Merdeka Day

Today marks the 50th Independence Day for Malaysia.

50 years ago, the late Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj chanted the famous "Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!" in the Stadium Negara. I have bumped into this great figure when I was just a little kid. I could recalled he dropped by my grandpa's place once for house-warming and for poker. Being that little kid then, I didn't really care who he is back then! All I could remember was his huge black rim specs!

50 years on, the multi-cultural, multi-racial nation has experienced tremendous and colourful growth, albeit controversial at times. It has come a long way

The recent announcement of NCER by the current PM for the northern region seems to be a good plan. We can only hope that the plan will be executed accordingly, as in walk the walk, talk the talk and not talk cock, sing song! The Northern Corridor plan will certainly benefit the northern region where Penang, Perlis, Kedah and Perak are located.

Happy Merdeka to all Malaysians!

New Chapter, New Beginning

I had a good break (though tired...a lil' of that later) after leaving my last job. Meeting and catching up with friends in Sydney. It's been years since we last met. In fact, the weirdest thing was those in Sydney never even met up til my visit! I am disappointed by that but it's great that I managed to bring them together once again.

Sydney was certainly warm and sunny. So am I! I caught up with some friends on several occasions - from ex-colleague who drove me around, Uni friend who will be going through a surgery soon and of course swimming friends (who also put me up and brought me around). It was very tiring trying to squeeze everything into a few days as well as walking with my heavy camera pack from Circular Quay on to Harbour Bridge then to The Rock! I'm so tired that I decided to stay home on my last day just to rest my back and legs. Surprisingly, I fell asleep on the couch too!

Of course, food we had were awesome! Jap on the first night, Yum Cha (or Dim Sum) for lunch, Korean for dinner, Pancake for lunch and again Jap for dinner. Probably the long walk have burnt the fats away! Truly, I enjoyed spending those time with friends. It's all worth it. Life is short, I'll cherish them as much as possible and while I'm able.

Thanks for the hospitality extended to me.

Having said that, I did take some photos albeit not as many as I would have hoped for. There were night shots that I had to improvise due to the lack of tripod. I will post the photos later.

Tomorrow's the beginning of the new chapter for me. I am excited but am also afraid because I do not know what to expect. I guess I will, as usual, ford ahead with my head held up high.

Bring it on!

Time for bed.....

Life Goes On

Yesterday was my last day in the auditing profession. How do I feel about it? hmm.....

Relaxed, carefree, delighted......It's very much the end of one chapter and the start of new one in my life. Auditing has taught me many lessons in life but it is the people that made the lasting impressions. I will not only remember the guidance and lessons shown to me but will carry with me the memories that have imprinted in my life in the profession.

Looking back the years with PwC, WB and KPMG, there were definitely some difficult periods. What really made the difference is the team/staff/colleagues (and now friends or mates). The laughters, jokes, antics and sarcasms are all sweet memories and the Yang that balances the Ying. And that's all it matters.

I may be happy that I have finally made my move but I'm sad to leave and not be able to meet some of my buddies as often (this esp goes out to those from PwC). It has finally sank in that I'm no longer an auditor. Tears are welling up in my eyes for the right reasons. Cherish I will those wonderful memories.

Life goes on...

New Announcements by Nikon

Nikon has just announced the long-awaited D3 and D300 with 5 lenses! After years of trailing Canon, Nikon has finally surprised the everyone with the announcements!

Competitions are certainly great for us as consumers, regardless of brands!

Surely, I drool over the specs of D3 and D300 but my D200 is barely 2 yrs' old. I have yet to fully utilised its potentials. I guess I'll stick to my trusty D200 for now until I can justify owning either one. They are all just tools for capturing moments like these.

Damn Nikon for the temptations! ;P But I'm happy to see the huge improvements! I need to save up for getting a place to stay and that's the priority! D3 and D300 can wait unless I can find something to finance the purchase like maybe a barter trade with a finance co for a loan and in return I take photos for them! Wishful thinking perhaps........

For more details, check out DP Review.

Time

It's exactly a week from today that I will be dropping by Sydney for a short holiday. Come to think of it, it's been almost 7 years since my last trip there for the Sydney Games 2000. Time flies.

Time does indeed fly and it's proven with the captures of moving lights below:

It is so very true that Time wait for no Man. We should appreciate and cherish those around us now than to put it off later!

My Photo Sites

I'm in the midst of deciding to make one of the 2 sites my "official" Who ALSE site for all my photos. Do help me out here by commenting on the one you prefer and the reasons for your preference.

Factors I'm looking at are simplicity (again) and pragmatic in terms of layout and interfaces while making photos the central of the site rather than having too much distractions.

Here are the links:
http://whoalse.fotopic.net/
http://allenlau.phanfare.com/

Gracias

365 Days to Beijing Games

It's finally down to 1 year to go for Beijing to host the XXIX Olympic Games 2008. The opening date falls on 8 August 2008 at 8.08! Talk about being superstitious! 08.08.08 08.08 is definitely an auspicious day and time to kick off the Beijing Olympic Games.

Let China show the rest of the world what it's capable of! Bring on the XXIX Games, I can't wait for the Games to start.

Dingle's 5Cs

I attended the first Murdoch Alumni function in Melbourne few hours ago and the talk given by Peter Dingle revolves around what I have been doing! Coincidentally, Dingle was a guest speaker in one of the foundation units (Reinventing Australia) I had to take.

Conditioning
Choice
Change
Challenge
Commitment

I have made my choice to leave the profession and it's a change that will further challenge me.

Weekend is just a day away....
Can't wait for it to come.......