Taiwan - 7 Shots of Taipei, Taiwan

I'm far from being an OK photographer but still, I like to take photographs and share it with my friends. So, I thought of this 7 shots series where I'll post 7 photos that I think represent the place. I did it for Pulau Ketam and Klang during the #TSBreakAway adventures and I begin the series with 7 pictures of Taipei, a city I recently visited and came to love.

Chinese deity costume

I took this photo inside a Chinese temple somewhere in Wanhua district. I'm a poor dictionary on all things Chinese hence, I can't say for sure whether this is a deity or something along the line. I just find it very creepy, an unexpected adjective in a temple.

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall

Security guard change process

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall is a popular tourist spot in Taipei, mostly for the 10 plus minutes security guard change. The process was precise and detailed, something quite interesting for those who has yet to see anything like this.

Either National Theatre Hall or National Concert Hall

Honestly, I can't be sure which one is this for both the National Theatre Hall and National Concert Hall boost the same architecture style and located on the same ground as Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall (one on the left and the other right). These two buildings are especially stunning during night time when all lit up.

Shilin Night Market

A stall in Huaxi Night Market

Night markets are regular past time activities in Taiwan come night time. I had visited 4 of them in my short time in the city and I have to say, not every one of them are the same. Shilin Night Market is hip and happening but cater more towards tourists while Huaxi Night Market has a local vibe to it.

Longshan Temple

One of the oldest temples in Taipei, Longshan Temple constantly has a large crowd of people paying respects to Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy the temple dedicated to. While the original architecture was damaged long ago, it still reeks of tradition and heritage.

*TO BE CONTINUED*

#TSBreakAway - 7 Shots of Pulau Ketam

"The main issue we are dealing with here in Pulau Ketam is the rubbish problem," said Mr Song Soon Guan, councillor for Klang Municipal Council. Even if he didn't point it out, we could see it with our own eyes. 

Plastic bags, polystyrene containers, water bottles, aluminium cans, and even baby diapers surfaced on the island as the water receded. During low tide, Pulau Ketam looks like a town built on top of a landfill site. It is simply an ungodly sight. How did this happen? I find this illustration the best answer to it.

It is a shame, really, for Pulau Ketam is quite a characteristic little fishing island. Colourful houses on wooden stilts scattered throughout the island. Small boats docked by the shore, getting ready for its seafaring hours. Villagers cycled about in surprising speed, leaving me befuddled as to why they were in such a hurry. 

Pulau Ketam just screams, "Photograph me!" So, I did. Like the previous post on 7 shots of Klang, here's my 7 shots of the island. I hope they do convey the idle lifestyle of this quaint island. 

#TSBreakAway - 7 Shots of Klang

I may have been to all the Southeast Asian countries but I have yet to fully explore my homeland. Out of the 13 Malaysian states and 3 federal territories, I can't claim to have been to every inch. In fact, my exposures to the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia are lacking, and Kelantan remains a mysterious locale, the only state I have yet to come across with. For this reason alone, I was very happy to be selected as one of the Xplorers for #TSBreakAway.

I want to use 7 photos taken during my solo expedition to paint Klang's historic district. I am merely a "syok sendiri" photographer so don't expect National Geographic materials being showcased here. That being said, I do hope that these images will interest you to drop by and exxplore this town.

Cherating - The End (Media Trip 2013)

After 2 awesome days in Cherating, we have to leave the quaint beach town back to the city. After breakfast and a tour around the hotel, we had to start packing and get ready to leave. To end this amazing media familiarisation trip to Cherating 2013, I just share some group photos.

In turtle sanctuary (via Fadzly)

All My Photos Are Lost, Thanks to Air Asia!

I just came back last Sunday night from my Philippines trip and after a hard tossing of my stuffs, I found out my external hard drive which I brought along with me for the trip, went missing. It was still in the luggage when I checked it in for my flight back but was no longer there anymore after retrieving my bag. Clearly, someone has been rummaging through my bag!

Also missing from my bag were my old phone and few hundreds Ringgit. This is the first time I experience such thing with Air Asia. I already logged in a complaint form and am waiting for their reply. Though doubt will receive any information worth celebrating (unless they told me they found my external), I still want to hear some form of explanation.

All my photos for the past few years were all in my external hard disk and without any backup. All my travel photos, my university years, my family shots, all lost in nowhere. How can I ever trust you again?

Hong Kong (香港) - Night Views of Hong Kong - Part 2

After our fantastic adventures in Ocean Park (read it here and here) throughout the whole morning and afternoon, when the sun has set for the day, we quickly rushed our way to the Avenue of Stars to watch another round of A Symphony of Light. It will be from another view of point and totally different from the one we witnessed at The Peak. 

Hong Kong's busy lifestyle

We took a bus from Ocean Park that brought us to Admiralty MTR station where we took the MTR from Admiralty to East Tsim Sha Tsui station. Then, we walked our way out to the Star Avenue where many people have already crowded the famous harbour. For some unknown reason, we were all split up once we were there so I had no idea where they were when the light show began but I was certainly sitting by the side, accompanied by the Thais on my left and the Koreans on my right (or was it the other way around). 

Here are some highlights of the light show which were captured in videos but I'll upload it next week due to connection issue:

Replica of the award statues given out during Hong Kong Film Festival

Hong Kong's night views are definitely beautiful

More to come soon!

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Hong Kong (香港) - Night Views of Hong Kong - Part 1

I realized my updates are getting very infrequent these days. I'm only beginning to blog about my Hong Kong trip when it was already two months ago. What to do? Lately, a lot of stuffs are piling up, giving me less time to blog. But, I'll try to be more regular in my entries as possible. I don't want to talk about the same Hong Kong trip when it's December.

Anyway, back to the story. After the star-gazing experience in Madame Tussauds' wax museum, we continued with our exploration of The Peak by heading up to the top of the building. Called Sky Terrace, it is like a flat roof top where people can go to and look down at the glorious beauty the city is. Seriously, it is very beautiful.

Instead of going to Sky Terrace at 8pm for the A Symphony of Lights (which I watched twice and both time was truly enchanted by it), do make it earlier to watch the changing of the palette of the sky as it turned from dusk to night. The lightings of the skyscrapers complimented with colour palette nicely. Really a sight to behold.

Earliest

Earlier

Early. Look at the differences the colour of the sky.

When the clock stroke eight, rays of colourful lights began filling the sky like delicious melody to the eyes. Everyone was gawking at the demonstration, standing at the edge of the terrace. I felt like I had merged with the crowds as I too was at the edge myself, absorbing the beauty that was in front of me. I felt like wanting to grab it, knowing perfectly well it was impossible. So close, yet so far.

Rich, lucky bastards, getting to see this view every night

I came to realize that I was only experiencing the show from the tallest point of observation. I wondered, what would it be like to be at the ground level, watching the same light show? I guess I will find out about it the next day.

The Peak

*TO BE CONTINUED*

Sharing is caring. A word of advice and a piece of information.

Besides being a platform to gaze at the modern arts which are the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, you can also add on your historical knowledge about Victoria Peak. There are informative posters up there at Sky Terrace about Victoria Peak back in the old days that will surely enlighten you and enchant the history buffs in you. Worth every penny, in my humble opinion.