CK Go Places

Parliament Houses and the Big Ben

2010-01-06T00:00:00.001+08:00

I waited for the sky to get dark to shoot images of the Parliament Houses and the Big Ben. These type of images are always more pleasing to the eyes than the photos taken during day time.

When I merged three photos of the above composition into a high-dynamic-range (HDR) image, more details of the buildings can be seen.

I waited again for the sky to get darker so that I could get an image with sapphire-blue sky.

I did an HDR with three images of different exposure of the above composition and this is what I have got.

This is another image taken at wider angle of view.

When I combined six images into an HDR image, this is the end result.

Here are the other normal shots with different composition.

Location: Parliament Houses, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain
Date taken: 12^th June 2009
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D + Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D

Walking Along the South Bank of River Thames

2010-01-01T08:18:00.001+08:00

I started my evening walk along the River Thames from Tower Bridge at the eastern side of the waterfront. The first interesting entity is the City Hall which looks like an egg just a stone-throw away from the Tower Bridge.

The next thing that caught my eye was a stationary vessel park in the middle of the river. It's the HMS Belfast which had served in World War II and the Korean War.

Further west is the rebuilt London Bridge, of which the name is always mistakenly crowned on Tower Bridge. It is a just a very ordinary concrete bridge.

There are many pubs and cafes along the South Bank. Londoners indulging themselves with a pint of beer or a cuppa is a common scene after working hours.

As I walked further west, I could see the Millennium Bridge connecting the south and north banks of River Thames. It has been rumoured that the bridge was designed for synchronised walking. Any other walking pattern will put the bridge into vibration mode. I did not go on the bridge to testify that.

The abutment of one of the bridges across River Thames has become the playground of skateboarders. I stopped and watched them playing for a little moment.

After a 3.5-km walk, I finally arrived at the British Airways London Eye. Across the river are the Houses of Parliament with the eminent Big Ben. At this point of time, I took a bus back to the Tower Bridge again to photograph this magnificent bridge after dark.

After I had done with Tower Bridge, I started to take some cityscape shots. The view of London City from the South Bank is quite awesome after dark.

I started to walk westward again and came across Millennium Bridge the second time, but this time with the illumination from the artificial lighting.

The dome of St. Peter's Cathedral is clearly visible at night. Most of the bridges get illuminated at night too.

Even the National Theatre gets multi-colour illumination. The building looks more like a sculpture at night.

When I returned to the viewpoint of the Houses of Parliament again, it was already past 11 p.m., so I quickly got myself to the bus stop to catch a bus back to the hotel.

Changing Colours

2009-12-30T00:00:00.001+08:00

Location: Clarke Quay, Singapore
Date taken: 3^rd November 2009
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D

From Paris to London

2009-12-28T21:25:00.003+08:00

It was 11^th June 2009 that I made my way back to London from Paris. I was on the Eurostar again but this time on a Standard ticket without the meal on board, unlike the leg from London to Paris when I upgraded to Leisure Select.

I arrived at Gare du Nord more than an hour earlier to my train departure at 12:13 p.m., so I walked around shooting pictures again.

All the Eurostar trains were parked at the ground level, but the passengers had to check in through the upper level. What an inconvenient arrangement, unlike the other ordinary trains where passengers could just board from the platforms.

Knowing that I was not gonna served any meal on board, I went to the cafe to have a big piece of chocolate-nut cookie and a cappuccino.

When the departure time was near, I checked in, boarded the train and waited for the departure. I was looking forward to my arrival at London and all set to roam around it.

I was lucky enough to fill my stomach at Gare du Nord with that big piece of cookie, because I couldn't get any food on board. It was sold out!

About two and a half hours after departure, the train arrived at St. Pancras International.

It was about 1:30 p.m. in London. London time is one hour behind Paris time.

I was all ready to hit the streets of London but unfortunately there was a Tube Strike. Therefore, I needed to look for alternative transport. It wasn't too much of a hassle to get to the Tower Bridge by bus anyway.

My Whereabout for the Past Two Weeks

2009-12-26T23:35:00.004+08:00

I went to Shanghai and the neighbouring places for a two-week holiday. My journey started with some glitches due to flight delays. I am losing even more confidence in Malaysia Airlines as my flight out to Kuala Lumpur from Kuching on 14^th December 2009 was delayed for more than two hours. My connecting flight from Kuala Lumpur to Shanghai on the following day was even worse! It was delayed for more that four hours! Even more so, there were 44 Chinese passengers who refused to board the plane and it took the management team another half hour to persuade them. I was almost called in to be their interpreter but they finally found a bilingual air stewardess to do the job.

I had the same problem with flight cancellation during my trip to Brisbane last year on Malaysia Airlines. What has happened to our one and only national carrier? I had better quality of service from budget airlines like AirAsia and Jetstar!

Apart from these hassles, the rest of my journey was quite smooth, luckily.

Sometimes I could even pamper myself with a cuppa at Starbucks. There are plenty of Starbucks cafes around China. I was at the West Lake outlet when this photo was taken.

I was alone most of the time, but along the way, I met with some temporary travelling companions sometimes.

I quite enjoy the trip partly due to the cold weather. The mercury-filled tube didn't hit any double-digit reading and it was even at sub-zero degree sometimes. Well, another part of the enjoyment was definitely due to the good food!

Panthéon with a Pendulum

2009-12-16T19:18:00.002+08:00

Although with the same name, the Panthéon in Paris looks very much different from the Pantheon in Rome.

However, the podium does look the same as the one in Rome with soaring Roman Corinthian columns. From what I have found out, it was actually modelled after the Pantheon in Rome.

The inside of the Pantheon in Paris is grander. It was built as a church but was turned into a mausoleum upon completion. That explains the very church-like interior of a mausoleum.

The main dome is supported by for arches serving as gateways to the galleries.

A 67-m wire hangs from the middle of the dome with a 28-kg bob at the bottom end. This is the prominent Foucault's pendulum installed by the French physicist Léon Foucault in his experiment to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. This pendulum has been oscillating since 1851.

On the gallery walls, some huge paintings depicting the bible stories and French history are displayed.

The Panthéon now serves a burial ground for the prominent figures of France. Among others are Victor Hugo, the author of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"; Joseph-Louis Lagrange, an Italian-born mathematician and astronomer who made great contribution in calculus; and the only lady who won the Nobel Prize for two times, Marie Curie.

CK is Going Places Again

2009-12-14T13:11:00.003+08:00

I will be leaving Kuching again for my trip to Shanghai. My flight to Kuala Lumpur is at 1740 today and then I will be transferring to the flight to Shanghai at KLIA scheduled at 0140 tomorrow. Now I have to think of what to do at KLIA for the long flight-transfer hours.

This is my third time to China and my main base will be Shanghai. I will detour from there to visit Suzhou and the surrounding water towns. I will also most probably be visiting Hangzhou and stay a couple of days there.

Please stay tuned for my blog updates on these places in China! I will be back in two weeks' time. Till then, have a great time ahead.

In and Out

2009-12-09T00:00:00.001+08:00

Location: Clarke Quay, Singapore
Date taken: 3^rd November 2009
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D

Changing Hue

2009-12-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

Art Appreciation in a Train Station

2009-11-30T21:33:00.001+08:00

Gare (Station) d'Orsay was completed in 1900 facing River Seine and became the first electrified urban rail terminal in the world. In 1977, it was converted into a museum with the same name, Musée d'Orsay, and has been guarding the French Government's collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and photographs since then.

The entrance fee was €8 at the time of my visit in June 2009. I got a ticket with Millet's The Gleaners, one of his most celebrated works.

This ticket opened my eyes to a vast exhibition area, which is much better than those enclosed galleries in some other museums in my opinion. I like open space.

The first painting I looked for was no other than Millet's The Gleaners, since it was printed on my ticket. The original work was definitely more stunning than the tiny little print on my ticket.

On the larger walls of the ground floor, a few life-size paintings were on display. Some sculptures were lined along the walkway as well.

The ground floor also houses Manet's and Monet's paintings, as well as some other impressionist artists' works.

The walkway of the ground floor were lined with sculptures for visitors to appreciate at close range. Those standing on the ground and sitting on the benches not included!

The upper floors display the smaller paintings, mostly from the impressionism and post-impressionism era.

That includes one of Van Gogh's self-portrait painting and one of his last 100 or so works produced during the last ten weeks of his life, The Church at Auvers. I like Vincent van Gogh's paintings very much for their vivid colours and wave-like patterns.

During my visit, there was a non-permanent exhibition of Italian portraits which I like for their warm tone, rich colours and the environmental details.

One of the paintings that shouldn't be missed here is Bal du moulin de la Galette (commonly known as Le moulin de la Galette) by Renoir. Nobody would doubt that this is one of the most celebrated masterpieces in impressionism.

As I was walking around, I saw some teenage girls chatting while resting, ignoring Caillebotte's Les raboteurs de parquet (The Floor Scrapers) scrapping the floor behind them. Nevertheless, they at least caught the attention of another girl.

The last batch of paintings I appreciated included this Tahitian Women on the Beach by Gauguin. There were just too many paintings to appreciate in this museum! My €8 was well spent. I think most painting lovers will agree with me.

Man vs. Woman

2009-11-25T00:00:00.001+08:00

Against the Light

2009-11-18T00:00:00.003+08:00

Location: Stutong Park, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Date taken: 8^th November 2009
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Micro-Nikkor 200mm f/4D + Speedlight SB-800

A Morning Stroll Along River Seine

2009-11-11T21:00:00.002+08:00

Before visiting Paris, I have heard a lot of romanticism about River Seine. This river winds through the heart of the city and couldn't be missed as most of the places of interest are scattered along this river.

With the river cutting Paris into left and right banks, there is certainly a need of bridges connecting them back.

On one fine morning, I took a stroll to try to get that romantic feeling but I couldn't feel it at all. Probably I wasn't there at the right time. Furthermore, I was alone.

I could only see River Seine as a mean of river transport.

With all the boat houses berthing along the riverbank, this river also provides the resources for the people who can't afford to live on land. This was perhaps a little pinch of romanticism I could feel at that moment.

Since I was missing that romantic feeling part, I continued walking along the river in search of places of interest. A police station is not quite an interesting place, I guess, as I spent almost two hours to lodge a report about the incidence of pick-pocketing at another one.

When I was almost reaching Notre Dame, I took another look at River Seine and went on to visit the most prominent church in Paris.

Breakfast with the Oldest Church in Paris

2009-11-07T18:36:00.000+08:00

When I visited Paris, I put myself up at a hotel in St-Germain. This place is convenient in terms of transport and food. I had most of my breakfast meals at a place called La Croissanterie, which is also my favourite place for breakfast in Paris. By its name, it wasn't hard to tell that it is a pastry shop. Furthermore, with the vast choices of pastries on display, nothing can go wrong with the order.

I particularly like the raisin roll and almond croissant here. I miss them when I see these pictures. The raisin roll has a very cute name in French, escargot au raisin! It is not made of real escargot, though. These are best gobbled down with a freshly brewed cappuccino.

Just a stone-throw away, or shall I say, a distance of over-throwing the stone, stands the oldest church in Paris, Église St-Germain-des-Prés (Church of St Germanus of the Fields). This church is surrounded by cafes and restaurants.

The bell tower of the church has been standing there with very little change since 990, except the spire which was installed in 19^th century.

The construction of Église St-Germain-des-Prés actually dates back to 11^th century when it was built on the site of a 6^th-century abbey. It was the dominant church in Paris before Notre Dame took over the glory.

The vaulted ceiling of the church is painted blue with yellow spots, which is a resemblance of a starry sky. Other than functioning as a place for prayer, it now stages concerts and recitals because of its marvelous acoustics in a medieval atmosphere.

Shopping in a Palace

2009-11-03T20:46:00.000+08:00

Can you imagine a shopping centre that looks like a palace? How do you feel if you can shop like a member of a royal family in your own palace? You can find all the answers at Galeries Lafayette in Paris.

The giant transparent dome is deliberately decorated with tinted glass. With the sunlight coming through, a beautiful pattern comes into place.

The arches supporting the main dome are also painted in Baroque style, and the balconies look like the box seats of a grand theatre. However, when you look on to the floor, it is not different from any other shopping centre selling branded stuff.

Galeries Lafayette occupies two buildings linked by a footbridge across the road. I entered the building without the dome first and was searching for the dome high and low. It was after almost half an hour that I realised I was searching for it at the wrong place.

Musée du Parfum

2009-10-30T21:38:00.001+08:00

The Perfume Museum in Paris houses the history of perfume making. There are bottles of perfume lined up on the rack that the arrangement is named 'Perfume Organ'. Does it look like an organ to you?

I didn't know before this that the ancient perfume making involved giant brass boilers! I would have mistaken this setup as producing some sophisticated chemical if I were to see it somewhere else.

Other than those perfume making apparatus, most of the other displays are perfume bottles dating from ancient Egypt until the not so distant modern day.

Kenny Sia's Secret Project

2009-10-28T22:55:00.003+08:00

Some photographers and bloggers were invited to a media preview of Kenny Sia's 'secret' project on last Sunday, 25^th October 2009. I was very honoured to be invited as a 'photographer' and I was happy to have another great outing with a bunch of friends in photography.

The 'secret' has been revealed to us on this day. The fitness centre has three levels. Level one is for muscle building.

Other than the models, Kenny Sia himself co-starred for us in the photo shooting session as well.

Level two is full of equipment for cardiological workout and fat burning. This has got to be the level that I'll keep going back once I am officially a member. I seriously need to burn away a lot of body fat!

There is also a small corner on level two where the members can use the inflated rubber balls to do some light muscle toning.

The changing rooms are also on level two. This was the first time that all male photographers were allowed to enter the female changing room.

We were later led to enter level three where the studio is. This will be the hall where the yoga, aerobic and body combat classes are conducted.

At the end of the photo session, we all lined up for a mandatory group photo. Even the photographers were not exempted! The people in the photo include some pretty lady bloggers like Annna and Rose Wong.

We were later invited for a refreshment and everybody was given a goody bag inclusive of a one-month free membership. I have been there twice to work out and I am beginning to like it. I will be going to sign up as a long-term member on this coming Saturday while the special offer package of RM99/month is still valid.

Kuching is Beautiful

2009-10-25T22:38:00.000+08:00

I went to hunt for sunset at two different locations for the past two consecutive days and I am quite satisfied with the results. I would like to share two of the photos I have taken. Do enjoy the view.

Pimped Up Centre Pompidou

2009-10-19T21:11:00.000+08:00

Crowning Centre Pompidou as the king of pimped up buildings is probably not too exaggerating. Where on earth can you see a building with over-sized exhaust pipes? That is a resemblance of a pimped up car!

All the other pipes running around the building are also resemblance of a pimped up engine.

This is in fact the Centre National d'Art et de Culture Georges Pompidou (Georges Pompidou National Centre of of Art and Culture). The radical architecture is perhaps more overwhelming than the modern art collection it houses.

Unfortunately, it was closed for maintenance on the day of my visit. So, I could only walk around the building to appreciate the architectural features.

The series of escalators connecting the ground floor all the way up to the top floor could be the longest in the world. However, I am not sure about that as nothing was mentioned about it in my travel guidebook.

On the right of the centre (if you consider the series of escalators as the front of the building) is place Igor Stravinsky where a series of fanciful mechanical fountains can be found. These modern-art fountains complement the pimped up Centre Pompidou well in my opinion.

Guest Model Shir Lee

2009-10-15T19:56:00.001+08:00

During the "Miss Photogenic FB '09 Season 1 Final Photo Shoot", we had a guest model Shir Lee who was invited as one of the judges. When the photo shoot session for the contestants was over, we played another role of shooting professional model. It was a casual and fun session with her.

Miss Photogenic FB '09 Season 1 Final Photo Shoot

2009-10-11T23:13:00.000+08:00

Today is the day where the 5+1 finalists for the "Miss Photogenic FB '09" had a photo shoot at 175º Cafe. This time, we have sponsors for their hairdo and make up done by professionals. Their outfit was also sponsored by a boutique.

This was supposed to be a casual event just for fun by due to overwhelming response, it somewhat turned out to be the talk of the town. Congratulations to the 5 finalists whom will be voted and only one will become "Miss Photogenic". The voting will start at midnight tomorrow at my friend Micklong's Facebook fan page.

Still Hot in Autumn & Winter

2009-10-08T20:38:00.001+08:00

I went to The Spring Shopping Mall on last Saturday to shoot the Autumn & Winter Fashion Show. To my surprise, there was a segment featuring the undergarment of Xixili. It was my first time shooting photos of an undergarment fashion show. I hope my hand-shake did not cause too much blurriness to the photos!

Shining Elaine

2009-10-07T00:00:00.001+08:00

It is not so wordless on this Wednesday.

I had a photo shooting session with Elaine last Sunday as she has made it to the semifinal of the "Miss Photogenic FB '09" organised by a friend. Her name really suits her character, as shiny as the sun ray.

If you are interested to vote for her into the final, please sign in to your Facebook and vote for her by clicking "Like" below the photo at this link.

Event: Miss Photogenic FB '09 Semifinalists Photo Shoot
Location: Reservoir Park, Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia
Date taken: 4^th October 2009
Camera equipment: Nikon D300 + Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D + Nikkor 85mm f/1.4D

Working with Amelia

2009-10-06T00:06:00.003+08:00

Amelia has made it to the quarter final of the "Miss Photogenic FB '09" and it was my pleasure to work with a girl whose name means "work". She is definitely very hardworking to give me such wonderful poses during the photo shoot.

The voting is still on. I hope that she can make it to the semi final of top 5 so that I can work with her again. Please sign in to your Facebook and vote for her by clicking "Like" below the photo at this link.

Miss Photogenic FB '09 Quarter Final Photo Shoot

2009-10-04T17:39:00.001+08:00

My friend has organised a "Miss Photogenic FB '09" and 10 entered the quarter final. I was assigned to do the photo shoot of the 2 contestants and the following are the results of my photo-shooting session with them today.