my test shot below as for direct flash and bounce flash effect.


Direct Flash

Bounce Flash

A New Beginning

I have never thought that one day i'll be writting a blog since blogging was already popular for few years back. As today 3rd of December 2009 i decided to try or better said to follow the trend and write somethings. LOL I had create this account since May 2008, and this gonna be my first posting here. WOOO WEEEE!

All right i just got my haircut today!As usual my hairstyle will never changed. Always short and spiky look. I think this is easier for me to get different image. Spiky hair look while going out for clubbing, but now adays no more only "uncle pubs" for beers with friends. While working i'll prepare myself neat and tidy look which non spiky (but still a little) lol. I bet spiky haairstlye not really convincing in making a deal with people!