For Your Entertainment

Yes, his album is finally out! Ladies and Gentlemen, probably the next generation of George Michael is here, with his gay lifestyle and weird sex orientation and all, here's Adam Lambert! One of the most talented American Idol ever who never won!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

With lots of love, Cordy

Semakau Island

Proven once again, enthusiasm can change the weather! Our stargazing outing went ahead without rain! And it was a wonderful feeling sleeping under the night sky with the exceptions of sand flies chewing on your flesh every few minutes. Definitely a lifetime experience. Would definitely want to go back to Semakau again, but next outing would most probably be the intertidal walk.

Don't have much photos to share as it's total darkness most of the time. But as day break arrives, the sky light was beautiful. Kinda reminded me of the tv-series X-file with the "I Want To Believe" poster. Plus, it was really peaceful looking out into the sea, with fishes jumping, and boats sailing by. I was awake through out the night enjoying the view.

Crappy Weather for Stargazing :(

Ref:
NEA 3 Hour Nowcast
Sunrise/Sunset for Singapore

Itinerary for Tonight's StarGazing @ Pulau Semakau

Ref:
Admiral Garden Astronomy Club

Wild Shore Safety Certified!

Cordy is excited about going stargazing at Pulau Semakau tomorrow! Pray pray pray that the monsoon that NEA has been talking about could delay it's hit on Singapore for just one more day. It wouldn't be much fun to go on a stargazing expedition only to be stuck indoor with the rain pouring outside.

Anyway, sleeping bag packed! Card games packed! Camera packed! Cordy even found time to get herself certified for seashore safety !



Ref:
Sea Shore Safety Quiz
Stargazing at Pulau Semakau

Basic Buddhist Course in Singapore

The New Year is just around the corner, and one of my New Year Resolution for next year is to learn something new. So a few weeks ago, I registered myself for a 6 months course in Basic Buddhism at Pu Ji Si Buddhist Research Centre. It was something I've always wanted to learn more about. It really bothers me that in any official form, I put my religion as Buddhism, yet don't really know much about it. So I thought I'll go find out a bit about it and make peace with myself.

For those of you who might be interested, the centre runs the course every 6 months, and it's free! And more importantly, it is taught in English! There are also meditation classes taught at the centre. To register for the classes, just click on the reference link below. You will get a confirmation email once your application has been accepted with the message, "Rejoice for your interest in the course!" What a positive way to look at it! I'm loving it already.

Ref:
Basic Buddhism @ Pu Ji Si Buddhist Research Centre
Pu Ji Si Buddhist Research Centre

Festive Food

It's that time of the year again where I just can't seems to concentrate on work any more! It's just too near Christmas to be all serious and moody! It's time to celebrate another passing of another year, welcome the new year, and take some time off to reflect on your life! And Cordy does it best with food!

Festive food! My favorite kind of food. And it's good to know that there's still a lot to be joyful for even though I have been cutting off meat slowly from my menu! To start of, look at all the non-meat food surrounding me last weekend!

From fruit skewer me and my colleague CSW made for another colleague's house warming, to my hubby's Christmas Fruit Cake! And I seems to have a craving for scones lately after attending a High-Tea at the Pan Pacific. Lovely gorgeous food! Hope your year end is also surrounded by wonderful feast, people, and love!

Yes! I Did It!

Yesterday, Cordy completed her first 10km run in the 2009 Standard Charted Marathon Singapore! Who would have thought Cordy could still run at this age! It all started out quite innocently with a colleague asking Cordy if she wants to join the run this year. And since Cordy is not getting any younger, taking part in a long distance race has always been in her to-do list. So Cordy sign up for the run! And after a few practice session at home on her Aibi exercise machine, she was all set for the actual run. Note to readers: Yes! You can actually train on the machine! All you have to do is increase the resistant high enough, and it's actually quite a breeze when you actually run on the road!

Anyway, the run started out well with Cordy and her colleague CSW jogging relaxingly from the Fullerton to the ECP, a total of 5km run. After which they stopped and walked the next 3km, admiring the view, the atmosphere of the event, and drinking lots of free 100 plus along the way :P At the final 2km, starting from the floating platform, we continued our jog all the way to the finish line at the Padang. All in all, it took us 1.5 hours, and I didn't throw up any of my internal organs along the route! Well done!


At the end of the race, we were rewarded with a medal each. All in all, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, I'm all gear up for next year's run! Perhaps a few years from now, I will be fit enough to take part in an actual full marathon! Currently it takes me around 55minutes non-stop on my exercise machine for a 10km session. Go Cordy Go!



Ref:
Cordy's Aibi Exercise Machine
Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon

David Tao Autograph Session @ Orchard Central Singapore

November 28 2009, Cordy made contact with her idol David Tao! A milestone in her mundane and dull life no doubt! It all happened at Orchard Central Singapore where David was having an autograph session to promote his new album, as well as his upcoming Singapore concert on 8th January 2010. The event, scheduled at 3:30pm, eventually start at 4pm. We waited around 2 hours before we actually saw him on stage (we arrived around 2pm+). I was with my hubby and the DaveTen yahoogroup fans.


This photo shows the stage setup of that day, the crowd that started queuing up for autograph around 2+pm. Surprisingly the first in the queue was a young boy! And followed by more boys! The girls were more interested in seeing him in person then getting an autograph I guess. The lady in the photo with the wide glasses is Rebby, who was kind enough to help us get the concert ticket before it even went on sale to the public. This was the 2nd time I bought my ticket with DaveTen group, and this year, I got row 3 in the concert seating! (2 year ago, I got row 4, 2 row behind David's parent :P ) A BIG THANK YOU REBBY!



Lastly, here are the remaining photos taken by my hubby on that day. We manage to get 2 poster and one CD signed by David before the event ended at 5pm. And more importantly I managed to hold his hand! And that alone was worth the 2 hours of waiting. He is actually quite nice.

Looking forward to his concert next year. The theme of the concert is something in the line of the 70's Show, and he has promised that there will be more English songs, more guitars, only 5 person on stage, and a more personal feel to the whole concert, the venue being design as his living room, and the audience, a guest in his living room. The audience are encourage to come dress in 70's theme :) To book your tickets, please click on the top right sistic link under "David Tao's Singapore Concert 2010".

Related Blog Entries
MyDavid Tao Concert 2010
MyOpus 69
MyHero to Zero
MyInspiration

Ref:
The 70's Show
Orchard Central
David & Tension Yahoogroup

I Got My StandChart 10km Number!

One more week to go before the Standard Chart Marathon! And I collected my number today at the 'floating platform' NOT! It was more like 'under-the-stair-case-near-the-floating-platform' :P
But still, the moment all you 4D fanatics have been waiting for! Go buy the number now! 7425!!! If strike, remember to treat me!

DING DING GALE (KAHWIN LARI) by Sudirman

I found this on youtube while searching for some Malay songs, and I just can't resist sharing it in my blog. This is one of my favorite Malay 'MTV' when I was young! I even have it in my VCR long long time ago! Just watch it and you'll see why. It would also help a lot if you know Malay, but no worries, I shall attempt to translate it for you! (another day perhaps... )



DING DING GALE (KAHWIN LARI)
(Sudirman)

ding a ding gale
minah anak pak mat kole (Minah, daughter of Pak Mat Kole)
mahu bikin tunang (The girl I want to marry)
tapi banyak yang menghalang (but there are too many obstacle to my goal)

dari kuala lumpur (so from KL)
mahu pergi pulau pinang (I went to Penang)
hati dalam ingat (in my heart I have one wish)
mahu masuk meminang (and that is to be engage to Minah)

sampai pulau pinang (when I reach Penang)
sibuk sini sibuk sana (it was such a busy city)
jumpa sama pak mat (I went to see Pat Mat straight away)
dia tolak mentah2 (And he rejected my proposal)
ingat mahu kahwin lari (Because he taught I would marry and run away with his daughter)
sama minah sudah pakat (But I've already made arrangement with Minah to get married)
belum sampai sungai petani (So we run away, but before reach Sungai Petani)
kami sudah kena tangkap (we were caught)

kereta pun ditahan (Our car was stopped)
polis periksa seluruh badan (And the police search our body)
belum habis periksa (But before they could finish their search)
saya lari lintang pukang (I run away as quickly as I can)

larilah punya lari (Run and run I did)
orang cakap serupa hantu (People would say I look as pale as a ghost)
kalau masuk sport (If I were to be in a sporting event)
tentu saya nombor satu (I'm sure I'll get first!)
nasib saya kurang baik (But my luck ran out soon)
sudah langgar sama batu (And I tripped over a brick)
polis mari tangkap baju (And the police caught me by my shirt)

bila dah kena tangkap (When I was arrested)
kami dibawa ke balai polis (We were brought back to the police station)
sampai di balai polis (When we reach the station)
minah tak henti menangis (Minah couldn't stop crying)
terus saya dipasang gari (I was handcuffed)
kini duduk di kandang salah (And sat at the guilty corner)

tigalah paku tanya (The 3 star Sargent ask me)
kenapa awak culik minah (Why did I kidnap Minah?)
sumpah saya cakap (I swear to him and said)
dia yang ikut saya (It was she who followed me!)
minah dengar naik radang (When Minah heard that she flew into a rage)
muka merah macam udang (Her face was as read as a prawn)
dia terpekik terajang
katanya saya temberang

hari bicara sudah pun sampai (The day of the trial arrived)
saya didapati bersalah (And I was found guilty)
rumahlah hai tiga tingkat (I was sent to a house with 3 storeys)
hai pintu beratus ribu (And a thousand doors)
memberlah punya ramai (With many members)
tapi semua nak keluar dulu (That which to get out before me)

kesallah punya kesal (Regret I did)
duduk bilik makan roti (Sitting in the jail eating my bread)
dada semput otak bantut (My chest in pain, my brain is numb)
kalau dah salah kena kutuk (If I am guilty, I have to be punish)

Ref:
Sudirman

Marina Barrage

Me and my friend went for our 3rd or 4th photo outing last Saturday (kinda lost count now) to Marina Barrage. Thank goodness she drove us there, cause there is one public bus in and out of that place, bus 400 from Marina South MRT station.

I can't say I got much photography done on that day. I was too busy relaxing with the sea breeze, looking at the lazy clouds in the sky, and watching people all around me having fun. The view was spectacular! And the structure itself was great fun judging from all the people who was up on the green patch flying their kite and having their picnic there. I'd definitely want to go back again if for no other reason then just to lay on my straw mat there and look straight up into the blue sky with absolutely no thoughts what so ever on my mind! It's a great place to feel care free! I highly recommend it!

Ref:
Marina Barrage
Bus Schedule to Marina Barrage

From Hero to Zero?

Thanks to a tip off from an anonymous reader of this blog, I finally made my way to Popular Bookstore's CD-RAMA today to purchase a copy of the
Adoration (DVD + OST CD + T-Shirt) set for S$32.90. To read more about the set, refer here (note site is in chinese).

Anyway, the CD is a multi-version of the song "Adoration" 暗戀, and although some of the musical version was rather nice, seriously, you can only hear so much version of the same song! (I know, I have like 2 CD of Pachabel Canon alone! 1 CD that has an hour version of it, and another CD with 8 version of it!)

The DVD was a more interesting catch, being a short story about "Adoration" 暗戀 ( I though the more correct translation would be a 'Crush'). It did have nicer songs in it, and some of the MV (music video) were quite ok, although some of the scene I just didn't quite get it. Let's just say his music is so much better then his film?

Last came the T-Shirt. I though the album title "Opus 69" was bad enough (as express so in my Twitter entry), but the T-Shirt really blew me away. Printed on it was the caption : "Are you experienced? 69 David Tao". I really don't even want to know or hear the answer to that question! :P In my mind all I could think of was "WTH was DT thinking????" And in case you don't know why I'm all worked out about it, since we're all adults here, please click the wiki ref link below to find out what "69" refers to to the general public if you don't already know. Although I know DT doesn't mean anything related to what wikipedia describe (you can watch an interview of him in youtube titled "David Tao - Are You Experienced?"), I still think it's rather tasteless of him to have those 2 numbers associated with him or his album. Sigh.

But the conclusion? Yeah, the album is still worthy of your time. (except I really hate the song "Superhero" (火鳥功) cause I've never been much of a Queen fan). Still considering if I should spend another S$24++ to get the full album. Since I already got free tickets to his January 8 concert, maybe spending another S$24 isn't so bad :D

Ref:
Popular + CD-RAMA
69
Queen

Stargazing Trip at Semakau

I'm feeling generous with information this month. So here's a wonderful way to spend a Saturday night with friends or family! Stargazing at Semakau Island! So if you're interested, do sign up and meet me there! Last I checked (today), there's lots of vacancy left! So hurry!

Ref:
Astronomy.sg
Semakau Island WildSingapore
Semakau Island

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Koh on your wedding!

My Life in Black & White

I guess I love my camera. In many ways it is an outlet for me to express myself without words. And since photography are all about interpretation, each photo holds a different meaning to different people, and no one can ever fault me for the meaning of the photos I capture. Yet only I know the personal secret behind each photos. I guess I'm just in one of those nights again. November has never been a good month for me...

Opus 69 (69樂章)

Almost 3 months outdated, I found out about David Tao(陶喆)'s new album that was released in August just yesterday. Excited nevertheless, I was downtown visiting music stores so that I could purchase a copy of the new album.

First stop Gramophone. CD was selling at around S$26 with 14 tracks on it. It was over the budget I was willing to pay for a CD (my budget is not over S$20 for 1 CD, with exception made only towards rare CD and box sets). So I made my way towards HMV instead after uncle in THAT CD SHOP couldn't find a 陶喆 cd in his shop in Raffles City. At HMV I found the same CD selling at around S$29! There was also a special DVD edition with a free T-Shirt selling at S$38.

I thought the DVD edition was a good bargain, but since it was wrapped up, I took it to the counter and ask the staff if I could see the design of the T-Shirt as well as the content of the DVD (the title track on the back of the DVD was covered by the T-Shirt). My request to see what I was going to purchase was utterly rejected!

Frustrated and disappointed, I returned home empty handed. At this age and time, why is it so difficult to buy a reasonable price CD??? It is not that I didn't want to buy an original CD, but they made it so expensive and so freaking hard to even know what you are purchasing! Have they forgotten that this is the digital age and that music can be listen to free of charge on simple site like youtube? It's no wonder that CD shops are slowly going out of business!

I do believe in supporting an artist's creativity by buying original, but the extortion price set by the shops are really putting me off buying CD at all! Shouldn't music be free? Oh well, as long it's available on youtube, I guess I can share it here with you all. Here are three of my favorite songs from the album. [available for a limited time only].

Where's My Yellow Umbrella ?

You know how sometimes you just do something for a series of no reasons? Well, tonight is one of those nights for me, so let's play "Where's My Yellow Umbrella" tonight! A series of no reason photograph of one very lucky yellow umbrella found at some dirty abandon corner of Dempsey Hill. One scene. Many shots. All the same subject (or so it may not seem). No focus, no reason, just all about a yellow umbrella. I don't know about you, but I kinda like the photos. It reminds me of something so worthless, yet so beautiful :)

Cheers! Live your life out loud!

Loy Krathong Festival in Singapore

Somehow along the way, this blog seems to have lost it's first objective of existence, and that is to share information so others can benefit from it. So after feeling a bit guilty of not sharing a great Halloween information happening at the Asian Civilization Museum last weekend (what with the free Barcadi and Ice Cream given out plus free movie screening), I thought I'll make it up to you guys by posting this instead.

Loy Krathong, a Thai festival is happening this Saturday at Dempsey Road. However, it's not a free event, but nevertheless, if you have time (and money), do come down and join in the fun! For Pete's sake, it's being held in a microbrewery! That ought to attract your attention! For more information, please click on the second ref link given below.

For those of you who don't know what Loy Krathong is all about, do refer to the reference link given below. For me, I grew up singing the song Loy Loy Krathong. Growing up in Penang, just a few hours drive from Thailand, this festival is also celebrated in Penang.

Ref:
Loy Krathong Festival
Loy Krathong Festival in Singapore 2010
Tawandang Microbrewery

A Parade of Paper Dolls

Taking a break from photography, I've been making an average of 4 paper dolls per night daily this week. And this collection is probably the highest cost of materials so far, with most of the paper materials coming from Japan. I figure if I bother to fly there and buy those damn expensive papers, then I better put them to good use instead of keeping them in their original wrapper! And looking at the result of it, I sure am glad I used them! At this rate, I think I'll have enough dolls to sell at the pasar malam soon!

Football Match (Album 2)

The remaining edited photos from my company's football match last Thursday :)
Looking forward to more sporting events !

Football Match (Album 1)

First time shooting a football match. The result? 1.5 hours worth of blur photos! But it was fun! And I've gained new respect for sports photographer! It's really NOT an easy job at all! Besides trying to avoid getting hit by the ball, you also tend to follow the ball with your camera, thus missing lots of other candid shots. And most of the time, the action just happens too fast to capture it in time. Guess you just need to keep on shooting to get a nice action shot. Oh well. Here's the first batch of my maiden sports event outing :) Let me scan through the rest of the photos to see if they're worth uploading. My battery died 1.5 hours into the shot, and died again while I was editing the photos, so this is just the first half of the available photos I got. Stay tune! Btw, these are photos of my company's first football outing, that's how I end up in the field with my camera :) Hmmm, maybe I should try badminton next outing . . .

Peter Walsh the De-cluttering Guru

This month is Peter Walsh month! And I'm into book two of his book. I started with "It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff", and am now half way through "Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You". On my library reservation list, there's another book waiting for me which I am looking forward to that's call "Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More".

After reading the first book, I gave my study room a de-cluttering and threw one third of my stuff out! I couldn't even remember half of the things existed before my de-cluttering session. I'm not an untidy person, but even I have clutters to clear in my house. And it was indeed a very fun activity to carry out. Ever had that feeling that material things seems to be weighting you down? Well, read all his book and learn to fly free!

If you don't like reading, you can also watch him on some Oprah episodes where he helps people de-clutter their houses. Give it a try. He is fun to watch, his book is funny, and you get some exercise done while reading it and a clean and tidy home at the end of it! Highly recommended. But then again, I am a self-help book junkie :P

Stay tune, I might be going nuts reading Suze Orman or Dr Mehmet Oz next month!

Ref:
Peter Walsh (Organizer)
It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff
Enough Already!: Clearing Mental Clutter to Become the Best You
Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?: An Easy Plan for Losing Weight and Living More

Central Business District of Singapore

I think the photos reflect my mood for that day . . .

Leftover Salad

We had some leftover salad leaves from previous day's dinner, so we decided to make leftovers by adding just a few stuff here and there. So here's how our leftover looks like



Salad: same as last time, plus half boiled egg and poached prawns.
Roast Chicken Drumstick: marinate chicken with Maggi Sauce and Mixed Herbs for 1 hour, bake for 40 minutes in oven, turning every 10 to 15 minutes or so.

Cheers!

Salad for Dinner

I think my husband is trying to kill me! This is what I came home to today for dinner, prepared by him. Butter head, wild rocket, tommy tomatoes, mango and smoked salmon, all mixed up with blue cheese salad sauce and Parmesan cheese. I feel so healthy now I want to die! Thank God for Durian Mooncake to save the day! Wahahaha.

Shuang Lin Temple Toa Payoh

Here are some of the photos taken from photo outing #2. Believe it or not, this is an outing to Shuang Lin Temple. You can compare it with the photo I took just two months back here. They are both of the same temple. But somehow, with my new camera, I don't seems to be taking photos of what I expect I would take of a temple. Just like outing #1 to the Botanical Garden, I thought I'll come back with photos of flowers, but end up with leaves and ants instead. And like an outing to a temple, one would expect lots of temple-like photo, but when I compile my pictures, it doesn't really shout T-E-M-P-L-E does it? Hmmmm

Oh well. No fave photo here, although I kinda like the yellow flower photo a lot when I blow it up on the screen. Hope to take similar kind of shot in the near future soon! Stay tune! Next stop - CBD area of Singapore!

Hermes

This blog entry is for 'roomie' Bella who wanted to have a look at my pathetic Hermes card holder. Well, here it is. This is not the original card holder, it's the 'upgraded' version of it. Nothing that great about it, but it sure have taught me a lot of lessons!



You see, I have a 'love & hate' relationship with Hermes. My husband bought me my first Hermes card holder in February this year. I was thrilled about owning a Hermes! But 4 months later, the zip broke, and that was the start of the roller coaster ride with me and Hermes. Seeing it was a branded brand, and freaking expensive, you'll expect it to last! But it didn't. So I took it to the shop to get it repaired, but was told I have to pay for the repair (not more then S$100), and that it had to be sent to France as they don't have a craftsman in Singapore. The repair would take months as France was on summer holiday at that time. That was hardly fair to me. Would you pay for a repair of a quality product that you've just got less then 6 months ago?

I was so very upset about Hermes that it provoked me to write my very first complaint letter. I sent out 2 letter to Hermes Paris, one to the Vice President, and one to their General Manager. A few days later, my husband managed to get my Hermes repaired at no cost in another Hermes outlet less then 500m from the outlet I went too! I was fueling mad when I got to know about it and the different kind of services in the two shop, but more so on the inaccurate information that I was given.

But I was happy that my Hermes was function able again. Too bad my happiness was again short lived, and the zip broke again 2 months later! This time I went to the repair shop alone, and told them in person how upset I was at their product, all the while polite, and insisting that it wasn't their fault. I left my cardholder there, quite fine at the idea of not going back to collect it since it was pretty much useless to me.

Few days later, they called and agreed to exchange a new cardholder for me. The only problem is, I wasn't interested in an exchange and put off going back to the shop to collect my replacement. I was at that point, not keen at all on anything Hermes. But my husband suggested to upgrade the cardholder, to one without zipper. He hand picked my latest Hermes, and to be honest, I truly love it. It's just that at the back of my mind, I keep wondering how soon will it break down on me again? Well, just 2 days ago, I received a DHL package from France. It was an apology letter from Hermes, and it was personally signed by their Managing Director. I was touched that they took the effort to write to me, and that they personally contacted Hermes Singapore regarding my case :) Thank you very much for that Hermes! And thank you very much Jenny Ho from Hermes Liat Tower for treating our case so professionally! You truly provide the type of excellent service one would expect of a Hermes Boutique!



Ref:
Hermes

Singapore Botanical Garden

Went with one of my colleagues to the Botanical Garden on our very first photographic outing about a week ago. Here are some of my favorite shots from that day :) Lynx is right after all, once you get a camera, it will get your butt out of the house every week! Interestingly, I didn't take much photograph of flowers. Instead, I end up with lots of green shots, and ants! Lots of ants! And I realize that ants are a tough lot to capture on picture cause they hardly every stand still! Enjoy. My world is green today!


And finally, here are my two favorite shot of the day in full resolution :)

HTC Hero!

Click the reference link below and go weak on your knees if you're a HTC fan!

Ref: http://www.htc.com/sea/product/hero/a-closer-look.html

My Monochromic World

Here are some of the very first few shots I took with my Nikon D5000.
Just your everyday stuff one can find in my home. I truly adore monochrome photos. They are just so timeless, and have this classic attributes about them. And they really goes very well with jazz, blues, R&B, and any depressing songs :P

Click to view larger image.

Contact Lense Query

After 6 months of wearing contact lenses, I'm improving at the speed of putting on a pair, and each pair can last me up to 8 hours now without popping out, but I still have questions about them. Maybe you feel the same way? Here are some FAQ I managed to compile, as well as answers to them :)

1. Can you wear your contact lenses while bathing?
Ans: Avoid it. Ref - CNIB
From Experience: No. When the soup and water get into my eye, it made the lenses sticky and when you blink, they kinda glue your eye lids together :P

2. Can you wear your contact lenses on an airplane?
Ans: Yes on short flight. Better not on long flight. Lubrication drops might help. Ref - Contact Lens Information UK

3. Can you wear your contact lenses to a facial?
Ans: Couldn't get a good answer on the web. But a facial chemical peel site advices that you should remove your contact lenses before going for a procedure. Ref - Helium.com

4. Can you wear your contact lenses to a spa or sauna?
Ans: No. Ref - Spavelous.com

5. Can you wear your contact lenses while you're driving with the top down?
Ans: Yes, and this reference site gives very good info on contact lenses and driving. Ref - eHow.com
From Experience: Yes. From Tampines to Sixth Avenue and back, no problem!

6. Can you wear your contact lenses when the wind is blowing sand into your face?
Ans: No if you're in the desert. Ref - Yahoo Answer
From Experience: I feel vulnerable when the wind blow, so usually I put on my sunglasses to avoid sand getting into my eye.

7. Can you wear your contact lenses when you're standing directly under the air con?
Ans: Depending on person's eye. But it is definitely uncomfortable when it gets to dry. Ref - Andrew Gasson
From Experience: I avoid shopping with my lenses on. I use Acuvue Moist, yet my eyes get dry in air condition.

8. Can you wear your contact lenses in the rain?
Ans: Yes. But not sure about acid rain though :P Ref - Contact Lens Information Center

9. Do they have transition contact lenses?
Ans: Can't find any answer on the web :( But there is a US patent registered for it. Read the ref if you're interested. Ref - US Patent Storm

10. Can I wear different diameter contact lenses?
Ans: Yes you can! To make your eye ball look bigger! Ref - zedomax.com

Maybe some of the reference links will help answer more of your questions :P I know I have mine all answered :) Sometimes I'm glad I have this blog, else I'll never be bothered to find out anything at all :) By the way, yes, those are my real lenses in the photo :)

Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Watching this clip reminds me of what it was like living in Malaysia and how much I miss the essence of pure fun! Happy Birthday Malaysia!

Penang National Park - Part 3

We made some friends along our hiking trip. Along our path, we meet a few families of ants who were moving house. There is an old saying that ants will move house when it's about to rain cause they don't want their eggs to get wet by the water and wash it away. How true! After crossing a few ant path, it actually rain! TWICE!


But the sight after the rain at the beach was lovely! A whole beach full of crabs popping out from the hole in the sand! They were running all over the beach! If you stand still enough, they will probably run all over you! The shy ones will hide in their holes and peep at you! And the naughty ones will be out hunting for food. One crab we saw hunted a clam, and the clam lock up it's shell with the crab craw still inside! Poor crab was dragging the clam everywhere it went!


We also saw some fascinating birds in the forest, and also out at sea. But what was most amazing where the photos of the creature below. We encounter it while on our way back. At first it was just a snake like creature swimming in the sea water. But as it slowly reaches the shore, legs started to appear and it walk straight up to the beach and into the bushes where it lives.

All in all, it had been a great trip back home :) I'm glad I made the journey to the Penang National Park. And I'm pretty sure I'll be back there real soon to reach my final destination - the lighthouse of Muka Head :)

Penang National Park - Part 2

So what is there to see at the Penang National Park??? LOTS! The walk towards Muka Head is the nicest as you are constantly hiking along the beach line. From time to time a clearing comes up and you can walk yourself right into a deserted beach! You can also see some 'kelong' just outside the water. If you hear lots of dog barking and get your overly worried, you will be happy to hear that all the dogs are on the 'kelong' itself, and you're absolutely safe from them :)

Small streams of clear water running into the sea can also be seen. The stream water was crystal clear, but as it was so near the sea, we didn't want to risk tasting it. It was a pretty sight all the same, and one can't help but dip one's hand into it to feel the chill cold water against your skin :)



When we reach USM CEMAC beach, it started to rain! We took shelter there for about half an hour. It was a nice moment just standing there under the shelter with nothing to do but watch the rain. Suddenly, you feel like you have a lot of time in the world :) Here are some photos of the rain, and on the right, the blurry photo of a boat in heavy rain is one of my favorite shot :)



Once the rain stopped. We walk out to the beach again. The sea water started to change, and we walk right out to the CEMAC Jetty for a look. It was absolutely beautiful. I felt like I was in a Mild Seven Advertisement :P This jetty is used by the USM research centre's staff. They come to walk every morning by boat, and goes back in the evening by boat! How cool is that?! If you're lazy to hike back, you can flag a boat from here that will take you to Teluk Bahang jetty. It will cost you around RM5 to RM10 per person. If you call for a boat, it will cost you around RM50.



Ref
Kelong

Penang National Park - Part 1

Here are some photos taken from our hike to Muka Head from Teluk Bahang Village. We didn't achieve our target as it started raining quite heavily about 30 minutes from reaching our destination. But as the hike was over slippery rocks and uneven ground, we decided to turn back after reaching USM Marine Centre.

Visiting the Penang National Park is absolutely FREE! Take Bus 105 towards Teluk Bahang and alight at the very end of the journey. The first thing that you will see are the jetties that goes all the way out to the sea.


Next, register yourself at the guard house before entering the park. This is to ensure that at least if you get lost inside, people can verified that yes, indeed you enter the park and got lost :) After that, just follow the path into the park. But although the start of the journey looks easy enough, with clear pathway and signs and seats for you to sit down, don't be fooled! This is after all Malaysia! And about 15 minutes into the hike, the path get muddy, and you'll find your self climbing over rocks, and navigating yourself down rocks with a help of a rope tied to some trees! I don't recommend you hike here alone.


Getting lost should not be much of a problem here. For us, we only saw one clear sign along the way, as shown in the photo on the right. We turn left at the sign, hoping to reach the beautiful lake we read about. 20 minutes walk in, we hit a river, and stopped. We didn't know whether to cross the river, and there was no sign beyond the small river. Bummer 1. After reaching USM CEMAC beach, again, we couldn't find the path to continue on to Monkey Beach. Some of the hikers ask for direction from the USM guard. Bummer 2. So now you get the picture. But in case you didn't, the photo on the left should give you some idea. That's what most of the 'easier' path look like. We didn't manage to photograph the 'harder' path cause we were all trying very hard not to fall down!


But the sights are very much worth the hike. I'll share more on my next blog entry.

Ref:
Penang National Park Official Site

Room with a View

Btw, this is the view from our room at Rasa Sayang. Lovely isn't it?

And the skyline as the sun sets over the calm sea water.....


And last but not least, the sunset it self....


Now imagine all these photo could have been taken with a D5000 instead!
But sadly, all photos are taken with a Canon Powershot SX10, and a Nikon Coolpix 4200 :(