RuehYinn a.n.d. Juleen a.t. blueepinkk.com

This post came a bit late…

Don’t be surprise of the next

BABY BOOM

9 Months after…

2009's 60 Earth Hour

People are bored, you know

during

the 60 minutes of

DARKNESS!

It was a unfortunate night yesterday. I met a car accident at Lebuhraya Damansara – Puchong (LDP) while I was on way to church for Friends’ Night. Here are the exact police report I made, in Bahasa Melayu:-

Lebih kurang 8.30 malam, saya di dalam perjalanan pulang ke Sunway dari Stesyen LRT Kelana Jaya melalui Lebuhraya Damansara – Puchong (LDP) dengan kereta bernombor W** ***3. Pada masa itu, LDP amat sesak. Saya berada didalam keadaan berhenti dan brek sambil menunggu untuk trafik berjalan semula. Tiba – tiba sebuah kereta bernombor WRL ***1, jenis Proton Persona melanggar kerata saya di belakang. Impak kemalangan itu terlalu kuat sehingga kereta saya terlajak dan terlanggar kereta bernombor WGE ***5, jenis Proton Iswara. Saya keluar daripada kereta saya dan dapati kereta bernombor WRL ***1, jenis Proton Persona di belakang saya juga dilanggar sebuah kereta bernombor WJY ***6, jenis Proton Waja. Disebabkan kereta bernombor WGE ***5, jenis Proton Iswara tidak mengalami sebarang kerosakan, pemandu itu beredar dari tempat kejadian. Saya tidak mengalami sebarang kecederaan di dalam kemalangan ini. Kereta saya mengalami kerosakan di bonet hadapan, bonet belakang dan kerosakan yang belum diketahui.

Right now I have to wait for police to conduct the investigation, then obtain the police report before sending my car to workshop. Sigh, I may have to live without my car for the next 3 weeks. I hope the day ahead will be better…

RuehYinn

No skills required, you look professional just by holding a Nikon D700 and a professional Nikkor AF-S 14 – 24mm f2.8 lens…

I love my colleagues… virtually all of them love photography in some way or another. No matter what personality or role they are in, they like photography. I guess it’s the poison from Mr. Hiew and Mr. TC!

Calista, the Socialite looking so professional…

and KF, my Clan Master…

…

I realized, photography has the potential to bring everyone together. Even hermit will be converted if he/she start to get a little serious with photography. Photokaki.com is the place where Malaysian photographers exchange ideas, organize photography trips and etc. It merely proves, photography recognize no color, no personality… just the joy of snapping good pictures.  I have learnt a great deal from Photokaki Forum, click here if you are interested.

“Money is not the only answer, but it makes a difference” (Barack Obama, 2008)

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Friday is eventually here. It is our another getaway…

Journey to KLIA @ 5.45am

The sun barely rise and we were already on our journey to KLIA Airport. Yawnnn… yeah, we were sleepy but we were very excited inside.

Our flight was scheduled at 7.30am and we need to be at the airport one (1) hour before the flight. We were fortunate to have Juleen’s mum and brother to send us to the airport. Thank you Aunty and Lin Lin .. (hehe!) We reached the airport at 6.20am.

We checked in using the self checking kiosk and in no time, we were already boarding the plane..

Onboard @ 7.30am

The whole journey took us 2 1/2 hour. By the way, this is our first trip to Sabah.  We were not too bothered to pay a premium for MAS Airline. Why? Simply because Air Asia does not provide food on board while we had nice roti jala and french toast with MAS Airline. Just for your information, they are not serving lousy roti jala and french toast. It was our first time to eat french toast sandwiched with apple sauce. Taste pretty good, really…

and the roti jala and the yogurt drink…

Interestingly both of us have never taken Air Asia before. We would love to try it one day

Arrived Kota Kinabalu @ 10.00am

We took our first breath of Kota Kinabalu’s air…(inhale)… and we found out, THERE IS NO DIFFERENT with the air at Peninsular Malaysia (haha)… Anyway on the way out, we noticed a tour services kiosk and went straight to inquire about the day packages. However, we decided not to take the package because we weren’t very convinced that is the best deal. Next, we hire a limousine for RM20 to bring us to our hotel in the heart of the city centre. RM20 wasn’t the best deal but we didn’t have much choice anyway. Only registered limousines are allowed to operate at the airport.

Arrived D’ Borneo Hotel @ 10.20am

Upon arrival the hotel, we were greeted warmly by the staffs of the hotel. Not sure they are that hospitality or simply because business are so bad that they have no choice but to give better service. One of the staff just rushed out from the building greeted us and took our luggage into the hotel. No problem with us, since we have decided on this hotel anyway..

We asked some question about the tour packages and eventually after the talk we learnt something. We learnt that we should never decide on anything hastily and most importantly NEVER sign up any tour packages at the airport. NEVER!! The airport tour agent offers us a package with RM190/pax, the hotel offers us the same package RM45/pax, and IF WE ARE TO GO ON OUR OWN, it only COST US RM24/pax! Don’t tell us that we never warn you guys…

Anyway, this is our hotel room and it’s two Twin size beds and not one Queen’s size bed. There is a need to practice abstinence (ahem!)

City Tour @ 11.30am

Before embarking on our city tour, we have to re – charge our energy. The first thing that came to our mind is Tuaran Mee at this restaurant (at Ruang Sinsuaran 3, if I am not mistaken):-

Anyway, this is a must try if you come to Kota Kinabalu. Tuaran Mee is 100 times taste better than our Wan Tan Mee at Peninsular Malaysia. These noodles are delicious…

Next was the city tour. Some of the places we visited..

Kota Kinabalu virtually has everything…They have handicraft centre, fruit stall, massage parlor, plenty of money lender (aka legal loan shark), cobbler, street tailor to those in the flesh business. How do we know? Simple… people pay money, buy condom and went upstairs. So, what they do? Baloon blowing party upstair? Whatever it is, Kota Kinabalu is definitely a lively town…

Back to Hotel @ 2.30pm

You can virtually finish walking the city centre from one end to another end in 40 minutes. Right after we reached the hotel, the sky started to pour rain. It was our time to rest…

We took some picture while in the room…

Exploring Warisan Square and Gaya Mall @ 4.30pm

After the rain, we just walked around and checked out the shops. We had our early dinner at this restaurant inside the Gaya Mall. Surprisingly, in this part of the world, we still can get reasonable Chicken Rice at RM2.80 ( ubelievable price huh….at first we were alil unsure to try, but seeing alot of people eating, we have a go) . Seriously, the chicken rice taste aren’t that bad. In fact, they taste above average. So, if you are on budget tour, make sure you check out this restaurant at the foodcourt area in Gaya Mall (located next to Warisan Square):-

Better than the Chicken Rice Shop nearby…haha!

Journey to 1Borneo @ 5.30pm

At 5:30pm we took the free shuttle to 1Borneo. There is a tour bus pick zone at Warisan Square. Just take your free ticket from… we don’t know where since we just ride without ticket. Anyway, you need it if you want to take the free ride. Just ask around how when you are in Kota Kinabalu!

1Borneo is the first and largest shopping mall in East Malaysia. They have quite a few decent brands in house such as Von Dutch, FCUK, Guess, MNG, and even Charles and Keith. Not a bad place to do some serious shopping..hehe!

Happy couple at 1Borneo:-

Back to Hotel @ 10.00pm

It is time for us to:-

1. Have supper…

2. Have some white wine from Australia (which RuehYinn specially bought back from Perth)…

3. Of course updating our blog…

4. Lastly to sleep …Oh No..it is already 4.30am! Goodnight guys….

Yeahhhhhh~ 3 more days to our Kota Kinabalu getaway. We are very looking forward for this trip (*_* ) My mind is already thinking about what we can do in Kota Kinabalu since its only a few days time away. Its just Tuesday now but I’ve dont have much of working mood already. hehe!

So in preparing for our trip, I’ve: -

1. bought a pair of sandals so I can walk comfortably with;

2. I’ve also gotten RuehYinn a new pair of shorts;

3. We just bought a bigger tripod today so we can take nice photos during our trip;

4. Earlier today I had already called the hotel to confirm our date and time of arrival;

5. And we are going to plan our itinerary later…

After 2 weeks of learning and editing with Photoshop CS3, here are some of my works. I gave my own comments on top of each pictures, since no one gives me comments (sad!). I need to work harder… haha! Anyway, pictures look different in different sizes. Somehow, they look nicer in bigger size, so click on the pictures to experience it yourself.

Morib @ Oct 5, 2008

Title: Waiting to Embark

Comment: I initially intended to take a symmetry pictures of this four (4) fishing boats with emphasis on the bow of the first boat. Too bad, I was constraint by the position of the jetty and the boats. But I thought this is not a too bad picture. I called it “Waiting to Embark”, to illustrate the waiting of the tides…

Title: Heroes of the Sea

Comment: This is my second attempt to take a symmetry picture. But I guess it fail! Look at how “dis-symmetry” are the five boats. However, I like this picture because it captures the condition of the boats especially the cockpit. Because of that I named it the “Heroes of the Sea” to “humanize” the boats.

Title: Wreck?

Comment: Different angle from the “Heroes of the Sea”. I wonder this boat is still in service? Looks like the boat had been dilapidated by neglect. I named it “Wreck?”…

Title: Twin in Black and White

Comment: Argh…this is supposed to be a beautiful black and white pictures. But look at the plank in the middle of the picture. Sigh, too bad… I named it “Twin in Black and White” and don’t ask me why. I don’t know why also… haha!

Title: Sampan in Color

Comment: Look at the foot print on the mud (or sand). If only I could get down from the jetty, to focus on the foot print with the fishing boat at the background, it will be perfect. Hehe.. I was having lunch, so I don’t want to get myself all dirty and muddy. I called it “Sampan in Color”…

Title: Loner in Morib

Comment: My favorite picture. It is not easy for me (for a noob like me), to bring out the color of the sky.    I had purposely increase the color saturation of the pictures to bring out the colors. Juleen said the mud (or sands) is too yellowish. But I think they are beautiful. Life should be colorful, don’t you think so? This is the only fishing boat that’s apart from others, so I named this picture the “Loner of Morib”…

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Hope you guys like them!

Last weekend after church service, as usual our cell group went to makan, and this time we visited Restaurant Well Cook Gourmet. The restaurant is just situated in SS14.

Some fact about this restaurant: It started off as a small stall in the 1987 and they offer delicious Penang taste food at a reasonable price, up to 38 dishes like in a food court but all house in a shop. The special thing about this restaurant is that, this is the only shop in whole Malaysia where you can find fried laksa. Most people came to this restaurant to have a taste of their fried laksa.

Some of the food that we ordered:

The famous Fried Laksa…

Jawa Mee…

Claypot Prawn Mee…

…

Overall, the food is simple but delicious. On top of that, the pricing is reasonable and the restaurant is clean. Operating hours is from 12pm to 9pm daily.

Give it a try and you won’t be disappointed, I guarantee. For more info, you can also visit their website.

The address:-

Restoran Well Cook Gourmet

No. 74, SS14/2,

47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor.

A short post before hitting the sack…

I just came back from the Emerge 2008 Fashion Show preparation. This is one of the things that keep both Juleen and I busy the whole week. If I have not mistaken, we have been preparing for this almost a month now (no wonder we have not seen any movie for a month). From just a simple conceptual a month ago to something surprisingly very beautiful tonight. It won’t happened without the effort and commitment from all the people whom I will introduce shortly…

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The whole practice itself thought us a simple principle that is:-

Success = Team work + Work hard + Persistency

The equation doesn’t stop there. We also learned…

1. Team work build friendship;

2. Work hard brings result; and

3. Persistency defeats stubborn challenges.

I am so proud of the team that I can’t help but to dedicate this post to them:-

….

1. Alicia Chin – The Fashion Designer

2. Alvin – The Hair Stylist

3. Wei Mun – The Make Up Artist

4. Jen Li – The Cat Walk Specialist

5. Lex Low – Hairstylist of the Hairstylist (bottomline the powerful type)

6. Mi Mi – Alvin’s “Practice” Friend

and last but not least…

7. Juleen Wong – The Model

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These people work so hard that they virtually meet every 2 days to practice and they won’t leave the church until after midnight. This is what I mean as commitment. I sat in their first meeting and have seen and heard of suggestions of them wanting to quit, but they press on no matter what. I salute them for that. Equip with just…

a) the heart,

b) some equipment; and

c) guidance from the elders namely Lex’s dad and Alicia’s mum, we have the final design like this…

I think the final outcome is impressive despite having some area which can be improved on. At the end day by just looking at each of them, I realized:-

1. This is Alicia’s first time as fashion designer and I am sure she has gained much. Who say a pharmacist cannot become a fashion designer at the same time?

2. This is also Alvin’s first time styling female hair. He is an expert in styling men’s hair. After this, Alvin not only can style for men but also women. It is a 100% jump in skill improvement where he used to know 1, now he knew 2.

3. Wei Mun who is only familiar with conventional make up, now could do unconventional make up too. Another 100% jump in skill improvement.

4. Jen Li, the finalist for Miss Earth Malaysia 2008, would never thought she would use her experience as beauty pageant to teach others how to do cat walk . You make me proud of you, Jen Li.

5. Lex Low, now works with the reputable Tony and Guy, deserve my highest respect. This guy not only offer his professional advice to the team but also at the same time color people’s hair for free. Tonight alone while helping us, he already colored more than 4 people hair!!! He is such a kind and generous person…

6. What to compliment Mi Mi? Hmmm… I, on behalf of the team, wish to thank you for lending your hair for practice…hahahaha!

7. My darling, I wonder whether she will quit her job as dietitian to do full time modeling … Will you dear?

……..

This Sunday is the D-day for them. Let’s see whether they will win or not on the last day of Emerge Conference. After seeing what they have sacrifice, in my opinion, it is not about winning anymore. You guys have put in a lot of effort and have gained much!! Basically, you guys already won! Just enjoy the competition…

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DID I SAY SHORT POST?? Oh no, it is 3.30am… time to sleep!!! ZzzzZZzzzzzz…

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If you wanna find out more about Emerge Conference, just click the link below:-

Emerge website and

City Harvest Church website

Remember I promised to share something shocking in Part II?

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Here it is… apparently I noticed a lot of parents and family members were so bored with the whole ceremony until they fell asleep in the hall. I thought it was supposed to be a jubilee moment but it was not so… I was “fortunate” to capture some pictures of them. I am not humiliating them… just capturing the moment…hehe.

The sleeping uncle and aunty…

and the sleeping uncle…

and another sleeping uncle and aunty…

And this is the ultimatum…like father like son

We went through the whole graduation ceremony without even a yawn. Not only we’re proud of Juleen, we are proud of ourselves too… hehe. After the whole graduation ceremony, we took some pictures outside the hall.

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Juleen and her mum…

And of course, Juleen and I…

See… Juleen’s mum was so proud with her until she smile all the way from the university until to where we parked our car.

I think Juleen started to get a little agitated… hehe… She carried so many things and I didn’t even give her a hand. Only took pictures…hehe. Sorry dear!!

Whatever it is, we are PROUD OF YOU !! Continue to make us PROUD…