Sunrise @ Cyberjaya

Some photos of sunrise taken in Cyberjaya, carpark near my office.

OLDTOWN Kopitiam

Went for a drink with CK at Oldtown Kopitiam at Jusco, Taman Equine yesterday after work. Found out that the prices there is more compared to Cyberjaya where I work.

An example, White coffee (cold) at Equine is RM3.2o while in Cyberjaya it cost RM2.50.


This franchise has open its 77th outlet in Malaysia. They are all over the place...

http://www.oldtownwhitecafe.com/

Malays, the enemy of Islam

Malays, the enemy of Islam
Posted by Raja Petra Wednesday, 16 January 2008

Extracted from Malaysia Today website

http://www.malaysia-today.net/2008/content/view/1252/46/

If you really, really have nothing to do with your time, then you should attend the noonday Friday prayers at the mosque and listen to the imam lament about the enemies of Islam who all have an agenda to destroy Islam. If not, then don't waste your time. Do something else instead.

Yes, non-Muslims are the enemies of Islam, according to these imams, and they are all united in their effort to 'kill' Islam.

Actually this is not true at all. The enemies of Islam, at least in Malaysia, are the Malays themselves. The only thing is the Malays are just too bodoh (stupid) to realise this. Malays say that there are two types of bodoh. One is bodoh sepat -- you pretend to be stupid but are actually very devious. Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi would probably fit this bill. He pretends to be bodoh but is actually very crafty. The second is bodoh sombong -- you are actually very stupid but are too stupid to realise that you are stupid and think you are very clever.

Most Malays fall into this category of bodoh sombong.

...

Read more in the website on Raja Petra's post on "Yes, let us all go to the Kuala Lumpur High Court at Jalan Duta on 17th and 18th January 2008 and take a good look at the defenders of the dignity of Islam, those 'moral police' who arrest Malay girls and boys who work in discos and then photograph them in the nude and then demand sex as out of court settlement."

Read the poem at the end of his blog.

My next camera DSLR (not the pro type)?

I am waiting for the Canon EOS 450D (in USA EOS Rebel XSi , in Japan EOS Kiss Digital x2) to be launched in Malaysia. Hope the price is reasonable.

The EOS 450D features:

• 12.2 Megapixel CMOS sensor
• Canon’s EOS Integrated Cleaning System
• 3.5 frames per second
• 3.0” LCD with Live View shooting
• 9-point wide-area AF system with f/2.8 cross-type centre point
• Picture Style image processing parameters
  
• DIGIC III image processor
• Digital Photo Professional RAW processing software1
• Compact and Lightweight body
• Fully compatible with all Canon EF and EF-S lenses and EX-series Speedlites

The storage for this camera is SD / SDHC card, instead of CF cards for the other EOS models.

http://star-techcentral.com/tech/story.asp?file=/2008/1/29/prodit/20132205&sec=prodit
Extracted from The Star Online...

Canon unveils entry-level DSLR

CANON has just announced its new entry-level DSLR, the EOS 450D, which features a 12.2-megapixel CMOS sensor and a host of other improvements over its predecessor, the EOS 400D.

While not much bigger than the EOS 400D, the 450D now sports a new large 3in LCD with Live View shooting, an improved 9-point wide-area autofocus system, a larger viewfinder image, self-cleaning image sensor and a spot metering feature.

Most notable is the Live View mode, which allows you to view and frame your shots using the LCD panel on the back.

Like all the new Live View-capable DSLRs that have come out in the past few months, the EOS 450D has two autofocus modes – the more common phase detect autofocus found on all DSLRs and the new contrast detect autofocus which allows full autofocus without losing the Live View image.

Canon has also updated the image processing engine to the current DIGIC III image processor found on other higher-end Canon DSLRs, which means faster response times and 14-bit analogue-to-digital conversion – all of which should mean an improvement in image quality.

Continuous shooting speeds have also been slightly upgraded to 3.5fps (frames per second) and up to a maximum of 53 JPEG images (up from the 3fps and up to 27 JPEGs on the EOS 400D).

The EOS 450D will also be offered as a bundle together with a newly redesigned version of the 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, which now has Canon’s Image Stabiliser built-in.

One major change in the EOS 450D compared with its predecessors is the switch to Secure Digital (SD) cards from CompactFlash (CF) cards.

The new SD slot on the EOS 450D is SDHC compatible, which means it can accept new, high-speed and high-capacity (over 4GB) SD cards.

Battery life has also been improved, thanks to the inclusion of a higher-capacity battery.

Availability and pricing have yet to be announced. – TAN KIT HOONG

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0801/08012403canoneos450d.asp

http://www.usa.canon.com/templatedata/pressrelease/20080123_xsi.html

Compare to Nikon's latest D60, which replaces the D40
http://www.nikon.com.my/productitem.php?pid=1229-ca88cdad9e

17.01.2008 Business Trip Part 2

Some pictures of the 2 bedroom suite at Kristal Hotel. I got upgraded from a one bedroom suite to a two bedroom suite as the hotel did not have any 1 bedroom suite.









I had lamb chop (cooked local style) and strawberry milk shake for dinner.


http://www.hotelkristal.com/accommodation.html

15.01.2008 21st Birthday celebration

Marilyn and myself attended David and Stephanie's daughter's 21st birthday last night at the KGNS - Kelab Golf Negara Subang, in Subang, near Kelana Jaya. HeR name is Deborah, and she was a contestant of Star Celeb. She didn't win it though but it was a good experience for her.

I heard there was around 100 people, family, friends and church members.

It was buffet style, local food. Fried rice, fried bee-hoon, curry chicken, mixed veg, salad, chicken satay, fruits and lamb. The lamb was delicious.

17.01.2008 Business Trip to Jakarta

I am in KLIA waiting for my flight MH711, departure time 9:10am. The time now is 9:16am. Heard over the intercom the flight is delayed to 10:00am. Reason given, change of plane. Even the pilots and the stewards and stewardess are waiting in the waiting area with all of us passengers.

I am going to Jakarta for a business trip. Will be training the Indonesian users on SAP Sales and Distribution module, on how to check and analyze issue or problems that they might face. Reminded the users that this training is not an end to end process training, cause the users should be familiar with their own processes.

Called Edmund, an old friend from Cheras church day to fetch me to KLIA this morning. He is my regular taxi driver to the airport. The fare is RM70.

Had breakfast in KLIA McDonalds. McBreakfast.

Didn't bring my camera this round.

As I am writing now, 9:30am, I can see our plane arriving and is being parked at the gate C16. Would still have to wait another 30 minutes before we can board the plane. My seat number is 22K, window seat. It is easier for me to take a nap whilst seating by the window and no I didn't request for a window seat to get some fresh air. :-p The flight to Jakarta is around 2 hours, so I should arrive there at 12pm Malaysian time, 11pm Indonesia time. Yes their time is 1 hour behind.

With the bad traffic expected in Jakarta, I assume the trip from the airport to the office would take less than 2 hours. mmmm will reach the office at 1pm Indonesia time. I better grab something to eat at the Jakarta airport. Even-though there is a meal on board the flight, usually it is insufficient for me :D

10-12.01.2008 Cameron Highlands

Our cell group (Sungai Long cell group) went to Cameron Highlands for a holiday from 10 (Thursday) Jan to 12 Jan (Saturday) 2008. 3 families, the Ng's, the Chong's and the Seah's.

Day 1. Left home to pick up the Chong's and meet the Ng's there as well. Used the Kerinchi Link to reach the North South expressway (NSE). Road works to widen the NSE from 2 lanes to 3 lanes, reduced most of our journey on the highway to 1 lane.




Stopped at Bidor for lunch at the famous restaurant (Pun Chun Chicken Biscuits & Restaurant Sdn Bhd) which sells ifs famous chicken biscuits. Most of us had duck noodles, deliciously cooked with Chinese herbs. I walloped all the soup too.

After lunch, we headed for Tapah, the starting point in our journey up to Cameron Highlands. Praise God for good weather and clear traffic, except for the NSE. Checked into the Equatorial Hotel, Brinchang around 3pm.

We went to Brinchang for steamboat dinner, RM12 per person, children free. Be careful when you in Cameron Highlands, ask for the price first. One shop will charge you RM10 to refill the soup. You won't know the hidden charges. Philip bought durians. I ate it till I was feeling bloated. Burb!!!!

Day 2 in Cameron. After breakfast we went to the BOH Plantation, Sungai Palas (http://www.boh.com.my/). Had tea and some nasi lemak in the cafe. Break-taking view of the plantation. The road up to the plantation is narrow, certain stretches only one vehicle.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a strawberry farm, just outside the hotels entrance, and had strawberry icecream. more icicles.

Dinner that night we went to Tanah Rata for nyonya food at Restaurant Ferm Nyonya (http://rfn.cameronhighlands.com/). Less than RM100 for 3 familes, 6 adults and 5 children. After dinner we went for a walk at Brinchang the pasar malam.

Day 3. Checked out before 11am, and headed towards Simpang Pulai. Wanted to try the new highway. Compared to the old road via Tapah, the road to NSE is further but not as narrow and 'curvy'!!!.

Stopped at a few shops selling vegetables on the way down.

Once on the NSE on the way back to KL we stopped in Sungkai, a small town for lunch. We found a restaurant where when we entered we saw articles on their famous dishes. One of which was pork legs. Well I had another sumptuous meal. Pork legs, fish, fern, tauhu, herbal chicken and peanut pork soup. We must have pork in our meals. Yum yum.

Rain on the highway on our way home. Oh yeah, it rained in Cameron too during our stay there. Sent Silas and Rachel home, and than back to our home sweet home.

Joke - Made in China

Joke forwarded by my colleague:

A man went on business to China and wanted to buy some gifts for his kids. He went to a shop and found a nice looking CD player. Wary of buying inferior goods, he asked the shopkeeper, 'What would happen if this does not work?'

The shopkeeper quietly points to the only sign in English that reads, 'GUARANTEE NO SPOILT'.

Feeling assured, he paid for the CD player and returns to his hotel. He tried to use the CD player after returning to the hotel but it would not even switch on.

He quickly return to the shop and asked for a refund or an exchange for another unit. When the shopkeeper refuse to give either, the man points to the sign assuring him of a guarantee.

The shopkeeper then said, 'Brother, you are in China . We read from the right to the left.'

1.1.2008 Photos During Mediaworks Retreat

These photos were taken during the MediaWorks retreat in Country Heights, Kajang on 30 Dec 2007 to 1 January 2008.

9 crew members stayed in a 3 bedroom apartment called Country Villa.

On the first night we had steamboat dinner, have ikan bilis soup and half tom yam soup. Stuffed ourselves... burb. Our CEO came and shared his thoughts and ideas with us.

On new year eve morning we went around Country Heights taking photos and video. Some of my photos can be seen here. Not much flowers mostly greens. We went to Kajang town to eat wan ton mee, supposedly one of the best. All of us had wan ton mee. The char siew made the difference. At night we went to VVC for our annual new year countdown. Happy New Year 2008, with fireworks display in church... church projector that is. Fireworks display taken during the opening of the Putrajaya fireworks competition in 2007.

1st January, we had leftover turkey for breakfast. After breakfast, we had our devotion. I haven't read the bible for such a long time. Sharing and prayer followed. I was refreshed.

Checked out at noon and headed to Kajang for lunch, chicken rice, yum yum.

29.12.2007 Kenny & Rebecca's wedding

Rebecca finally got married on 29 December 2007 to Kenny. The wedding was held in VVC in the morning, and then we adjourned to SS2 Tai Thong restaurant for wedding lunch. The ceremony was conducted by Pastor Dexter Low.

This time round, I did not have to be the emcee or song leader during a wedding, I was part of the choir.

The photo below was taken during prayer for the the singles, not married in our church. Prayer by Pastor Joy.

7.1.2008 All I want for the New Year is my two front teeth

Ashley's two bottom front teeth fell off on 7 January 2008 (Monday).