TRAVEL AND LIVING

Only in Mabul

2010-03-11T09:58:00.005+08:00

I took the chance walking around at the Bajau Laut Village nearby the scubajeff backpackers hut. Just to see the daily activities of Bajau Laut folks, around 4pm most of them especially the kids were playing in front of their houses. It was awesome to mingle around them.

The previous visit at this village somewhere last year, i took bunch of photos there, but this time around I be more like an observer and take photos of what I think merely special.

Some of them playing beach volleyball, football, cock fighting, marbles, painting their new boats and many more. I rode in their special boat and rowed by Sao Len, a young native boy around the island. Superb experience!

Free Walking

2010-03-10T22:55:00.000+08:00

life @ the island

2010-03-10T03:07:00.004+08:00

We did the Discovery Scuba Diving (DSD) at Paradise 1. Super clear crystal water and I got the chance to witness a few rare species of fish and corals. Some get the chance to see turtles. It's a heaven of turtles!

Mabul 2010 : 1st day

2010-03-06T22:50:00.003+08:00

Hey yea!!!

While resting @ the platform, Celebes Sea wind keep blowing and makes the night will be damn cold. After a great day snorkeling at lobster wall and Taman Sesudu, i take the chances to put some updates on the 1st day arrived from Kuala Lumpur.

How about the water? Crystal clear? Contact me for packages regarding a trip to Mabul. I will reply to you and help you ABSORB YOUR STRESS after 1 year working non-stop at your workplace. Believe me, a work without hardcore, cheap and travel like a backpackers is just a DON'T MISS A THING in your life.

Appreciate Nature While you can!!!

Ok it's time to sleep, See you again in the next entry !!!

Superb Start

2010-03-05T23:40:00.003+08:00

Arrived at Tawau airport 15 past 9 at night. Then 8 of us moved to Arung Hayat Semporna, stayed for 1 night there.

Early Friday morning, we were transported by boat, with oxygen tanks for Discovery Scuba Diving (DSD) activity later in the afternoon.

Alhamdulillah, all of us managed to dive with instructors and completed the DSD succesfully. InsyaAllah, very close in the future, i'm planning to take a dive license at Mabul. Why I choose Mabul? I will tell you when i'm uploading photos in the next entry.

The night a bit cold @ the island, so I need to rest and sleep, early morning wake up heading for the next activity.

STAY TUNE !

Here we go!

2010-03-03T20:51:00.003+08:00

damn! only 2hours sleep within the last 24hrs? cool but out of mind actually !!! Manage to complete all clients' stuff before my flight to Tawau tomorrow. Yeah! Finally after months planning, i'm making a comeback to Mabul Island and the best part is, it is less than 365days since my last trip.

Photodocumentary of Bajau Laut Kids Officially Begins!

Chuping Perlis

2010-03-01T01:35:00.004+08:00

The hottest SPOT in Malaysia definitely ! Finally, I reached here for once a lifetime. The heat was just unbearable, do bring alot off drinking water mate!

Chuping is a small town in Perlis. It got its name from a limestone hill known as Bukit Chuping.

The area is well suited to sugar cane which is extensively grown and processed in refineries. There are also cement plants which supply some of the country's requirements.

Weekend

2010-02-28T02:23:00.005+08:00

Hye all, wonder what i've been shooting for the past weekend? I've tried to capture flying birds instead of static birds. Far challenging and believe me, you need to understand the nature of the birds themselves. It can't be so easy like, just come and shoot the birds. Sometimes you don't even have birds in your frame and there you go, for the spirit of capturing flying birds you will wait for the right moment to come. It was not an eagle that i tried to capture but it was a cute little hummingbird.

***
As i travel all over a place, i love photographing kids. Enjoy!

art direction/ Idea concept : S.S
lighting : I.R

Planning

2010-02-26T04:01:00.003+08:00

A simple subject from last year Rainforest World Music Fest. I think i wanna do bird watching soon in the future. Big telephoto is the answer!

My collection

2010-02-24T11:55:00.001+08:00

Note to Travellers

2010-02-22T09:57:00.002+08:00

hye all,

this weekend we gonna have a public holiday again. (the birth of Prophet Muhammad PBUH) for entire Malaysia.
Have you made your mind where to head to? Since today is Monday, you still got time to decide and remember try to avoid a massive traffic jams here and there around the highways. Plan your journey so that, it wont cause you any trouble.

take care!

performance by Orang Asli

2010-02-20T15:43:00.001+08:00

Gamat

2010-02-19T23:06:00.004+08:00

The word Gamat, the Malay word for sea cucumber, refers to medicinal remedies derived from several species of the Holothuroidea family. The golden sea cucumber (Stichopus horrens) is commonly used. Gamat is usually the dried, powdered bodies of sea cucumbers made into a lotion or other topical salve. It is sometimes mixed into clay and applied as a facial mask, or put in tea and consumed for stomach complaints. Users believe that a solution of sea cucumbers can heal cuts, skin eruptions, and ulcers, and claim that it has a beneficial effect on the immune system.

Gamat also a delicious dish at Mabul Island, with a very different huge size compared to what I have seen at Pulau Sembilan waters.

Regatta Lepa (repost from facebook)

2010-02-16T11:16:00.001+08:00

Hye all,

if time permits, i'll be here InsyaAllah, regatta Lepa

Location : Samporna Town, Sabah, Malaysia
Date : April 2010

ABOUT FESTIVAL

The Bajau community on the East Coast of Sabah have a very unique lifestyle – They live on Lepa and only come ashore for food, water supply and during this LEPA festival.

LEPA : In Sabah East Coast Bajau community dialect, lepa means "boat". The lepa boat is a cultural legacy inherited by Bajau people from many generations ago. The existence of lepa is believed to originate from the fishing community who live in Bum Bum Island and used by the Pa'alau people along the coast of Semporna.

One can see the Sea Bajau (Bajau Laut) fish on the clear and shallow water of Semporna. The live in their boats on the sea most of their life. Present day, some groups have settled on tiny islands.

Regatta Lepa : The Regatta Lepa has been celebrated every year since 1994 to commemorate the Bajau tradition of building these splendid boats.

The lepa regatta was first held in 1994 as a district-level event before being upgraded into a state festival. Since 2003, Regatta LEPA became an national event in the Malaysia water festival.

This sleepy town comes to life as the colorful sails take to the sea to compete for the prize of the most beautiful lepa. This is judged based on its decoration, local ethnic music and dances performed on board, sambulayang (sails) and tapis-tapis (small flags).

The Bajau seafarers' proud maritime heritage came alive recently in this annual festival of Regatta LEPA, featuring their boats, the LEPA with participants dancing at the helm of their boats, decorated in full color. The event attracted thousands each year.

Highlight of LEPA : The high light of LEPA event is to choose the most dazzling Lepa from the beautifully, colorfully adorned boats which are lined up at the waterfront.?On the decks are smiling dancers and musicians dressed in equally colorful

Lepa origine : LEPA boat is believed to be originated from the Pa'alau Bajau people who live in Bum Bum Island and used by fishermen along the coast of Semporna. The unique lifestyle and festival is a cultural legacy inherited by many generations. Lepa boat which also serves as home of the jipsy people

Festival Program:

Day 1 : Regatta Lepa 2010 launching, Bajau Cultural performances (Igal–Igal Dance and Joget Semporna)

Day 2 : Traditional boat tug of war, boat racing competition (Keleh keleh), Lepa boat parade.

HOW TO GET TO SEMPORNA, SABAH:

Express Bus
From Kota Kinabalu to Semporna Fares: RM58 Duration: 9 hours

Daily Flights
MAS - from KK to Tawau Fares: *check with the nearest travel agents Duration: 45 mins

Taxi
From Tawau to Semporna Fares: RM80 - RM100 Duration: 1hr 45mins

Mini Bus
From Tawau to Semporna Fares: RM12 - RM20 Duration: 1hr 45mins

Intrudu Festival Malacca

2010-02-15T15:52:00.007+08:00

Spent 1 whole day at Malacca, attended this event together with Bad, Razak Latif, Maleya, Syahrin and Wife. Thanks Syahrin for Kiter-Kiter at FOTOWARUNG.

I got to wrap my camera and lenses with plastic bag. DIY. In order to get very close the subjects. Somehow, me and friends got wet and as long as the cameras are safe, no worries and these are the photos when the photographers are all into the mood of the water fest too.

My Dedicated web :: Photojournalism Works

Sungai Petani - Jerai

2010-02-12T02:34:00.001+08:00

Buried Hunter

2010-02-03T00:47:00.005+08:00

Most of them are students between 10-14 years old and spending time hunting for 'Mentarang'. These whittish shellfish burrow deep in the mud to escape predators – crabs, birds, and people like them, who make a living harvesting them.

Zikri, 10-year-old boy from Yan, Kedah really enjoyed his time in the mud with friends. It is good to gain the experience and making money at the same time while some city boys are busy hanging out at shopping complexes.

Differ from fishing, you do not have to be quiet when hunting mentarang. The collectors were indeed a noisy bunch, laughing and merrily teasing each other as they dug around under the blazing sun.

CNY ambient in KL

2010-02-02T17:58:00.003+08:00

Some photos from last week HUNTING. Hope to find more, extraordinary scenes. I just wanna try to 'run away' from routine shots that involve the temple.

Cameron Highland BOH plantation

2010-01-29T13:52:00.006+08:00

Cameron Highland is a real highland located in between Kuala Lumpur-Perak-Pahang region in Peninsular Malaysia. It can be traveled by car, 4x4 vehicle (preferably) and motorcyle. At 5,000 ft (1,500 m) above sea level it is the highest area on the mainland, enjoys a cool climate, with temperatures no higher than 25 °C and rarely falls below 12°C year-round.

Here, the plantation of Tea is the main business besides fresh vegetables, strawberry and other crops that being supplied to shops and hypermarket throughout the city.

The workers at the plantation are mainly from Bangladesh, Nepal and a few local from Orang Asal (previously known as Orang Asli) from nearby settlement area. Most of them live happily and start working since 8 am in the morning until afternoon.

The fresh plucked tea leaf will be assembled around 9-10am for morning session and 5pm for afternoon session. Once plucked and trim, the new leaf will take for about 15 days to grow before the next plucking. Per kilogram of the tea leaf weigh it is worth RM 0.20, however, in a month they still can earn RM 1200-RM 1500. Good weather with less fog will expedite the tea leaf to grow.

Something to Share

2010-01-29T06:41:00.002+08:00

Early Friday Morning. My eyes caught this at Fotowarung CARLOS BARRIA : HAITI

Heading to North tonight. InsyaAllah

Wicked Feeling

2010-01-28T13:22:00.004+08:00

The time to upgrade has come but still couldn't find any source of 'light'

i need :

7D+grip+85mm f1.2+16-35mm f2.8+5D Mark II+grip

Wicked Dreams
Wicked Gears
Wicked Feeling

Day III Workshop

2010-01-28T02:44:00.002+08:00

the last day of workshop. Managed to get this kind of photos. Will update some photos of CNY ambient/surrounding at Pavilion KL. The place where you fight with security guards i guess. I do not understand why taking photos using DSLR is strictly prohibited there.

Day II Workshop

2010-01-26T10:52:00.002+08:00

Day two at cameron highland. Really cold temperature but a lot of subjects to shoot. However, it is not about how many photo you can make, how many GOOD and USABLE photo that matters. Thanks again to Mr Zainal's thoughts and changing how i should look at a subject.

Just a quick update since i need to rush for an event!
see ya!

I am back in Town

2010-01-25T13:28:00.006+08:00

hey all,

i am just returning from cameron highland : Photojournalism Workshop II for 4 days. will load the photos later. Owh ya i made some photos and they are at Zainal Halim website. Thanks to other 6 buddies, for sharing the best experience in photography.

"a good photo is worth waiting"

Reading in LRT Campaign

2010-01-19T03:34:00.003+08:00

Joined this NGO's outing. The first kind ever in my life and a starter for 2010; education section. Did not spend so much time taking photos, more to observing.

Personal Recommendation :

1. Maybe LRT management can support this activity by ensuring lights inside LRT are well lit up. Quite dark environment will not help this message to be conveyed to the society.
2. Can change venue and method of transportation, Komuter or ERL.

** LRT = light rapid transit

Adieu!