Some privacy, please?

Erm, I think they are mating, right?

I never meant to intrude these insects’ privacy, really. I just came across them during one of my Shutter Therapy session at the park. And I really couldn’t miss such an opportunity like that. I mean how often do you get to see insects mating. I was surprised that I was able to get a nice clear shot since it was windy and the leaf was shaking. I was afraid that they might just fly off since I’m there but they didn’t. :)

This picture is part of my Walk in The Park series. Click Walk in The Park for older pictures.

Random Monday: Comfort Food

#confession: I love eggs. I can eat eggs anytime of the day.

Shutter Therapy.

I read Robin Wong's post on his thoughts of photography with great joy, what he wrote was something I could personally relate to. This is an excerpt of his post;

"I have shot at that street already, I don't think there is anything interesting left to photograph." Same street or place, may have different people and activities at different times. Walking down the same street the second time will give you different subjects. Also, you may be more open to different opportunities, since you are already familiar with the street. Going to the same place to shoot again can help to improve your photography, because you can approach your subjects differently, with a different lens and perspective, or different shooting style. Nothing is the same in each shooting session, you decide your own variety.

Before reading his post, I wanted to walk to the park and shoot. But I hesitated, since I’ve been there at least three times to shoot already and there were probably nothing interesting there. However, after reading it, I thought why not. I mean, just give it a try. I might be surprised.

Shot was taken after it rained, around 5pm where the sky was still clear.. albeit being slightly cloudy.

 

Indeed, I was. Unexpectedly, I managed some shoots which I thought was pretty okay for a novice photographer with a compact camera. To be honest, I try not to put myself down by thinking that I can’t take good pictures with a compact. Because Canon S90 is a pretty awesome camera.. I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

For this picture, I actually had trouble trying to find an angle. Even after I took a few shots, I wasn’t satisfied but I settled for this anyway. What do you think of it?

 

I’m only going to post these two pictures this time and save the other two for later. Hehe, so do look out for the pictures. And you can always click on the tag Walk in The Park to see the older pictures I took. Frankly, looking back at those pictures, I have improved in term of the composition of the subject and all the other photographic aspects. What do you think? If you have any comments, I would love to hear them. :) After all, I’m still looking at areas to improve myself.

Tasting Session at Gong Cha, SS15 - (Preview of New Drinks!)

These days, bubble milk tea is all the craze and there have been countless shops mushrooming around the city. I cannot deny that I have not caught on the craze, in fact I have declared my loyalty to one particular brand, Gong Cha! And if you must know, there is this other famous and expanding rapidly brand, that I don’t buy from anymore. Simply because they came out with the milk mousse foam that I first drank in Gong Cha, and frankly, their version tasted like vomit. And since then, I don’t buy from Chatime anymore. Heh.

Anyway, I’ve been lucky enough to be able to attend the tasting event, not knowing what was in store except to try out some of Gong Cha drinks. It was a rather informal event, as we were brought to the back of the shop in SS15 where we sat at the table and stools. Then, we were presented with a menu! But we can’t choose anything from it as we would be served everything from it.

And this is the menu, peeps! They had it like a real one, with appetizers, main courses and even dessert!

We were served in small plastic cups, nothing fancy but in the end, it is what the cup holds which was more important. Duh! But I have to admit, I found it a little hard to take pictures since plastic cups aren’t exactly appetizing and interesting. Hehe. And also, I didn’t manage to take pictures of all the drinks. They look a bit bland and boring.

Fresh Milk with Herbal Jelly. I’m not a fan of fresh milk because of the smell but this drink wasn’t overwhelming with that smell, and the herbal jelly as usual is amazing. But this isn’t my favourite drink, and honestly, I wouldn’t buy it simply because there are better options!

Milk Tea with Pudding & Red Bean. To be honest, when I first saw pudding, I was very sceptical about it. I mean come on, how can you put in pudding with milk tea? Talk about a mumbo jumble of taste. But surprisingly, the pudding went really well with the milk tea! It is super soft and smooth like the herbal jelly. Red bean was meh, so-so since I am not a fan of it. For me, the red bean was a neutral add on. Some would love it, some won’t but I’m just okay.

Matcha Milk with Red Adzuki Bean. If you don’t know what matcha is, well it is basically green tea! Well, the colour is an obvious telltale that it’s green tea. I love green tea, but I wouldn’t welcome this drink with my open arms because I’m not so used to drinking a sweeter green tea and there is red beans. I’m beginning to hate red beans already. But the drink is okay, and would have been better if there were pearls or herbal jelly.

Gong Cha Herbal Jelly with Pearls. This is actually not a drink but a milk based dessert. Let’s just say milk isn’t really my thing, so I didn’t like this one because the milk is too creamy for my liking. If I’m not mistaken, the milk here is actually the milk foam used in the Signature Milk Tea. This dessert is apparently very popular in Taiwan.

My favourite drink from this session is actually Earl Grey Milk Tea with 3J’s. I didn’t take a picture of the drink, but I have to say it is the most awesomest drink! Guess why? Because there is herbal jelly, pearls and pudding all in one fantastically awesome milk tea. At the best part of it, was that I got to take home the drink (full size!). Hehe.

Can you spot all the three goodies?!

The tasting session was just pure heaven for a loyal Gong Cha fan, and I really cannot thank Gong Cha Malaysia enough for the opportunity to attend the event. :{)

Vintage Camera Wish List.

So, I was browsing as usual and I wouldn’t believe what I stumbled upon! Vintage polaroid cameras! I know that they have been around for ages but to be honest, I have never seen one in picture or in actual. And they just look so gorgeous and one-of-a-kind, which makes me want to have one! Now, top on my list of cameras to get are a polaroid, then a Nikon D7000, then maybe Micro Four Thirds and last, a lomo camera!

Hmm, since my birthday is over already, can I have these for my Christmas present?

Pictures credits to Loomography. (Psst, you can get the polaroid cameras for me from there. Hehe.)

That point in life.

“There are some things in life, if I could..if I could, I would change how it had to happened. Some were in my control, some not but in the end I would regret some the choices I made, and how I wished, how I wished it could turn the other way around. I find myself wishing, willing time to just miraculously turn back just so it could happened the way I wanted it to be. But it would not, so I’m left with either wistful thinking or learning to accept that past mistakes make me the person I am today. Most often than not, I find it hard to accept that past events is a past and there are the futures one that was worth the time pondering upon.”

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I think this post is a bit rather overdue as I had a short photoshoot quite some time ago with Alex. This wasn’t a fashion shoot or anything, we just decided for sort of a test shoot. Hence, the extremely plain and boring outfit which kind of makes me look like I’m anorexic. :S Note to self – Never wear spaghetti tops for shoots!

Also, if you must know, it was my first time so I must admit that my expression wasn’t one of the best out there. Hahaha. But I did have a lot of fun, despite the mosquitoes (11 bites!). Shots were taken near the Bukit Jalil LRT with Panasonic GF1 and a few lenses which I do not know the specifications. Heh.

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The credits for the pictures in this post goes to Alexander Rudra.

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I’ve got two more pictures which I thought was really nice and would be such a waste if I didn’t post it up here as well. These portraits were taken recently when we got to meet up over lunch. Honestly, I almost always never have the confidence when my pictures are being taken. Simply because I would smile too widely which would end up with me looking ugh-lee. Yes, please. Someone can just smack me and tell me I’m too bloody self conscious already. (Confession: To be honest, I never really liked the face of my shape, chubby cheeks! But I have learnt to accept it now. I’m 19 and it is already time to look in the mirror and shift from saying ‘Can I have a sharper face?’ to ‘This is my face.’) Heh.

:) Smiling without teeth. Eee.

Dreamy look? My skin looks so flawless! Heh. Post processed (I think?) and BB cream.

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So, just the other day my dad asked why do I want to go for shoots? I answered for fun, but actually, I do have another reason. But I really don’t know how to put it into words right here. Maybe I’ll tell you, if you asked me in person? :)

Sally Hansen: Green with Envy Swatch.

I’m seeing green these days, what colour are you seeing? (There was inside joke going around with the girls from college about seeing colours. Haha.) Anyway, I have always loved the green colour and the shades of it too. So, I must say that I was happy when I got to review the Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in the colour of “Green with Envy”.

I have to say that I love this shade of green; it is a cheerful and happy colour. If I’m feeling bored, I’ll just look at my nails and I would just smile. (I’m not crazy or anything, but the colour is so bright, you will to.)

Would you believe if I told you that I didn’t have top coat on in this picture? :)

Review: Of all the nail polishes that I have, I don’t actually have one by Sally Hansen. Perhaps one of the reasons was due to the lack of choices in colour (that was available in Malaysia but in US, there is a plenty) and also, I have no idea where to find them.

But I have never been happier to welcome this amazing polish into my collection, mainly because the colour is simply gorgeous. Besides that, this polish is slightly on the thick and creamy side. So, two coats (in the picture, I used two coats as well) would be enough to give a clear and opaque finish. However, it is also prone to air bubbles so you’ll have to be careful and apply thinner and lighter strokes. And I also didn’t really like the brush for the polish (or maybe it just need time to get used to.. since it is quite different from the rest). The brush is thick but not as flexible as I would like it to, and because of that, it is quite hard to apply the polish on the sides of my nails. And oh, this polish is surprisingly easy to remove despite how highly pigmented it was. So much more loves for the polish because of that is a major plus point for me.

Anyway, this polish is from the Xtreme Wear series, so I decided to wear the polish without the top coat to see how long it would last without peeling off or even chipping off. Right now, I'm at Day Three of the polish and it still looks almost as good as new (albeit less shiny since there is no top coat). I'll be posting some follow up pictures for you to see the difference after a few days (maybe weeks?) with the polish.

This polish is almost perfect, it’s shiny without a top coat and it lasts so long! The only downside, is that it stays on pretty for such a long time that I don’t have a chance to change my nail polish.

Sept 11, 2011 – Virgin trip to Euro Deli.

9/11 is one of those Earth changing moments simply because our world with all its 6 billion people would never live their lives the same way again. Many were greatly affected, others maybe not so much. 10 years on, life have changed. 10 years back, I knew of 9/11 through the midnight news. I was too young to understand it, but nevertheless knew it was something huge. 10 years later, I am thankful to be with my family celebrating my birthday (although very much belated). I do hope, that there will never be a repeat of the similar tragedy.

Let’s put aside our sombre mood. Fancy some German sausages?

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Have you heard of Euro Deli? According to Dad, it’s one of the best place for German sausages. And I’ve been craving for some for the past few years.. Hahaa. It was that long.

As soon as you’re seated, you will be served with Foccacio Buns or simply known as bread roll with two types of butter. I’d recommend salted ones, because the unsalted ones are really tasteless. (Any additional rolls are at RM1.50 each.)

Seeing that I’ve been craving for these sausages since forever, I decided on a Mixed Sausage Platter (with 4 types). It comes with a side of potato salad with a slice of boiled egg and sauerkraut. For the sausages, I chose Hungarian sausage, Farmer’s Bratwurst, Emmenthaler sausage and Pork Ring Sausage with Kessler Ham. Of the four, the best one was the Hungarian as it was juicy and bouncy. I would recommend that and also the Emmenthaler if you’re a fan of cheese. Farmer’s Bratwurst is just as tasty but softer. I would not recommend the Pork Ring Sausage with Kessler Ham because its meat is not firm; taste wise, nothing fantastic there.

Daddy decided to order a Mixed Roast after recommendations from several food blogger and also because he has been secretly craving for it. This consists of 3 parts of the pig; belly, knuckles and the ribs. Served with stewed red cabbage and mashed potatoes topped with dark brown sauce. Eating this was downright sinful, the belly has a layer of fat but the taste is simply divine, so much that I can forgo my health conscious diet, for a few hours that is.

My younger brother ordered this, I think it was the cheese and the fries that got his attention. This is one of the Chef’s Recommendations, Cervela Sausage. The sausage is stuffed with cheese and wrapped with bacon. It is perfect for cheese lovers, but the excitement doesn’t end there as the tomato is filled with cheese dips! I didn’t get to try this, but from the way my brother was chugging down is food, it can only mean it’s too delicious!

We also ordered another Mixed Sausage Platter, three sausages here; Vienna, Farmer’s Bratwurst and Hungarian! From now on, I declare that I am only going to eat Hungarian Sausages. Like seriously, I really am. It is that freaking good!

If I wasn’t so stuffed after the meal, I would have bagged home a few packets of the Hungarian sausage! Yes, you can buy these sausages off the shelf there, bring them home and the German cuisine continues in the comfort of your own home.

EURO DELI
No. 41, Jalan SS 20/11
Damansara Kim 47400
Petaling Jaya, Selangor D.E.
Tel/Fax: (603) 7726 7495

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Before I end the post, I thought I’ll like to show you how much my brother enjoyed the cheese dip. :)

Haha! I could not really get the shot I wanted, hence the annoyed face in the last picture! I sure hope he doesn’t kill me for posting this up. Not that he reads my blog anyway.

Not Like The Movies Swatch + Black Shatter

This picture feels like I’m doing a promo for OPI Katy Perry’s Collection. Haha, I wish. It looks pretty neat, right? Opted back for an indoor shoot, smoother background. Heh.

The earlier picture makes this picture look so plain, in comparison. Didn’t want to overdo the whole fonts and all, the focus should be on the nails!

Review: Obviously, today’s polish is from OPI Katy Perry’s Collection named Not Like The Movies. This is one of my first OPI polish together with the Black Shatter. I didn’t do a swatch or review on it mainly because I was too busy with my nail art. Finally decided to do it today, after a few months since I bought it.

So anyway, back to the polish. Since I was an OPI virgin, I was surprised at how smooth the application was. Also the brush was thick, makes it easier since there are better coverage with each stroke. In terms of the colour of the polish, it is a holographic one! That means it changes colour in different angles and lighting. From the bottle, it looks metallic greyish. But once applied, it has a hint of green and purple hue with tiny speckles of glitter. And brush strokes were very subtle and not obvious.

See the purple-ish colour in my first nail?

And here, you can see a more obvious green hue.

I find myself staring at my nails and just getting lost in it, because the colours are ever changing and it feels like I’m staring into a galaxy. The tiny sparkles are like little stars. Here are a few more pictures!

So, after reading this post have you fallen in love with this polish yet? I know I have. <3

And now, meet Black Shatter. I am sure you would familiar with this polish, who wouldn’t? OPI was the first one to mass produced and reintroduced the whole shatter nail polish. I have taken a few more pictures and you can totally see the different colours there is in Not Like The Movies!

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend the Black Shatter polish because it dries up way too fast! :( I have used like say, for less than 10 times only and *poof* it is gone. Damn. I really loved the shatter design. I would probably consider buying a another brand. Will see how it goes along, though I am afraid that the same thing might happened.

Nasi Lemak Bumbung @ SEA Park

I have never been a late night dinner/supper person, but when mom doesn’t cook dinner that night, I really haven’t got much choice. So, I bugged Dad to bring me out to eat (was actually craving for duck rice and ikan bakar) but Dad decided to try out the Nasi Lemak at SEA Park as shown in the 8tv’s Best in The World programme.

It is actually a food programme whereby they preview the amazing good food in Malaysia.

Meet the nasi lemak (RM 4.50).

The sambal served was different than the usual one and it goes really well with the rice. The rice was just of a nice texture, not too starchy and moist. But the portion of the rice was incredulously little. You can barely see the rice in the picture. However, other than the rice and the sambal, everything else on the plate pretty much sucked. The chicken was tasteless and slightly burnt. The nuts was burnt to the core and the anchovies are just plain salty. As for the egg…. nothing fantastic there.

So, I would say that this nasi lemak is not the worst in the world but it is definitely not best in the world, as endorsed by the show. Either that, or the place lacked in quality control. :(

But one thing I’m amazed with the place was that it was behind a back lane of the shops! Very brightly lit and does not smells. And the normal nasi lemak (as shown above) arrives as soon as you’re seated. Haha, there is no need to order!

I’m having doubts whether I would consider going back there or not but if you wish to try it out, here is the address. Do tell me if you have other comments on the nasi lemak!

Nasi Lemak Bumbung

(Located next to Maybank)

Jalan 21/11B, S.E.A Park

Petaling Jaya, Selangor 46300.