Re-direct to the new site

Announcement

I've had a few emails and messages asking me why I haven't updated the site with anything new for a while now. The reason for this is not because I've been too busy to go out shooting. On the contrary in fact...I've been out shooting alot over the past week or so, I simply have not had anytime to post anything new. 

So you may wonder...if I've been out shooting alot, why not post something? Anything. Well the reason was two-fold here. 

1.  I couldn't post any since they were "clients' pictures" and as such I couldn't post anything until I delivered the pics to them

2. I have migrated over to using WORDPRESS that is hosted on a dedicated server. I've been toying with the idea of using WP for a while now but in the past I didn't have a host. But thanks to Lisadragon for stepping in and hosting me. I thank you deeply =) 

I will now post all new stuff on the new site, J*Squared from now onwards and I hope that you all would kindly update your links to the new site. 

Its still a work in progress as I'm still trying out a few layouts and whatnot..trying to see which ones I like best and work well with the plug-ins I want to use. The use of the plug-ins was one of the main reasons why I wanted to migrate over to using WP in the first place.

All the archives have now been imported to the new site. This one will still be up and running until such time as I deem necessary. I thank you all for your continuing support! =) 

Yummy for my tummy!

A big thanks to Wena from Sheraton Hotel for the invite. I had the opportunity to attend Sheraton Hotel Brunei's launch of its "Le Chef Table" menu in conjunction with His Majesty's 62nd birthday celebrations. The promotion runs from the 7th of July through to the 7th of August 2008. A team of six chefs from the Sheraton put their creative minds together and came up with exquisite delights to tantalize your taste buds. Featured on the menu are such classics such as the Sheraton Chicken Rice as well as the Sheraton Briani Nasi Campur with an assortment of condiments like acar, papadams and kurma telur and topped with a substantial portion of kambing bakar vindaloo. Steak lovers are also not forgotten as the menu also includes the "Continental Culinary Touch", prime quality black angus steak topped off with grilled scampi brochetts, Cajun fries and a side of fresh crispy salad.

And at the end of the meal, assuming you still have space to spare, you can savor the sinful deliciousness of the Mango mousse, garnished with fresh fruit and a vanilla crispy drizzled with a sauce which I forgot was either strawberry or raspberry.

The rest of the pics can be found here

Negative Space

Untitled

Rear curtain sync test

Testing out rear curtain sync flash work. This was purely straight from the camera. Nothing was done to it apart from the resize.

Bambina

Footsteps to where I wonder...?

Sunset over Jerudong

Jason Mraz better watch out

More Urban Decay

Ok I think this will be the last of the Urban Decay pics that I'll upload to the site. I've got more that I haven't processed/uploaded to the flickr account. This particular image is the one that I submitted to the challenge on the forum. Voting runs for another week, by the end of which the results will be announced at the next Blue Eden session.

Urban Decay

This was one of the pictures that I rejected for the BFF monthly theme challenge. This month the theme was Urban Decay. It was quite a tough theme this month. wiki defines Urban Decay as "a process by which a city, or a part of a city, falls into a state of disrepair" (read more about it here).

Plenty of the other members on the forum had trouble with the theme as well. It was funny hearing stories of how some were scratching their heads trying to find suitable locations and whatnot. In the end however, everyone submitted some really awesome images. Too many in fact..now the problem is choosing which one to vote for! =)

Can't wait for next month's theme!!

Bavarian Motor Werks

Per BMW tradition, the replacement for the E46 3 Series, dubbed "E90," was introduced a couple of body styles at a time. 2006 saw the arrival of the new sedan and wagon models, while the unchanged but still quite competitive E46 coupes and convertibles (including the M3) continued to be sold as '06 models. The nomenclature became more complicated for this redesign, as E90 technically referred only to the sedan, while the wagon was known as E91 and the forthcoming coupe and convertible were designated E92 and E93, respectively. This was also the first 3 Series to be designed on controversial BMW stylist Chris Bangle's watch.

Awesome....

My my my...this was a nice surprise. I was going through the normal routine of checking the latest posts on the forum and there was a post by SBN on the Simpur page. Imagine my astonishment to see my name mentioned as the featured photog..! hehehehe!!! Does this mean I get a free photobook??? =p

Courtyard

Tungku Beach HDR

I rarely do HDR images anymore considering one of the biggest reasons why I was so attracted to photography was because I remember seeing some really awesome HDR images on the net and thought "I want pictures like that too!!". HDR which stands for "High Dynamic Range" is a branch of digital photography that involves blending together 3 or more images with different exposures to get the full dynamic range of tones from shadows to highlights. My favourite piece of software to use to create HDR images has to be Photomatix from HDRsoft.

You can also use the "Merge to HDR" function found in CS2 and above but its a bit more involved and not as intuitive compared to Photomatix.

More of Sofi

Sofi

No one watching you

Peek-a-boo

Hunting for crabs?

Apparently this young girl was searching for crabs. Peeking into the bucket next to her..and judging from the expression on her face, I'm sure she was pretty happy with her haul for the day. Too bad she went back into her house soon after. Maybe she was intimidated by the five guys and a "dragon" carrying cameras around their necks :p

Tennis balls

The game of tennis (more properly known as lawn tennis) was developed in the 1870s from the game of royal or real tennis, which has been played for centuries. While both games are similar, in that they are both based on two or four players opposing each other from different sides of a net hitting a ball back and forth, the type and size of court, method of scoring, etc., are very different.

Real tennis balls have been traditionally made from a spherical stitched envelope of leather or cloth stuffed with rags, horsehair or similar material, while tennis balls have always been based on rubber.

From the beginning of lawn tennis in the 1870s, India rubber, made from a vulcanisation process invented by Charles Goodyear in the 1850s, was used to manufacture lawn tennis balls.

Originally tennis balls were made solely of rubber, but the wearing and playing properties of the balls were improved by covering them with flannel stitched around the rubber 'core'. The ball was quickly developed by making the core hollow and pressurising it with gas. Originally, core manufacture was based on the 'clover-leaf' principle whereby uncured rubber sheet was stamped into a shape resembling a three-leaf clover and this was assembled into a roughly spherical space by machinery adapted for the purpose. Chemicals generating pressurising gas were added prior to closing the assembly and these were activated on moulding the core to a spherical shape in heated cavities. The process was used for many years until the precision of the game demanded a higher degree of uniformity (particularly relating to wall thickness) than could be obtained with the clover-leaf method. Now it is usual to compression mould two separate 'half-shells' which are assembled together to produce a 'core'. The original flannel cloth was replaced by special 'melton' cloth made specifically for the purpose and the stitching has been replaced by a vulcanised rubber seam.

Historically, balls were either black or white in colour, depending on the background colour of the courts. In 1972 the ITF introduced yellow tennis balls into the rules of tennis, as research had shown these balls to be more visible to television viewers. Meanwhile Wimbledon continued to use the traditional white ball, but eventually adopted yellow balls in 1986.

Until high altitude balls were introduced into the rules in 1989, only one type of tennis ball was allowed. The Type 1 and Type 3 balls were introduced into the rules in 2002.

Other properties of the tennis ball have changed over time. The range of forward and return deformations - the change in the ball's diameter under an increasing and decreasing load of 8.165 kg - have varied over the years, reaching their current values in 1996.

For more information on the technical/technological aspect of tennis, click here

Go Team!!!

The school cross-country team that took part in the 26th National Cross Country Championship for all Government and Non-Government Secondary Schools and Colleges hosted by SM Masin. Male and female teams were divided into 3 different age groups. 4 out of 6 teams from the school managed to bring home Top 6 prizes against the 40 other educational institutions that took part in the Championships. Go team! :p

Kampong Boy

A young Kampong Ayer boy enjoying a sunny, lazy Sunday

More than just a boat ride

A private water taxi operator on his way to pick up passangers

This is what I think of every time I get on one of these perahu tambangs (water taxis). Sometimes affectionately known as flying coffins, these long wooden water crafts weave in and out of Kampong Ayer and under the stilted houses at blazing speeds. The image of water taxis roaring up and down the Brunei river is synonymous with Kampong Ayer.

These vessels are still made in the same traditional way as their forefathers used to practice although there is the danger of it becoming a lost art as less and less Kampong Ayer youth prefer to undertake water taxi operation as an occupation.

Generation gap

An elderly resident of Kampong Ayer with her grandson enjoying a lazy Sunday morning

People have lived in Kampong Ayer for over 1300 years. Antonio Pigafetta dubbed it the Venice of the East when the fleet of Ferdinand Magellan visited in 1521. The district is a culturally important part of Brunei that preserves the nation's river dwelling origins. According to geography professor Abdul Aziz of the Universiti Brunei Darussalam, this is the largest and most famous water settlement of Southeast Asia. "It was historically the very core of Brunei and one of the most important centres of trade in Borneo."

The Water Village (Malay: Kampong Ayer) is a municipality of Brunei Darussalam's capital city Bandar Seri Begawan. 30,000 people live in the Water Village. This represents roughly ten percent of the nation's total population. All of the Water Village buildings are constructed on stilts above the Brunei River.

The Water Village is really made up of small villages linked together by more than 29,140 metres of foot-bridges, consisting of over 4200 structures including homes, mosques, restaurants, shops, a school, and a hospital. 36 kilometers of boardwalks connect the buildings. Private water taxis provide rapid transit. Most of these taxis resemble long wooden speed boats. From a distance the water village looks like a slum. It actually enjoys modern amenities including air conditioning, satellite television, Internet access, plumbing, and electricity. Some of the residents keep potted plants and chickens. The district has a unique architectural heritage of wooden homes with ornate interiors.

Taken from: wikipedia.org

Definition of love

love

• noun 1 an intense feeling of deep affection. 2 a deep romantic or sexual attachment to someone. 3 a great interest and pleasure in something. 4 a person or thing that one loves. 5 (in tennis, squash, etc.) a score of zero. apparently from the phrase play for love (i.e. the love of the game, not for money).

source: askoxford.com

From last week...

I actually forgot I had this in the folder during the macro outing at Tasek with airbiscuit and headache a couple of weeks back. I do not have the slightest clue what this thing is and what it's called...sorry zul..not wiki for you this time :p

Edit:

Apparently this is the ixora plant commonly found in Asia especially India. Most popularly known as West Indian Jasmine, the Ixora plant, especially the red ones are frequently used in Hindu worship as well as traditional Indian folk medicine.

source: wikipedia

Zoom Zoom Zoom

The rest of the set can be found here

With the potential to reach in excess of 250 km/hr, karts are serious fun! Karts are generally accepted as the stepping stone to higher and more expensive forms of motorsports such as Formula 3 and Formula 1. F1 greats Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher both started their legendary racing careers in junior karts. Karts come in two main formulas ; 100cc and 125cc. The 100cc class or Formula A utilises a two stroke engine that can potentially reach a top speed of 140 km/hr, while karts in the 125 cc class can accelerate from 0-60 km/hr in 3.5 seconds, topping out at mind-boggling 185 km/hr, while sitting 2 inches off the ground!

Read more about karting and the history of karting here

Source: wikipedia

Dragonfly

A dragonfly is an insect belonging to the order Odonata, the suborder Epiprocta or, in the strict sense, the infraorder Anisoptera. It is characterized by large multifaceted eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, and an elongated body.

Dragonflies typically eat mosquitoes, midges, and other small insects like flies, bees, and butterflies. They are therefore valued as predators, since they help control populations of harmful insects. Dragonflies are usually found around lakes, ponds, streams and wetlandslarvae, known as "nymphs", are aquatic. Dragonflies do not normally bite or sting humans, though they will bite in order to escape, if grasped by the abdomen.

Source: wikipedia

Another first round loss

Picture shows a player from SM S. Hassan (in blue) challenging for the ball against a SM S Abu Bakar defender (in yellow). SMSAB won the match 1-0.

The under 15s from my school also lost in the first round for the second year in a row, going down to a single goal early into the second half. The defence was outstanding, especially the two center-backs. Both put in stellar performances, only to be let down by the other players around them. Strikers were off their mark during the game, failing to take advantage of the numerous chances presented to them. I can probably make up for it when the under 17s play next on the 8th. Let's just hope history doesn't repeat itself..

The rest of the images here

Cheese, sir?

Click on the image to view the LARGE version

Another shot using the 150mm taken last nite. Im still learning how to get to grips with the lens properly. DoF is sooo thin at close distances, finding the focus point on the subject is quite tricky. I can't imagine how difficult it's gonna be with moving subjects... :s

Click on the image to view the image in its full sized glory!

Testing out the Sigma 150mm f/2.8 macro lens. Not outstanding technically since I was just experimenting with the lens' sharpness at different apertures. I just love how close this lens can get. And since it's considered a "telephoto" lens, the working distance for full macro shots is very comfortable. Hopefully come Friday I'll be able to give it a full work-out at Tasek Lama with ab.

Being a prime, the sharpness is outstanding even wide-open. Obviously, being a macro, AF is very slow..even with HSM. I wouldn't even consider using this lens for sports...I have the 70-200 already for that! =D

s strobed in the cb

Nothing much really. I was with s at the bean tnite testing out my new Sigma 10-20. hehe..! I just love how much of the scene the lens takes in. Just look at the amount of negative space in the picture. I was 6-8 feet away from him. The image is uncropped.

Fastball

The rest of the set can be found here.

Golden Sunset Part 3

Happy 1st Year Anniversary, BFF!

Painting with light using a cheap lighter. Starring CPS with Aku and bruneieye as the supporting case =p Hand-held for a few seconds in bulb mode hence the blurry-ness. Taken during the BFF anniversary dinner.

She sells sea-shells by the sea shore

Uncle! Take my picture!

This little cutie was eyeing the SB-26 I had mounted on my monopod. Maybe she was just curious about seeing this crazy man in front of her carrying a huge stick around under the hot sun! Haha! I promptly asked her if she wanted her picture taken...which she kindly obliged in spades!!! =)

You know it...!

I'm starting to get quite addicted to that long red packet.

Boys and their toys

This is what its all about. A bunch of friends hanging out over some good food, drinks and photog talk...hehehe. I just love the images from my "new" Sigma 30mm f/1.4. The bokeh that this beauty produces is ohhh sooo niicceee....I was a bit apprehensive about getting the Sigma, having read stories about bad copies front/back focusing. Thankfully I don't have those issues with the copy that I have. Oh..don't mind the Sony cameras. There were Nikons there as well..! =p

Guess what happened next...

A day out at the beach is always a fun experience. The cool see breeze, sounds of the waves crashing against the shore, family and friends enjoying each other's company, bonding with nature...and let us not forget taking some awesome cool pictures. Take these two for example..for them bonding with nature was an "immersing" experience...Hehehe!

Golden Sunset Part Deux

Balancing man and nature...

One of the last shots of the day. The light was fading quite fast so I decided to take the opportunity to try out a few shots of strobing the landscape. Inspired by something that I had read on strobist, I wanted to see if I could pull off something similar. Result? Similar? Yes. Spectacular? Hardly. But spectacular was not the goal here since I only had a 2 minute window to pull off the shot. Chimping the power of the strobes up and down to find the "sweet spot" was easy enough especially with souljah there with me. We actually wanted to try "painting" the landscape with light but the flashlites available weren't quite up to the job. Maybe next time...

Golden Sunset

Horrible past few days...been suffering from a nasty bug that literally put me out of commission for a good couple of days. Apparently this naughty bug does get around a bit since quite a few people I know are under the weather as well. So for those of you who are a bit poorly at the moment...hope you all get well soon...

SMILE...!!!

Isn't she adorable??? My new baby cousin..Only a few days old and already she's smiling for the camera... Haha!

Sights on the 23rd for the 24th

A small collection of the images taken on an awesome day. The sun was shining, there were photogs everywhere...and camera fodder all around.. The BFF photogs were all out in full force. The most than any other outing before this. It was great to put a face to some of the names and the comrade re between everyone was outstanding to say the least.

View the entire set here

The ultimate driving machine

Chinese New Year

View the entire set here

Wishing all my chinese friends and colleagues a very happy and prosperous new year!

Work's been a real b*tch...

Ok so maybe the title's a bit harsh and unfair. Hectic is more appropriate I think. Hectic to the point that by the time I'm done sorting whatever needs to be sorted out, its already lunchtime! Its tiring..Tiring but at the same time quite satisfying.. And with kids like these to contend with...how can you not like coming into work every morning? =)