I’ve been so swamped with work lately that I haven’t had the time to blog.
Well..okay. I did have some free time on my hands but the exhaustion left me drained me of all inspiration.
Between you and me, for the past week I rather felt like this orangutan that I photographed in Taman Safari Indonesia in Bandung in March 2009.
Exhausted orangutan
Trivia: The word ‘orangutan’ must have come from the Malay ‘orang hutan’, i.e. person (orang) from the jungle (hutan). Makes sense, yes?
Twin2: Innocence Personified
I can write this post on the pretext of discussing the merits of the inexpensive Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D prime lens. After all, it’s a very affordable lens (list price is RM468 — around US$138 — but it can be had for just a little over RM300); it’s lightweight; it’s wonderful for low-light situations (as long as you have a steady hand); and it gives that nice, blurred effect in the backgrounds of portraits called bokeh in photo-geekspeak.
But I’m not gonna lie to you. I’m posting this photo because I want to remember how my baby (Twin2) sleeps with his clasped hands tucked under his chubby little cheek, a habit that started some 3 or 4 months ago, something which none of his siblings ever did.
I love how this photo captures the adorable little uptilt at the tip of his nose, his cupid lips, the way his shoulder gets slightly raised as he curls up under the covers. I love how this photo captures his sweet innocence.
I also love the dreamy look of this photograph — straight out of the camera, no editing whatsoever other than resizing and the addition of my site’s URL. And I have to give credit to the Nikkor 50mm f/1.8D lens for helping me achieve this effect.
But I’m posting this for posterity not because of the lens but because I want to remember Twin2 this way for years and years to come.
I love you, baby.
P.S. And just so you know, the photo on top is one of 12 shots that I took within minutes of each other. This is how I learn to be better at photography — I shoot and shoot and shoot…then I pick out the photo that conveys exactly what I had in mind. Well…that, plus the fact that I’m kind of a perfectionist when it comes to my work ;)
Tags: Nikon
An old friend from my alma mater, Ateneo De Manila University, was attending a conference in Malaysia last week and I had the chance to visit her at her hotel — the picturesque Pullman Lakeside Putrajaya.
The sprawling hotel — as its name indicates — is located right next to the man-made Putrajaya Lake, which made for a picture-perfect foreground for this photo of the hotel. (Please click on the photo below to see a larger version.)
Pullman Lakeside Putrajaya
The colour of the sky, the puffy white clouds, the reflection of the buildings on the water, the greenery beside the water — all these elements somehow remind me so much of the Netherlands.
And just wait ’til you see the view from the guest rooms! (Once again, please click on the photo below to see a larger version.)
View from Pullman guestroom
This one’s from a guest room located in the Jasmine wing, which is decorated in keeping with the Borneo theme. With such a view, if I stayed in this place, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave…
[NB: The hotel wants to give guests a taste of Malaysia's multicultural background, hence various areas of the hotel are designed with different themes, i.e. ethnic Malay, Chinese, Indian, and the Borneo continent.]
The hotel is just a stone’s throw from Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), making the Pullman Lakeside Putrajaya ideal if you happen to be attending an event at PICC.
I must warn you, however, that Putrajaya is quite far from KL city centre — a good 40 minutes or so by car via the new dedicated Putrajaya highway. So if you intend to do some sightseeing or long to experience KL’s shopping and nightlife, this might not be the right hotel for you.
But if you want to get away from it all without really going that far from KL, this hotel will definitely fit the bill.
More photos of the hotel below:-
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| Lobby dressed up for CNY | Lotus wing check-in counter | Modern ceiling fixtures | Modern design for this lounge |
A second set here…
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| Borneo theme for this wing | Gate upon exiting parking | Lovely koi pond | Oriental design bridge |
And a final set here…
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| All-day dining at B’s restaurant | Beautifully decorated lobby | Exterior of Lotus Wing |
For more information, visit the Pullman Lakeside Putrajaya’s website.
Pullman Putrajaya Lakeside
No. 2, Jalan P5/5, Presint 5
62000 Putrajaya, Malaysia
T +603 8890 0000
F +603 8890 0001
E info@pullmanputrajaya.com
I can see where you’re logging on from…
- Gardermoen, Akershus, Norway
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…far-flung places whose exotic names conjure exciting images in my mind.
I can see what posts brought you to my site….
Malay Wedding Part 2: Hantaran
Contemplating on Malaysian Healthcare
…but I have no idea who you are, what you do, what kind of lives you lead, why you read what I write, what you think of what I write.
I see you but I know nothing about you unless you leave a comment or two…
Tags: blogging
Sunset over Sabak Bernam
It’s a lot easier by far to write about the mundane frivolities of our lives — what we ate/did/saw — rather than deal with the things that we really want to talk about if only someone who’d understand would take the time to listen without judging us: the festering worries that keep us awake late into the night; the harsh realities that we struggle to change or, at the very least, try to live with; the gnawing pains that we try to hide with silly jokes and fleeting laughter; our most fervent hopes and dreams that we dare not tell anyone at the risk of ridicule.
And lest we burden another soul who is straining with more than enough worries of his own, we choose instead to keep it all locked up in our hearts and our heads, then we wear our masks and go on living for just one more day, with the hope that, perhaps, tomorrow will be a better day…
My Lord and my God, I take refuge in You from anxiety and sorrow. O Ever Living, O Self-Subsisting and Supporter of all, by Your mercy, I seek assistance, rectify for me all of my affairs and do not leave me to myself, even for the blink of an eye. Amen.
