The digital photo workshop in PD

The digital photo workshop – the Art of Seeing

Had a good exposure to the art of taking photos conducted by our PR unit in PD recently. It was really an exciting and informative programme, apart from being exposed on the techniques of photo taking, we were also taught about how to edit and zoom in on the interesting part of each photo to put in a presentation according to our storyline.
The challenge during the programme was the individual project which were given to us to come up with a presentation about Port Dickson as a tourist town. On the second day were asked to present our project to the class and were given comments on means of improving the photos of the project. This is the most hilarious part as the quick witted facilitator, the well experienced Zahari (ZZ) commented on each of our project. I am just putting up the photos that I have taken in this blog. Hopefully I will improve further in my future photoshoots
TQ Zahari, and all workshopmates for the interesting 2 days. Actually I was really impressed with some of the photos taken by the group. One thing I learn from the programme, you do not have to own an expensive camera to get good pictures…in the end, the photographer’s dedication & creativity matters.

Feeling nostalgic all of a sudden

Suppose age is catching up....suddenly you tend to look at the good times, the bad times, the trying times, the extremely happy times and the people in your life.
too many people has made me what and where i am today... to all the people in my life...TQ and I love you All....

....Feeling Misty......

yeah...woke up today and felt like playing MISTY on the piano. One of my all time favourites, i think. Feeling rather nostalgic of late... a lot of events have made me wanted to reminisce on the old days when life was simpler.... Well. time flies and money can't buy back lost time....but the memories linger...Feeling Misty.. and the lyrics goes..... Look at me.......

Kuatagh get together @ Janda Baik 7-11

Kuatagh (batch 78) member Abdullah a.k.a Dollah and wife Liza (the actress Liza Othman) played host to the group last saturday (7/11) at their home in Janda Baik. Have to thank Dollah & Liza for putting up with the boisterous crowd from Ansara Kuatagh.

Some came alone but a few of us (moi included) brought spouses and family members. Who wouldn't want to spend a saturday afternoon at a farm in Janda Baik???
....cool janda baik, fresh air, clean & green...and WET (rainy season ma...)
Well, unperturbed by the weather, we were just too occupied with the food and the conversation...good company, good food, good venue... the perfect combination for a perfect afternoon. The wives had a good time too...although one jokingly remarked, Husband Ansara, Isteri Sengsara....hahaha!

Salute to Dollah & Liza again for the slumptious spread of mutton(fresh from his farm), chicken, potato salad and top it all off with home grown durian,rambutan, buah salak, markisa and banana... Dollah & Liza's home is the perfect farmhouse on anybody's dream and only a relaxing 40mins drive from KL, off the KL-Kuantan Highway after Genting Sempah.

Nature's trail @ Tasik Kenyir, Terengganu Darul Iman

Great working trip on the 4-7 June...My company were host to a group of students from a less fortunate primary school in Kg Kuantan Kuala Selangor. This is part of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activity for this financial year. Thanx to the TNB's Kenyir Sultan Mahmud Hydro Power Plant staff who went out of their way to jointly coordinate most of the activities....two busloads of 11-12 year olds with their school teachers..a trip of a lifetime, some would say

First stop Tasik Kenyir main dam en route to the (Ikan) Kelah Sactuary.










nature lovers.....kelah sanctuary @ tasik kenyir is your next stop....

Angsana blooming in Penang... & a death of a family member

Had to rush back to Penang Saturday morning, my wife's aunt passed away. Innalillah.... The late Hjh Jawahir Hj Abdullah Rawa, popularly known as Mami Jawahir or Mak Cik Wa, was the younger sister to my late father in law, Hj Yusof Rawa. Her husband the late Hj Jaafar, died 4 months ago. My condolonces to their family...These are prominent Rawa clan members of the Acheen Street mosque community and the Kg Rawa neighbourhood.






It was a weekend of sorts, I would say, was supposed to attend my boss's housewarming do at Bandar Tun Hussein Onn in Cheras...sorry boss, will drop by your place for the left over of the nasi dagang that i missed...But the trip that weekend also allowed me to visit my bedridden uncle Hasan Hj Ali in Kulim, who is suffering from diabetes. On the way back from Penang, dropped by to visit my cousin in Ipoh, who went through a surgery to remove a blod clot in his brain...btw he is he same cousin who i wrote about in my last posting who invited me to his daughter's wedding in our kampong in Gopeng. He suffered a stroke two days after the wedding..

Enough sad stories, while in Penang, I managed to squeeze through a visit to my favourite Nasik Kandaq @ Kg Melayu Air Itam..yummy.
Penang is experiencing the Angsana blooming period now..the beautiful golden yellow flowers have brighten up the roads in Penang.I suppose, only in Penang are the angsana trees very conspicous, ever since I was young, I would be amazed at how the flowers just covered the roads with gold. I would like to congratulate the Majlis Perbandaran P.Pinang (city council?) for being able to retain the trees (and plant more trees) amidst the rapid developement that is drastically changing the skyline...

my mum's kampung: Gopeng a.k.a Gopenghagen

My cousin invited us to his daughter's wedding last weekend...where else but at my Omak's kampung. Here, the local dialect is Rao, decendants from a remote region in Padang Sumatra... by the way, Gopeng'hagen' is one of two similar sounded european cities in the state of Perak....the other is Parit or Paree....Get It? hehe, gotta have some sense of humor there...




A few kampongs dotted along the Gopeng-Kampar trunk road where the Rao descendants reside since the turn of the 20th century...my great great grandparents were the early settlers there, they were the people who were attracted to the bustling tin mines then (Kinta Valley, the tin mine centre of the world in its heyday) and also the lucrative rubber plantations. They set up their residential kampongs like Kg Lawan Kuda, Kg Pulai, Kg Gunung Mesah Ulu dan Hilir, Kg Gunong Panjang and Kg Sg Itek. Right up to the Selangor border,there were a few Rao settlements in Bidor, Tapah, Telok Intan, Tg Malim and Kalumpang (Selangor). Northwards they had settlements in Padang Rengas, Selama and of course Penang Island (Leboh Acheh & Kg Rawa). But in Penang, on my father's side, they were businessman who thrived on trades between middle east (haj sheiks) and South east asia. They also involve themselves in publishing and printing activities...i suppose, being educated during those days gives you added advantage.


BTW, Rao calls their mums Omak (emak) or sometimes referred to as ONDAIK. Grandmas are called UCI and grandpas as NINIEK. Favourite dish is GULAI LOMAK, and in any Rao kenduri in my kampung, there will be GULAI LOMAK NANGKO (nangka) and RONDANG Tok...and during Hari Raya, there will be the Rao version of dodol cooked in bamboo known as KELAMAI. Another favourite dish is ASAM DAGIENG. And i would also like to mention here that one of the best tasting durians in the world comes from my mum's kampong in Gunung Mesah & Lawan Kuda.

Some Rao's terms that would describe free time activities would include mengecek, melantak, melalak, berpeleseran but not mengumpek.
Young men is Pajar and young women is Pedusi....
In malay the typical term would be "Lah" as in boleh Lah...but in Rao it would be TANG or PAK EI, SANG etc...eg mengapo TANG kilen ko, mm pak ei, bak pareh borok sang, indo sang ketuen nampak ku....
(if you understand that, you're a true blue Rao-an.

Oh well, the kampong has been replaced by more modern houses now, but the old houses are vacated and dilapidated. I suppose the younger generation tend to move on to the cities where employment is abundant...