This was taken in front of my house night of Dec 2nd about 8.50 p.m Malaysia time. I was a little bit late to capture this and the moon is just about to hide behind the cloud. If I were earlier I would be able to capture a more pronounce mouth shape.

It is said that the left eye is Jupiter and the right eye (the brighter one) is Venus if the face is facing earth.. an occurrence once in every 44 years...

Read More...

If you are Malaysian who has photos of Malaysia's Vanishing Heritage please read on...

or head on to the original post at http://photomalaysia.com

--------------------------------------------------------------------


Calling for submissions for PhotoMalaysia.com 2nd Annual Photo Exhibition 2009.

OUR VANISHING HERITAGE

The theme for PhotoMalaysia 2009 Exhibition is Our Vanishing Heritage. This is a catch all theme that could include many aspects of our heritage that is rapidly vanishing as Malaysia progresses and prospers. It can include Vanishing Trades, Vanishing Landmarks, Vanishing cultural practices, Vanishing Traditional Dresses, Vanishing Tribes, Vanishing Landscapes, Vanishing Animals, and in fact it can encompass anything a photographer feel should be recognized, remembered, resurrected and even rejuvenated. It will be PhotoMalaysia Members photographic statement of those aspects of our culture that needs to be recorded, preserved, documented or remembered.

If it so happens that you have images of people/places/things thats already _not_ around (i.e. vanished), you're MOST welcome to contribute your work as well.

That being said, the theme is on subject matter located in Malaysia only. That bit is final.

In a nutshell, people will think of the obvious, namely:

1. People : remember the Mayban ad featuring a turbaned Sikh security guard fellow? How about barbers under trees or the one in sidelanes? Your 'Roti'man on a bicycle? The guy who roasted coffee on the back of a bicycle in the kampungs?

2. Places : The Bok house has been torn down, The old Bukit Bintang Girl School has been demolished and in it's current place now stand IMHO an ugly shopping mall, old cinemas has been replaced by cineplexes in malls etc

3. Things : the tiffin of old has been replaced by the obiquitious styrofoam. The marbles children used to play has been relaced by PSP, PS and other electronic devices and such.

But why let the title of the exhibition stifle your imagination? Let it roams free. As such, I'm going to introduce a category (for lack of better word) to get your grey matter going.

4. Conceptual : make your own interpretation of what is 'heritage' meant to you.

You're allowed to stage your photo. You can recreate a scene. You can recreate a photo and added some twist (I'm leaving it to your imagination)

You can send in a series of images (diptych or triptych).

You can send in submission as big as A3 size, or as small as 5R sized.

You can submit your work in colour.

You can submit it in B&W be it in analogue or digital format.

Heck, you can even send in a video installation (replete with projections if the tv set and VCR, ooops, who uses VCR anymore rite? Hey! That falls under the 'Thing' category isn't it *wink*?) if you have the means to do it.

A panel of curators (not members of PhotoMalaysia.com for impartiality) will evaluate the submissions. As such, regarding submission mechanics, please send in your work in soft copy format to lightingdewd@gmail.com . Please use '2nd PhotoMalaysia Annual Exhibition submission' as your title header.

Your submission, in whatever size (5"x7", 8"x10", 11"x14") can be in jpeg format @ 300 dpi and save it @ 'Image Quality' set as '8'. Why such large size?

So we can print it big to asses it's quality. If it's good we even framed it up for you at cost.

You MUST put a caption for your work(s).

You can write a short write up of your work in one paragraph. We may or may not use it.

For hardcopy submissions in the Klang Valley area only, give me a tinkle @ 012 231 5654 to arrange pick-ups and such.

Just in case you're wondering, when you submit your high resolution work, you still retained your rights to the work. In plain language, it's your photo(s) we exhibit it for you..

A section of the exhibition space is being reserved for Crossing Bridges V participants. More details on this later.

Submission of your work will end on the 7th December 2008.

In regards to exhibition space, the venue will still be the same as last year, which is the Annexe Gallery, Central Market. For this exhibition, we are RENTING it RM3,000.00 (RM1,500.00/week for 2 weeks) starting from 12th of January 2009 until the 24th of January 2009. I understand the Chinese Lunar New Year falls on the 25th and 26th of January so some of you will be busy with the celebrations preparing and such.

Have no worry, we're going to have volunteers helping preparing the exhibit and when it ends, dismantling it as well.

We already secured RM1,500.00 for the rental from Shashinki.com and from a PMer who wished to remain anonymous. We still short of RM1,500.00 of which we planned to raised from the members whose work is being selected for the exhibition.

For presentation purpose, selected submissions shall follow a standard Black framing and cream coloured mounting board style. Sample will be posted up soon.

For those who wished to volunteer their time and gaining experience organising and running a photo exhibition, pm me for details.

We planned to launch the exhibition on the 15th of January 2009.

Don't worry about your work 'not being exhibition standards'. Just send in your submissions to the above e-mail address. If you don't try, you definitely will never know

Ted Adnan

------------------------------------------------------

Read More...

An unknown orchid already blooming for more than 2 weeks. I suppose a Phal of sort.. My wife bought when it was really a small plant without even knowing what kind of orchid, of what colour or how it would turn out to be..

It looks like a hive of sort with a figure of somekind inside the petals..

Read More...

Last week a friend of mine introduce me to Flock Browser, he said it is easier to navigate between the many web application nowdays.. viewing your friend photos at Flickr or Picasa, reading your email at Gmail, Yahoo, AOL, socializing with friends at Facebook, keeping tabs with your favourites with del.icio.us and many more applications centralized in one place, simple and integrated.

One thing for sure.. Flock Browser will make your daily routine internet social connection and networking much easier to manage and without the hassle of finding Add-ons or Plugins for your browser. Simply download Flock Browsers, install it and you are good to go.

Flock uses the same browser engine as Firefox.. so if you are already familiar with firefox then it shouldn't be that hard diving with Flock... let's flock together..

Read More...

When I got back from work and switch on my Dell 9300 Notebook about 2 days ago, I was prompted with this error "Windows could not start because the following file is missing or corrupt: Windows\System32\Hal.dll", what is this... not now I said to myself (hehe.. tone down version of swearing..) Emm well.. I know I have to search for the Windows XP Recovery CD so since I cannot remember where in the world I put it I have to use another computer to find answers..

Searching the net I found out it is a rather common error.. mine I suppose occurs after a windows update process the previous night. Anyhow after borrowing Windows XP Setup CD from office I tried the many ways found in the net how to overcome this problem. One of the way is by booting the windows and then hit "R" to repair the windows intallation. But it asked to put an Administrator Password in which I didn't even remember ever setting it so it is a dead end after countless tries of the many password that I have ever used.

After much deliberation I think I may have a solution that may work, a modification of some of the reading found regarding the error. Below is the steps taken in which I managed to get back my Windows XP the same state before the hal.dll error occurs. I need to write this so that I know at least what to do if ever it happens again in the future.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Boot up using the Windows XP Setup CD.
2. Install a new copy of Windows XP onto the same partition with the previous one. (Just press "Enter", if not mistaken)
3. When the program asked which folder to install, use a different one from your windows folder. If you previous one is c:\windows then please use, for example, c:\win2 instead of any name of your choosing.
4. The program will copy the installation software and will restart..
5. Just let the Installation CD in the CD Drive so that it would boot as if wanted to install new XP again. Don't remove the CD as it would install new Windows XP and you don't really want to do that.
6. This time don't do and installation but hit "R" instead to Repair the XP.
7. Then you will enter a recovery console.
8. It will asked which installation of windows you want to enter, use the new one, say the "c:\win2" not the original one since like I said my original windows got Administrator password, in which I do not know what it is.
9. When it asked for the password just press Enter since the new copy has no password just yet.
10. You then will be entering a command prompt c:\win2>_
11. Go down to C:>_ ( cd .. )
12. Change attribute of boot.ini, (attrib -r -s -h boot.ini)
13. Rename or delete the boot.ini file. (ren boot.ini boot.old) or (del boot.ini)
14. Type bootcfg /rebuild
15. When you receive a message that is similar to the following message, press accordingly but you don't want the new boot.ini to add the c:\win2 folder, use the bold as the answer :

Total Identified Windows Installs: 2

[1] C:\Win2
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All) N
[2] C:\Windows
Add installation to boot list? (Yes/No/All) Y
Enter Load Identifier Windows XP Home/Professional Edition
Enter OS Load options /fastdetect

16. Then press Enter and type Exit to quit the recovery console.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I got my Windows XP back intact with all the progams working perfectly as before... Yeah!!!!. I just delete the c:\win2 folder, thank you for your service. :D

It occurs to me if I were to put "My Windows" as the load indentifier it should works fine also but heck I am not that eager to explore just want my windows back.

Read More...

Canon 5D Mark2 video capabilities..



the story behind the video... http://blog.vincentlaforet.com

Read More...

Newly evolved "superworms" that feast on toxic waste could help cleanse polluted industrial land, a new study says. These hardcore heavy metal fans, unearthed at disused mining sites in Britain and Wales, devour lead, zinc, arsenic, and copper.

read more | digg story

Read More...

Happy Eid Mubarak or as here in Malaysia.. Selamat Menyambut Hari Raya Aidul Fitri... the announcement were made by the authority in the television about half and hour ago that Hari Raya or 1st of Syawal in Islamic calendar will be on the first of October, so it would be just another day of fasting. Most people who celebrate Hari Raya in Malaysia already in the mood and mostly people who works in the big city is heading home is not there already.

Lighting a "Pelita" as shown in the picture on the left is a tradition, it would add a little spice in the festive season. Since price of fuel is higher nowadays, we just put up a few of these Pelita not like when I was a kid where there are so many, and with many shape and sizes.

Read More...

Next week is Eid Mubarak or here in Malaysia people call it Hari Raya a celebration after a month of fasting for muslim and it is a 2 day public holiday whereby for Malaysia public school.. it is a week long holiday since most school has subsitute the remaining days of the week by conducting schools during weekends. So most school would be closed for a week. And as such most people would be going to their hometown this coming weekend and the roads will be pack with vehicle. And once a while big town like Kuala Lumpur will be a little deserted.

I got these 8 tips from the booklet by the Ministry of Road and Trasportation and it is a rule if people observ carefull would make the journey less hazardous and safer. As a slogan of "Drive, Ride & Walk Safe" where everbody can make a difference.

The 8 Golden Rule of Road Safety are :

1. Plan your journey to avoid last minute rush and panic. For long distance journey make sure you are not tired or sleepy. Also never drive under the influence of alcholol or drug.

2. Obey speed limits. There are there for a purpose.

3. Obey safety rules when changing lanes.

4. Practise safety at traffic intersections by stopping on red adn amber warning sign.

5. Avoid tailgating as it is very dangerous.

6. Always overtake safely, never overtake when in doubt.

7. Don't jump queue, it is rude and dangerous.

8. Don't weave through traffic, it is hazardous and risky.

Some people looked at rules as if meant to be broken but it is definitely there for a reason. Live is precious where you got to experience only once, so please at least abide to the rules as regulary as possible. My wife works at the hospital and she said these few day the Intensive Care Unit is swamps with patience, more than usual and the mortality rate due to accidents is getting higher by the day since there would be more people and vehicle on the road this festive season in Malaysia.

Please don't be a statistic. Drive safely and happy Hari Raya to all Malaysian and especially Muslims all over the world.

Read More...

Internet is norm today, almost every household in Malaysia would have some kind of internet connection or at least a neighborhood cyber cafe would provide one. And you would see almost everywhere in Malaysia, a cyber cafe would sprung like mushrooms after a rainy season.

Anyhow, I still remember the good old time when surfing the internet is a privileged where only few would experiences. I am one of the lucky ones since I got an older brother that is very keen with electronics and all the technology that come with it. And as such I have had experienced using most of the popular internet surfing tools avaiable, from the text based, Lynx to to ones available today the Internet Explorer and Firefox.








There was a time when Netscape Navigator dominates but Microsoft were soon to react and I suppose IE6 is the final draw that really drew blood and finally Netscape were gone. But lucikly Firefox is here to save the day, or at least to counter the dominance of Internet Explorer with a big bang and I hope it would play a major part in the future of browsers.

There is a new kid in town with a backing of technology none can compare, Chrome browser by Google is getting popular, I suppose it came with the territory, Google is a very Big fish indeed. Anyhow, I really hope in the end these wars would benefit the end users, the consumer to speak.. the best would prevail.

Read More...