Counting Down to Taking Chances

In a few more days, I will be attending Celine Dion's Taking Chances concert. It will be my first ever concert experience since most well known artistes' concerts are not held in smaller cities like Penang and Perth! I would love to go to MJ's History Tour back in KL in 1991 (too young then), Bee Gees (with all 3 brothers prior to Maurice's, who's always with the hat, untimely passing in Jan 2003) when they toured Australia few years back (but I wasn't in Aus), The Corrs and Jacky Cheung's Snow Wolf Lake Tour.

Anyway, it's never too late to have my another first and the title Taking Chances too coincides!

Don't know much about your life.
Don't know much about your world, but
Don't want to be alone tonight,
On this planet they call earth.

You don't know about my past, and
I don't have a future figured out.
And maybe this is going too fast.
And maybe it's not meant to last,

But what do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

I just want to start again,
And maybe you could show me how to try,
And maybe you could take me in,
Somewhere underneath your skin?

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
[Taking Chances lyrics on http://www.metrolyrics.com]

Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

And I had my heart beaten down,
But I always come back for more, yeah.
There’s nothing like love to pull you up,
When you’re laying down on the floor there.
So talk to me, talk to me,
Like lovers do.
Yeah walk with me, walk with me,
Like lovers do,
Like lovers do.

What do you say to taking chances,
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

Don’t know much about your life
And I don’t know much about your world.

Unfortunately, cameras and any recording tools are explicitly not allowed. Big bags need to be kept in cloak room and all bags will be required for search upon request.

On another note, I will be heading back to join my parents on a family trip to Xian! It's our 4th trip to China but obviously they have always been different parts/regions of China. The past trips were Beijing-Tianjin-Chengde, Shanghai-Wuxi-Suzhou-Hangzhou-Nanjing-Hengtian, Sichuan's Chengdu-JiuZhaiGou-HuangLong-ErMeiShan-MianYang. This trip will be Xian-Lingbao-Luoyang-Dengfeng-Kaifeng-Zhengzhou.

I can hardly wait for the concert and my 2nd trip back to Penang! The family holiday and trip back Penang would most probably be my last overseas trip til Jan 2009.

My First PAID Gig

Over the weekend, I had the opportunity to capture some family portraits. It's certainly a great experience and I hope I will be able to build on it. I spent about 2 hours with the family of 4 (5th on its way though) and snapped a couple of hundred images. Below are some of my favourites which are aplenty.


Having a paid job, does that equate to being a professional now? In my book, a professional probably has the following features though in no particular order:
1) A technique and style that are unique to his work
2) Well-known and widely recognised by peers
3) Well-versed with LIGHT - A quote by Anthony McKee "The Study of Light Takes A Lifetime"
4) Consistently producing high quality images/artworks
5) Down-to-earth attitude yet still keeping professionalism at heart
6) Commitment, Sacrifice and Taking Chances
7) Keep learning to progression and development

So, am I a pro? I just know I'm passionate about photography and I'll keep learning......

Enron ala Malaysia

Where is professionalism, integrity and accountability?
Didn't the Enron case that rocked and subsequently changed the world many years ago teach everyone, especially the Datos and Yang Berhormats something about accountability?
What is (or are) there to hide by shredding the documents, any documents?!

Perhaps the Malaysia Boleh spirit is in the work and/or they thought the world is "this" small not knowing what Enron case is!

Coming from a well-known professional firm, this act of shredding and hiding documents is a very disdainful act and a definite no-no! Where is social responsibility by giving the public the impression of corruptions by the handful few?

Bring back the local council elections. Bring out the "chopping" block. Rid these unprofessional conducts, ineffective & inefficient scumbags, the uneducated with pppp....poor inter....international lang....language! We prefer the transparent, hardworking and well-educated yet not corrupted to run the local councils, the state government and federal government.

On a brighter note, the Oppositions (sorry State Govt) will do away the Affirmative Policies that resulted in inequalities. That's one great start for MALAYSIANS! This is a glimmer of hope for all MALAYSIANS as equals.

Anyway, I will continue to write so long there are some truths in the posts. Someone said to me that there are some parties/groups scouring the Net for such "rubbish" and will risk being caught and jailed (misusing ISA comes to mind). Such "rubbish" would not appear if there are no such litterers in the first place. So, take note if these groups are reading this post and the one before. I will rebel for a cause! Catch me if you can for presenting the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It will again prove the misuse of power!

I suppose I might get the support of the public if I get caught but then I am no RPK, Jeff Ooi nor Elizabeth Wong! I am just a humble person with a thing against the "rubbish".

Knowledge belongs to the world
In the absence of Light, Darkness prevails
To live for a cause is worth dying for

No Sacrifice No Victory 2

Updated 10 Mar 2008, 9.45pm

Malaysians have finally matured with the outcome of the 12th General Election that was held on 8 March 2008. This is no a direct relation to my earlier post with the same title back in 2007 when Transformers the movie was released! I stayed up til 4.30am (being 3 hours ahead of Malaysian time) to keep myself posted with the outcome!

Oppositions Front has won, for the first time, 5 of the 13 states and more than 1/3 of the parliamentary seats, preventing the BN 2/3 majority, the first ever non-2/3 majority in the history of Malaysia (could Dewan Pustaka put that in the History subject....)! It is indeed a historical event of which I would have been part of should the election be held a week earlier! Nevertheless without my vote (and those overseas), DAP (and the previously-known-as-Oppositions) still captured my hometown Penang and whitewashed the usual parties in the name of Gerakan and MCA (which represented the Chinese in general). The promises made have not been fully fulfilled and only tried to buy the votes by giving out funds in the run-up to the election.

Penang's development in terms of welfare and economy have been stifled. From my point of view stated below in no particular order, the Penangites may be disappointed and voted for a change of government:

1) Affordability of houses by the youngs who just started out was no where to be found in the usual areas in Penang Island when there are plenty of more than RM1milliions condominiums coming up for the "My 2nd Home" program initiated by the previous state government for the wealthy groups including foreigners. [My own factor]

2) Samy Vellu's rejection of the 1st proposal for the 2nd Link bridge prior to the 2004 election did not make sense when the existing Penang Bridge's capacity had been maxed out a few years prior to that. [My own factor]

3) The corruptions of the government - state and parliament.
a) Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) development proposal hid the true blue print from the public eye of which would have worsened the traffic congestion due to higher density without proper town planning measures taken
b) No proper environmental study being taken for the construction of the 2nd Link.
c) Penang Turf Club's move to Batu Kawan where there is a lack of lushness due to the drier soil and air to make way for PGCC.
d) The sale of Malaya University's heritage land that benefited a handful few.
e) The Port Klang development incident where a minister has a hand (which I'm not too sure of).
f) The sudden elevation of status by family members of the influentials.
g) The Defense contracts which benefited a handful few.
h) The circumstantial and mystery deaths of the Mongolian and Candy Ong with a longer list of corruptions.

4) The indecisiveness of the State government when they have been voted into the state assembly. Why they have to obtain the mandate/permission from PM? Why not just make Penang into a Federal Territory? Isn't this a clear sign of being a puppet state government? What's the point of having them in the State if they couldn't even make the decision for the State and the People of the State. If they can't do it and they giving the impression the Oppositions can't do it, it's worthy act to give the Opposition a shot since we the Penangites have nothing to lose. Voted BN in, not much was done for us. In a nutshell, it's LPPL (in Penang Hokkien dialect, Lam Pah Pah Lan)! It's a risk we are willing to take since we have nothing to lose. [My own account but with agreement by some]

5) The inequalities and racial politics are the "Don'ts" for most of the current younger and educated generations when we are all born and bred in Malaysia. We are MALAYSIANS with our forefathers contributing to the economy and development of the country. Why the segregation? Why the unjust opportunities in education, welfare, housing, job market, business requirements, governmental registrations of various sorts? Worse, misusing ISA against the 5 HINDRAF protesters. If the minority representatives cannot bring the balance, there is no reason to keep and enrich them. No sympathy from this humble soul.

6) The mainstream news providers have not been able to supply the latest updates to the general public. These so-called companies do not provide the Freedom of Information as promised in the previous GE since the companies are owned (partly or in full, one wonders) by the Barisan Nasional component parties and selected individuals. However, thanks to sites like the Malaysia Kini (as well as its mirror site providers) and Malaysia Today (by Raja Petra Kamarudin), the majority of us were (still are) able to keep abreast with the news and updates within the borders of Malaysia and foreign soils. It's such a disgrace for the mainstream medias for they have the funds and resources yet couldn't provide a true and fair information. There were times when those in Malaysia couldn't access the same Malaysia Kini site address while I being in overseas were able to! This is something very odd and perhaps a filter of some sorts was in play! Additionally, Dynamic Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks came to mind to prevent these unconventional channels of information dissemination.

7) The independence the Judiciary as part of the 3 pillars of power. Executive, Legislature and Judicial are the basic of segregation of power but these have been muddled (or given the impression of, which should not even happened) in Malaysia. The 90% majority given to BN in the previous election has been misused to amend certain legislations for their own advantages.

I'm sure the fall is a lot harder with the result of previous election and the past 40 years! It's a very loud and clear message to UMNO, MCA, Gerakan and MIC that they have failed us, the People of Malaysia (read: MALAYSIANS), even after so many previous mandates given to them. Too many second-chances. In sports, warming up shouldn't have taken so long and a second could means second!

A quote from Abraham Lincoln sprang to mind, "This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that the government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth".

I am not sad nor dissatisfied for BN's lost though my great-grandpa shared the same hall/room/air with the late Tan Sri Tan Cheng Lok and supported MCA decades ago! For those curious, go look and ask around in Air Itam and Loong Boey. Perhaps try rummaging thru the donation records of MCA as it might be listed in there, just might! Yes, I'm the 4th generation in Malaysia/Malaya.

Hence, No Sacrifice No Victory as coined in the movie Transformers. We sacrificed those under the same ineffective and undesirable banners in hope for a victory in the longer term and a brighter future for the generations to come! We are the BOSS and the elected are the office bearers (employees) for the BOSS.

Echoing what were said/done by some individuals:

Come on, show us your Keris again! We'll let you lick the sharp edge of it and show you Ketuanan Bangsa Malaysia......

Well, if you don't like it (the outcome of the GE), get the f*#k out.....!!!

It looks like a win. It smells like a win. But it ain't a win........

CORRECT CORRECT CORRECT, you lost in the historical 12th General Election that Malaysians voted wisely!!

Are you seeking PM's permission to resign too? And is he deciding your future in politics? Why not be his butler in Perth since he can do the becks and calls? He's probably sleeping on the decisions........Hang on.....perhaps he would also change his mind within 24 hours!!

Still unsure of the factors of losing? There's no need to waste Tax Payers' money for detailed Post Mortems. Just subscribe to Malaysia Today, Malaysia Kini and surf the cyberspace from Cyberjaya and Putrajaya!


Kudos to DAP (and the Oppositions). The same will happen to you (as previous election outcomes shown) should you don't performed as promised! Talk the talk, Walk the walk.....

oo0o

~Viva Malaysians~

I have been getting the questions of the reason of my so-very-short trip back home.

What prompted me to head back is primarily due to an incident that occurred some time last year when I got news of the passing my beloved Chinese coach though her demise was about 6 months earlier. Procrastination of calling her is a regret that I will never ever forget but rather a lesson etched to my memory.

Especially with the recent passing of my grandpa and certain family issues thereafter, I decided against heading to Canberra to get my new passport done when I could catch up with and see how my mom is coping. Though it's a short time spent I'm confident she will get back on her feet after seeing her progress and initiatives.

Having the opportunities to hang out and reminisce the old times with friends from my swim days, schooling days and PwC days is something I would hold dear to my heart. I guess I have somehow learnt from my past procrastinations which I could never turn back the time and make amends.

In the end, I am very happy that I went back. Although I am still feeling tired, refreshed I felt! Seeing how some of those close to my heart progressing in life made my trip a very worthwhile though I do feel a little disappointed for not able to attain more.

My 20-month old niece, Emily growing up wellMy god-sis, Gerry, giving me the stare while filling up petrol after picking me up from LCCTA proud parents of 2-day old Ryan - Allan & Ming May @ Damansara Specialist HospitalProud Grandparents who were my neighbour Aeryn and Mommy Charlene (Daddy Brian some where nearby) visiting Ming May

More pics to come in the next few days.........

PwC Penang Alumni Gathering

PwC Penang has its first ever Alumni Gathering on 29 Feb 2008. The event did bring a number of us back to the good ol' days not as Pricks with Calculators but as Pals with Consonance! The event is pretty a confluence of Seniors and Juniors. Some become younger.

I became the unofficial photographer but I spent more time catching up with other and being one of the participants rather than walking around capturing moments. However, there was also the other photographer/videographer known as E-cheng-son aka Ah Cheng! Mr Cho kept bringing up the topic of me being the photographer for the Melbourne recruitment drive last year. Perhaps, it was the beer talk!

Some memorable moments:
Some of us adjourned to Upper Penang Road for a more relaxing night out with a few drinks while at it. And yes, the 4 usual suspects were there!!!

A short yet memorable trip for me! I guess I'll repeat my line:
Once a PwCian, Always a PwCian

There and Back Again

Well, the 9-day trip back home just over like a blink of an eye. I got back here this morning

I didn't take lots of pics and those I planned for but still it is a worthwhile trip back. It's a very tiring trip but somehow I am very delighted of what occurred during the short trip.

I will post more later on but for now I should take a nap! The posts may not be sequentially.

Thanks to those who made the difference!!