The Eyes Have It

2009-01-12T23:34:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I haven't been updating this blog only because I have been busy updating my other blog. If this blog is about my paintings and photography and the occasional holiday trips, my other blog is more about me in general -as a person, my likes, dislikes, my ramblings and my life's little stories. Visit me at www.elitaelias.blogspot.com . Ciao! :)

The painting after the loooong break.

2008-10-26T06:32:00.000-07:00

This has been bought and now resides in Beverly Heights.

Something about not wanting to paint...

2008-07-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

Something has happened to me. I have not touched my painting brush for over a month now which is very, very unusual. I simply don't have the urge to. I hardly throw a glance towards my pile of paints and brushes. I don't read about art. I don't discuss art. NIL.

I said I don't have the urge to paint but deep down that is what I am missing so very badly. To paint again. Painting gives me sense of purpose in everyday life. It is an escape route from all the stress that comes with life. Painting tranports me to another element. Element of fantasy where there is no black and white, no hard fast rules.

Here I am trying to analyse the reason for the lack of interest. Is it really because there is lack of interest or is it because I only paint so feverishly and passionately when I am in turmoil? Am I not in turmoil still? I am. But I guess different kind of turmoil results in different outcome as far as my painting's concerned. I wonder, if I forcefully pick up the brush again and just paint now, what will the outcome look like? Still full of reds and oranges or it will be more relaxing, subdued colours? Or will I just abandon the canvas midway and not attempt to finish it at all?

I have not been looking after myself lately. I don't really eat, my sleep pattern is irregular, heck, even my heartbeat is showing funny readings...! What is wrong? Am I not happy? Hmmm....let me deliberate on that...

Yes, right now I am definitely feeling better than couple of months back. Really? ...Yes! Sure?..Yes! Then what the heck is wrong then? Well, I guess it's just me being me. I.Think.A.Lot.

So , back to my lack of interest to paint, maybe I can make the wild assumption that I am the effective and productive painter only when I become the suffering soul...hahhahaa...very romantic! Having said that, I'd rather not paint than suffer! Cheers! :)

Balinese Dancer

2008-05-31T01:18:00.000-07:00

Painting on a whim ...was bored to death!

the "Accidental Bird" in acrylic

2008-05-09T05:03:00.001-07:00

Untitled acrylic work.

2008-05-09T05:01:00.001-07:00

Butterfly

2008-04-26T05:13:00.001-07:00

I did this tiny painting on canvas using acrylic. It was loads of fun! hehehhe....colourful and cute. I guess after spending one whole day painting at gajah2 gallery, the naive painting style has influenced my style a bit...hehhehe

The Restless World

2008-04-14T04:26:00.000-07:00

An acrylic painting done on 36"x36" canvas.

Lily Pod

2008-03-22T02:43:00.000-07:00

This did not turn out the way I wanted it but I refused to do anything more with it. Sooo tired already!

Desperate (House)Wives Trip To Jakarta :P

2008-03-18T00:58:00.000-07:00

Recently four of us girls made this trip to Jakarta with the intention to have fun with a capital F! And fun we had! Four days of shopping, concerts (the International Java Jazz Festival) and partying. I think we deserved this break (away from the daily routine, hubs, kids, office, bla..bla..bla) and we really packed it all in within those four short days.
Babyface was superb and we enjoyed it to the max. He really brought us down memory lane with all his hits...hehehe...The jakarta malls were irresistable and we spent our millions (rupiahs) in no time at all. Talk about indulgence! And the food.....suffice to say that I put on a pound or two...

All in all the trip is something that will not be easily forgotten.
I say..."let's do this again girls!" :-D

4 "haute" mommas ready to paint Jakarta red!

posing at podjok...while waiting for food to arrive.

our sinful splurge...and this was only on the first day of shopping!

All glam'ed up for Babyface at the Java Jazz Festival.

My Babyface ticket...

The show...giler best!!!

Lily Pods 1 - WIP

2008-03-01T22:57:00.000-08:00

first I sketch the the lily pods...

then i paste some ribbon bits and my Reese cup case.. just for little experimentation

then i put my first layer of paint onto the sketch followed by blocking out the surrounding area

then i put more paint on my lily pods...
This is not completed yet though...there's more work to be done. How this will turn out? I'm not sure. I will post the finished painting when it's done. :)

Dancing 3.

2008-03-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

A painting I made in acrylic.. I'm training myself to paint in this particular medium. I find it very difficult compared to oil but I think I'm beginning to get the hang of it :)

At first the painting was neat..too neat that i felt i don't have control over it. That's when I started to smudge it a bit...hence the final outcome :)

Happy Birthday Arif baby...

2008-02-09T05:50:00.000-08:00

Baked this cake for my just-turned 9 baby...I must say, although it looked simple enough, the whole process was totally nerve wrecking for me since I'm such a klutz when it comes to being domestic..hehehe..

Anyway, the party was a blast!

Child in Dream

2008-02-03T01:48:00.000-08:00

A combination of acrylic and oil.

Bobbing heads...

2008-01-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

I just had to post this in my blog...

This hari raya invitation card was created "in-house"...creative aside, pic of my head was illegally acquired! hmm...i wonder who the culprit was...I could have given a better pic..Sooo unglamorous! hahahahaha

F.R.I.E.N.D.S

2008-01-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

My sidekicks - The Indispensables...
Back to front - Hanim, Che Pa, Ash, Siti, Kenkaong, Anuard, Cheese & Aaronbarn

In case u guys read this: despite your blundering ways, I love u all anyways :p

Cuppycakes fever...

2008-01-18T09:49:00.001-08:00

Last December's activity - cupcake bakings...just trying out to see whether I'm capable of baking without burning the house down!

Tempayan

2008-01-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

I'm leaving this painting alone now as I'm still not satisfied with it..one day I will make it better or even redo it.

BUBBLY...

2008-01-18T09:21:00.000-08:00

(pic not soo good...will replace it with better one next time)

A Painting called Bubbly...

I've been awake for a while now

You've got me feeling like a child now

Cause everytime I see your bubbly face

I get the tinglies in a silly place

It starts in my toes

Makes me crinkle my nose

Where ever it goes I always know

That you make me smile

Please stay for a while now

Just take your time

Where ever you go...

(sung by Colbie Caillat)

That Autumn Feeling...

2008-01-18T09:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the loooong absence..here's a painting i did recently. It's called "That Autumn Feeling" and aptly titled too. It conveys the feeling of melancholy when one goes through a transition period that is beautiful and passionate but with darkness and cold in the horizon. As autumn moves to winter...

My Passion

2007-09-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

Painting in Mixed Media ( taken with my motorola phone..heheh)

Close up (taken with my Nikon)

Also taken with my Nikon...

Have been working on these....

2007-09-23T05:43:00.000-07:00

My room, my work place...

The orange done in acrylic, the blue in oil

Me

Moi

Untitled - in Oil

Bunga - in Oil

Ranting of a disoriented mind...

2007-09-17T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'm tired...just plain tired...age catches up they say. But then again, I beg to differ. It has got nothing to do with age. That I'm sure of. It has everything to do with the state of mind. I want to do things, but I'm bound to routines, to the must do-or-else-you-are-in-trouble things. Half of my life is wasted behind my desk, in a cubicle. I want to be free to do things, at my own pace, my own time. I want to travel the world, I want to paint my heart out. I want to drown myself in music. I want...I want to be ME.

This is why I have been quiet in my blog. I have no more words to say, no more pictures to post and no more paintings to share....at least, for now.

Poem on a whim

2007-09-17T07:18:00.000-07:00

Nonchalance veils love
Cold surrounds warmth
Happy is the face of sadness
Hardened in the end.

"Vibration" in Oil

2007-08-22T00:54:00.000-07:00

Cold Winding Road to Bentong

2007-08-22T00:47:00.000-07:00

Had an adventurous trip going through the narrow, winding old Bentong road with thick cold fog surrounding us. Took these pics with my Nikon...

Woman on a Bench

2007-08-09T02:09:00.001-07:00

This using acrylic and paste. Not sure whether I should leave this just as it is or still work on it. Any feedbacks appreciated : )

Untitled (WIP) in Oil

2007-08-09T02:06:00.000-07:00

Letto - Sampai Nanti Sampai Mati

2007-07-27T09:16:00.001-07:00

This is my "national anthem" whenever i'm feeling particularly down...

Enrique Iglesias - Do You Know (Ping Pong Song) Music Video

2007-07-27T04:13:00.001-07:00

C is for ....

2007-07-25T00:40:00.000-07:00

If I had the choice I would put up all the photos taken during this time...unfortunately I have to go through Sensor Board cause it might start a riot or something of that kind....hehehehe (sorry...I just couldn't resist posting one pic!)

Break of Dawn

2007-07-16T23:27:00.000-07:00

The one that will be given to MB Trengganu..(so I was told by the people who bought this...but don't know when...)

Reminiscing The Past

2007-07-16T01:15:00.000-07:00

I was going through some old pictures when we were still in TM Net, when I decided to post some of these pics for us to share and reminisce the good old times...Let's go down the memory lane...

The pantry congregation...

Husni trying his luck with Mimi...eheheh

The gang on the Cyberjaya office rooftop

Number one supporters of Faizal, during the One in A Million

The 3 mak dara's...Me, Zaina and Roz

Me and my bodyguard...ehehe

Us at A Famosa Carnival during the team building

Waiting for dinner to be served...

Me and my bodyguard again...(he's everywhere!)

Seriously...karaoke is not for me...good thing it didn't rain that night

WIP Paintings - This & That

2007-07-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

Have been working on several these past few weeks but none of these are complete yet. I would say they are stil WIPs. The photograph taken just below is a testament that I am still learning and dabbling with paint..hehehe

(except for this (pic very blur) - picture taken during WIP but now completed and now probably hanging somewhere in DPM's office. I guess...)

THIS IS IT!!!

2007-07-11T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today is a meaningful day for me. After weeks of toiling and sweating to complete a painting, today is THE DAY! Yup, my sis just called me to say that the launch ceremony for SKALI Lagi book has just concluded at PWTC and my painting (my painting! macam tak percaya) has been presented to our DPM YAB Dato' Sri Najib Tun Razak. Lega rasanya...To tell the truth I was a nervous wreck for the whole week because of this. Don't know why... And one more good news! I presented 2 paintings for this purpose and they chose one. The other one, is going to someone's office or home! Yeay! I managed to sell both!

Satu je terkilan sikit. I didn't get the opportunity to take a proper picture of it. I was working on it till the 11th hour, quickly framed it and sent it over. I am hoping that I can get a picture of the event with our DPM receiving the painting. If I do get one, surely I will post it in my blog.

Skali Lagi book - by T.F.R ( A good read. Light but inspirational)
p/s someone should give me commission for promoting this book here...hehehe)

Ciao ! ; )

Watercolour Works Part I

2007-07-10T09:54:00.001-07:00

Kimono Woman

Kimono Woman (close up)

Farm house

Old Melaka shop house

Eyes

Waterlily

2007-07-04T07:52:00.001-07:00

Nowadays, I don't know what to do with myself when I'm back home after work, after dinner and after melayan my kids that I always end up dabbling with my paints late into the night... I guess it has become a habit of mine after a strenuous week of working on 3 paintings concurrently. Now that I have completed 2 of them, and not in the mood to finish the 3rd one, I still have the itch to do something...hence this painting below. Actually, it is my very first attempt in using acrylic a'la watercolour technique. Painted on a paper. I think it is not good enough but still I would like to share with u and get some feedback especially from my "sifu" (I think you know who you are : ) ... ) The result is a bit kelam kabut but I have yet to get to know this technique more in depth. So, probably I will post more pictures with regards to this in the near future. Cheers!

My Atok Jah

2007-07-02T06:03:00.000-07:00

Around 2 weeks ago, I had a frightening phone call in the middle of the night. It was my sister. "Kak Lita, Tok Jah sakit kuat...this time it looks serious. She has stopped talking altogether and seems very, very weak...nampak macam nazak..". That night I couldn't sleep well. I was contemplating whether I should go back to JB right away or wait for a while. Now, my Tok Jah has not been in such good health of late, given her age (she's 80 plus I think...) But she has been one tough lady. Everytime she got sick, she always bounces back to health and back to her talkative self.

So, with that faith, I put off going back to JB that morning. I got updates from my uncles and aunties in JB every couple of hours about her. The last update from my Auntie, I was told that she was not doing well at all. In fact, she said few signs of being nazak were evident. My mind began to race on what to do next. My colleagues in the office said, better go and see her before she's gone. So at 4.30 pm, I packed up my office stuff, headed to Ampang to pick up my two sisters and a cousin and headed back to Subang to pack my overnight bag. It was really exhausting. It was a hard day at work, the jam to and from Ampang was crazy and by the time we reached Subang it was almost 7pm. At 7.30 we were off to JB with me behind the wheels and the girls. At around 12 midnight we reached Tok Jah's house. Almost everybody was there. Uncles, Aunts, cousins..Some were on their way from KL.

I ran to Atok's room. There she was...cutting a fragile figure sunk in the queen sized bed...She was awake. She saw me and my sisters and acknowledged our presence with the look in her eyes..No sound came out from her...She seemed drained out. I was worried and so were the others present. I tried to look for some signs of life in her eyes...I wasn't sure... That night, we all sat vigil around her until at 4am, I took one look at her sleeping and declared I need some sleep after driving for hours from KL.

We checked into a nearby hotel (Atok's house was full that night!) and slept and slept and slept. It was almost 11am when we woke up! We quickly bathed and rushed back to her house which was only 5 minutes away. There she was... I must say she looked so much better than last night. She still didn't speak but at least she looked alert. I was soo relieved. She ate a bit..not much but at least she was eating.. That afternoon, a decision was made. We were to bring her back to KL for proper care and supervision. She was to stay with my Aunt in Bangi. She was so fragile that we hired an ambulance to transfer her back to KL.

Now, a fortnight later, my Tok Jah is still around although she's bedridden now. I have visited her twice ever since. She is doing ok given her age, fragility and bouts of sickness. I for one, know that this lady is one tough cookie and I believe she is going to live much longer that we expected!

To my dearest Tok Jah...get well soon. We missed your "swearing"! Hehehehe....

p/s To my Chak in Penang, I love you too. Next time I shall write about you too ok! Stay cool.

Atok, the night we arrived from KL.

Atok and I. The next morning.

Phuket - More Pics

2007-06-09T08:31:00.000-07:00

A:Patong Beach. B: The boys on Karon Beach

A:The boys feeding bread to the fish. B: Hilltop view of Karon and Kata Beaches

A: Hakim feeding the elephant B: Woraburi Hotel

A: Splashing time just a doorstep away B: Wat Chalong

A: Lotus pond at Wat Chalong B: Lotus at closer look

Phuket & Koh Phi Phi - Pics by S

2007-06-05T08:40:00.000-07:00

In the cockpit - Thanks Mamel!

In front of our hotel in Karon

On Karon Beach

Riding Malik the elephant

On board Phi Phi Cruise

Me and my sunburnt superheroes

Snorkling time!

Heading back to Rasadda Pier

Koh Phi Phi - The Island

2007-06-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

Koh Phi Phi - The Seascape

2007-06-05T07:22:00.001-07:00

Koh Phi Phi - Cool Clear Sea

2007-06-05T07:12:00.001-07:00

Koh Phi Phi - The Cruiser

2007-06-05T06:55:00.000-07:00

Latest Sketch and Oils

2007-05-24T09:58:00.000-07:00

The French Beauty - 207

2007-05-24T09:16:00.000-07:00

If I had sacks of RM100 bills right I would ship in this babe right this instance! She's a beauty isn't she?

Happy Mommy's Day!

2007-05-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's day for mommies all over the world! And am I glad that I'm one of them! 1995,1996 and 1999 will be forever etched in my heart and mind. The happiness of giving birth to a little girl and two little boys. And, the sadness of losing my precious baby girl...Well...that was 12 years ago...the sadness will always be there but the joy of bringing up two boisterous boys really fulfilled me. I am SO very glad and lucky to have them. They are my pride and joy. They couldn't be anymore far apart in character. One is a silent rebel and the other has no qualms about showing his displeasure..hehehe. One dislikes to be mollycuddled and the other just likes to be smothered with kisses from his mama...

Being a mum to 2 boys definitely requires a different type of parenting. I need to be tough(physically! They love to have wrestle sessions with me and believe me you can be reduced to tears if you can't stand being KO'd by them..hahaha), patient and firm. I am always the "garang" one but also always the person that they can come to when they need someone to talk to. I like that. I want to be a parent and also a friend to them.

Now that they are 11 and 8, it will be just a matter of few years before they enter teenage years..and man, that would require a different set of parenting skills I'm sure! I have to deal with teenage 'rebel without a cause' phase, girls problems and God knows what else! I shall miss them being my little boys...my babies...

To my sons, Amirul Hakim and Amirul Arif, Mama will always, always love both of you and hope that I would always be able to be there for you whenever you need me, Insya Allah.

A bouquet for me picked by Hakim from our frontyard...

Hakim and Arif still sleep in my bed most nights...

Going into Trance

2007-05-12T10:11:00.000-07:00

Tampaksiring Holy Spring

2007-05-12T10:05:00.000-07:00

Like Attracts Like

2007-05-03T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hi guys...I have been reading this book. It's about the power of thoughts. Your thoughts. It's very interesting and after reading a few chapters, I found what was written were surprisingly true to a certain point and induced deep thoughts about certain things that's going on in my life. I'm still reading it...and as I go on, I will retrieve excerpts of the content and post it in my blog periodically. Just as a way to share it with you. The book is called The Secret. Your (even sceptics) input and comments of these posts are appreciated.

The Law of Attraction
Everything that's coming into your life you are attracting into your life. And it is attracted to you by virtue of the images you're holding in your mind. It's what you're thinking. Whatever is going on in your mind you are attracting to you.

"Every thought of yours is a real thing - a force"

Like Attracts Like
The law of attraction says "like attracts like" and so as you think a thought, you are also attracting like thoughts to you.

Our job as humans is to hold on to the thoughts of what we want, make it absolutely clear in our minds what we want, and from that we start to invoke one of the greatest laws in the Universe, and that's the Law of Attraction. You become what you think about most, but you also attract what you think about most.

"If you see it in your mind, you're going to hold it in your hands"

...to be continued...

Tegallalang Farmers

2007-04-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

I captured these man and woman when they were busy tending to their padi field. The man was sporting enough to pose for me when he took a few minutes to sit down get his palm leaf weaving done.

Balinese are always weaving something to be used for their daily prayers

I bet this guy is used to having his picture taken by tourists!

Bent over to tend to her padi

Sunset Scenes

2007-04-29T21:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I know...to some these are just one of the many sunset scenes i have featured in my blog but to those who can truly appreciate nature's beauty, you can imagine how spectacular this sunset is. I know my photos will never do justice for the real thing but to be there and to be embraced by such beauty was just out of this world...

Shop House & Garden

2007-04-29T21:04:00.000-07:00

Been a bit slow in my painting activity lately due to my focus on photography. Nevertheless I managed to come up with two oil paintings - one from the trip back from Melaka, another from Bali. Double click on pics to see details and texture.

Melaka shop house - pic gelap la...

Gateway to Balinese Garden

2007-04-26T19:14:00.001-07:00

Sampai Nanti, Sampai Mati
Artist: Letto

Kalau kau pernah takut mati
Sama...
Kalau kau pernah patah hati
Aku juga iya...

dan sering kali
Sial datang dan pergi
Tanpa permisi
Kepadamu, suasana hati
Tak peduli...

kalau kau kejar mimpimu salut
kalau kau ingin berhenti
ingat ntuk mulai lagi

tetap semangat
dan teguhkan hati
di setiap hari
sampai nanti
sampai mati

kadang memang
cinta yang terbagi
karena memang
seringkali mimpi tak terpenuhi
seringkali

tetap melangkah
dan keraskan hati
di setiap hari
sampai nanti,
sampai mati

For the disheartened and those who gave up on life easily. To listen to the music, google it.

Ubud Village Resort & Spa

2007-04-23T20:39:00.000-07:00

4 days 3 nights were definitely not enough when you have a beautiful villa like this to spoil yourself rotten..hehehe..For those who want to experience relaxing and private time I would suggest this place. Away from the hustle bustle of Kuta town. I want to come here again!!!

Villa Banjar Kelod. It comes with a private gazebo and pool. The place is soo cool...Ubud Resort and Spa has 12 private villas and is surrounded by padi fields.

The entrance to our Villa.

The sunken bath tub surrounded by Koi pond at the back of the villa.

Our villa in the morning light. Day time, we drew the curtains apart since its glass all around. The view was serene and relaxing.

The Angkul Restaurant overlooking the main pool within the resort compound.

Chubby moi by the poolside...sekali sekala of course I want to be in the picture kan...

Night shot of our pool and gazebo.

Balinese man attending to the koi pond near Angkul Restaurant. In the background is the green padi fields surrounding the area.

Pura Tanah Lot, Bali

2007-04-22T23:42:00.000-07:00

Attendants at Pura Tanah Lot. During high tide, these men will help you cross the sea to go to the Pura which is on a little island.

"Healthy" me on a cliff side cafe overlooking the Pura Tanah Lot. By this time I was all dishevelled and tired but had glorious time taking photographs since early morning.

Kids seen playing along the beach across the Pura.

Dusk was setting and the waves were getting fiercer..

Crashing waves against the rocks. I was just a few meters away perched on a big rock when I took this pic.

Beautiful sunset at Tanah Lot with the silhouette of the Pura.

Ceremony@Bedegul

2007-04-22T23:17:00.000-07:00

Danau Bratan at Bedegul. About 31/2 hours drive from Ubud. The air there is very cool and fresh. The scenery is beautiful with a lakeside Pura.

Danau Bratan. I used the Cokin blue filter to achieve the blue sky effect.

The Pura compound near Danau Bratan. These ladies are preparing for the impending ceremony to respect their dead ancestors. I managed to capture the religious rites with my camera.

The parade of ritual attendees proceeding to the nearby Pura.

Men, women, children entering the Pura.

Men to the left..women to the right...(this is just an angle which I managed to capture. Interesting though..)

Balinese women...they are always clad in lacy kebaya and batik sarung. They paste grains of rice on the forehead for this religious ceremony.

The men...talking animatedly.

Father and son listening intently on the priest's chanting.

Legong Dance in Bali

2007-04-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

My photography using my Nikon D50. The dances were so mesmerizing that I felt I was in trance too. There are soo many pictures I took that night but these are my best few.

Kids Painting Class

2007-04-06T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today (Saturday) I was woken up by the kids (sons, nieces and nephew) who were eager to start their day with the promised painting lesson. You see, I shipped in my nieces and nephew to my house for the weekend so that they could play together with my kids. I really had to plan what to do with them to keep them occupied since they are a rowdy lot when they get together. So, painting lesson was the plan. Last nite, the lesson started off with a theory class. Everybody, even Little Erina who is 3, attended. We learned about colours (primary, secondary, colour mixing), about painting tools and supports and about what they will plan to paint the next day. So this morning the practical class took place and they were really having fun (but it was messy!) and at the end of the class, each painting was given marks. I was happy too! (happy because I managed to get them to sit down and get busy even for an hour or so)...

The kids at the start of their lesson

The youngest in class...What is that Erina? "Barney..."

Fadzlan and Arif squeezing out their creative juice...

Enisa was the one who really wanted to learn how to paint...Inspired by your Auntie huh Enis? Hehehe

Hakim was the most diligent and creative

The kids with their artworks - frm L-R Fadzlan, Arif, Erina, Hakim and Enisa

Their art pieces - they get to bring their work home...

Super Duper Day

2007-04-06T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, we were on an assignment to shoot our latest streamyx tv commercial. We had to cover many locations and many scenes and only that one day to complete it. Rain or shine. I was praying for a sunny day through out but of course with our unpredictable weather it was not meant to be. The day started out beautifully but was pouring cats and dogs towards the end. However, it ended pretty well and I, who rarely leave home without my camera on unusual outings such as this, managed to capture some of the scenes with my Nikon D50. To know more about this commercial, don't forget to watch our Streamyx Super Duper Deal commercial on the TV soon...

The scene started early in the morning in a condo in Gasing Heights

The main talent preparing for his first take

"Road workers" in their hard hats in the the sweltering hot sun near The Weld

"Director! We could use some help here with the jack hammer!"

The crew @ work..our shooting caused quite a jam with the passers by there.

Talents and extras holding up their campaign boards.. The traffic thought we were on a picket or something and were hooting their horns when they passed by...hehehe

Happy Times During BB Fiesta

2007-03-21T00:12:00.000-07:00

I ran through some not so old pics of good ole times with friends during the BB Fiesta at Sunway Pyramid. I think, this was the final, last time ever we would wear our tmnet t-shirts bcoz, as of Jan 1st 2007, we had said "sayonara" to our beloved tmnet. Sob! Sob!

Me and my buddy, Zaina

Alamak! Tak masuk! Benda ni senget la...

Backstage with Zaina

Me and my favourite One in A Million contestant, Faizal. He should have won!

Backstage with Faizal, Zaina, Alif, Farah and Simon of 8TV

Cherating Get Together.

2007-03-20T22:23:00.000-07:00

Last year, 31st December we celebrated New Year in Cherating, Kuantan. It was 5 days of funfilled activities from swimming, eating, photography, eating, ghost story telling, eating, horse riding, eating and boat rides through the kampung cherating swamp.
The boys by the sea

The boys in the pool

The boys playing with the sand

The cowboy wannabes

The clan having pisang goreng

The beach early in the morning

Little Hairy and the beach ball

Yoga by the sea - the boys and their uncle

Little Emma pulling up her pants - so cute..hehehe

The mangrove tree

Where the swamp water meets the sea water

The tiny jetty

Mieng Kam Time!!!

2007-03-20T21:46:00.000-07:00

We did this makan2 thing few moons ago but I never get to upload it to my blog (much to the chagrin of the Mieng Kam Feast participants!) heheheh...thousand apologies. I couldn't find the recipe to be uploaded together with this post but I'm sure if you googled it you will find it. To those not acquainted to Mieng Kam, it is a type of Siamese delicacy normally served as appetiser. We wrap peanuts, ginger slices, coconut bits, lime slices, onion slices, cili padi and udang kering with a daun kaduk (looks like sireh but tastes better). Oh! Don't forget the special Mieng Kam sauce too. It looks funny but tastes yummy! Try it.

Back to our Mieng Kam project, we all chipped in in preparing the ingredients. Zaina prepared the coconut (which I grated for her in the end due to her inefficiency with the grater!), Sity brought the onions,udang kering and lime, Mimi brought the cili padi and she actually cut it in the pantry (tears and all!), Darlene brought the daun kaduk that grows abundantly in her backyard and I, I prepared the sauce (tough job but hey! next time, I will pass this task to Zaina!)

It was loads of fun and here are some pics to be shared...

Me and Zaina preparing the sauce and grated coconut at the back kitchen

Mimi slicing the cili padi in the office pantry

The Mieng Kam Dish

The girls...

and the boys.

Trip to Malaqa again!

2007-03-20T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last couple of days before school holidays ended, we managed to make ammends with the kids (who were stranded at home during the hols due to their parents' hectic work schedules) and took them for a short trip to Melaka. We were basically hotel hopping there. From Shah's Beach Resort (nice cottage environment near the sea) to Hotel Puri (right smack in the middle of Melaka town near Jonker Street). We got there, I got sick (nice timing huh? And at this moment of writing this blog, I'm still having bouts of fever and migraine. I forced myself out of bed today), the kids went swimming and S with his camera as usual. I brought mine but because I was feeling lousy through out the trip, I only managed a few lousy snapshots.

Dusk at Shah's Beach Resort

Ditto

The chalets - Nice clean place but service and facilities not so good though

Sleeping swallows in one of the lobby rooms at Hotel Puri

The serene courtyard at Hotel Puri where we had our meals

Looking up - old style windows on 2nd floor of Hotel Puri

Night time shots of flowers in the courtyard

Ditto

Puri Padi - Old shop house

Hakim and Arif savouring satay at the courtyard

S and Me

2007-03-15T02:10:00.000-07:00

Pencil sketch of S sleeping

Pencil sketch of me by Amirul Arif. (I had to pose for nearly an hour and had body cramps because of it!)

Exploring Different Styles

2007-03-13T00:38:00.000-07:00

These 2 latest paintings of mine is actually some sort of an exercise to explore my capabilities in handling different medium of paints.

Untitled - Oil paint - with use of texture paste

"Bunga Anis" in acrylic paint. Using outlines on the flowers and foreground leaves.

Note: Picture quality and angle not so good as these were taken with my camera phone. Double click on the images to enlarge picture.

Down In The Dumps

2007-03-12T23:54:00.000-07:00

I am not in a cheery mood of late. Something to do with my paintings. Yeah, I managed to produce 2 paintings perhaps 3 in between my last charcoal posting and this, but somehow I am just not jumping with joy about the results. I know they are not that bad (by kids' standard I suppose : ( ) but I feel that I am simply not progressing. I need to do more, I need to do better but somehow I feel stuck. Now I am so into Van Gogh's paintings and his techniques and use of colours. His work is so striking and captivating. To me some of them look childlike but powerful. I read a lot about him too and about his sad life. But even so, he managed to produce about 200 paintings within months. Imagine. I just admire his brush strokes, his intense colours and the simplicity of his subjects. Even a chair painted by him is seen as something extraordinary...

Well, back to me. Yeah..I don't think I can ever express it in words but simply put, if i had the magical talent of Van Gogh I would be in 7th heaven as I have a lot to express which I simply can't do in writing (not good at this) . Neither can I do it through art if I do not overcome this stumbling block ie better skills in drawing and paint execution. I am learning, I am working on it but it's a really long, difficult and lonely road especially when I am doing this on my own.

But I, for once, told myself "If you are passionate about this, then persevere." To my loved ones and friends, I thank you for your support and encouragement.

"The only time I feel alive is when I am painting" - Vincent Van Gogh

Sketches in Charcoal

2007-02-26T20:05:00.000-08:00

My first couple of sketches in charcoal and pencil. Its more for training my line drawings and to increase my power of observation. Lots of improvement needed though.

S's Work Corner in Charcoal

Boy Sleeping in charcoal

Opened Handbag in charcoal

Female Form "Behind" in Pencil (with reference to a book)

Female Form "Side" in Pencil

KL by Night

2007-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

Last weekend on Chinese New Year hols, my bro and sis brought S and I up a hill (somewhere in Ulu Langat I guess) and we saw a sweeping view of KL City at night. It was beautiful! It could have been better if not for the mist after the rain. I quickly whipped out my D50 and took some snapshots. (It has been ages since I last touched my camera!) So, here goes...

I'm baaack!!!!!!!!!

2007-02-17T23:58:00.000-08:00

Hi guys! It has been sooo long since I have updated my blog. Some people are already complaining! Hehehe.. Thousand apologies...I have been extremely preoccupied with...MY PAINTINGS! Yup, I have spending all my free time playing with my brushes and palette knives. In fact, my D50 has been sitting on my wicker box collecting dust! Nope, my interest in photography has not withered. It has just taken the back seat for the time being. But with my new Manfrotto tripod birthday present from S, I definitely will be on the go again with my D50. Will update you on this later huh? Here are some of the paintings that I have come up with over the months...( some of the pics not very clear la..)

Rooster in Oil. 24x24. Impasto using painting knife.

Hakim in Oil 24x30

Abstract - Two Frolicking Ducks 30x30 in Oil

Girl From Behind (Nude! Hehehe!) in Oil

Abstract - Acid Rain 24x24 Mixed Media with Acrylic

Little Girl in Oil

Angels in Flight in Oil

Abstract - Element 1 in Oil

Wasteland in Acrylic - using painting knife

"Raw" in Oil

Work in Progress -"Waterscape" in Oil

A Weekend@Jonker Street, Malacca

2006-12-14T06:59:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago, S and I decided to just throw in our over night bag, say sayonara to the kids and leave for a weekend in the historical Malacca. We decided to lepak at Jonker Street. There we checked into a quaint Baba Nyonya hotel called The Baba House. It was a totally different experience staying there. You don't get the usual hotel environment but rather the feeling of stepping back in time of old. Everything is old and traditional but you still get hot shower, TV (no Astro though), air-cond room and 3 in 1 Coffee. And the room was clean too. That night and the morning after we spent our time savouring the hustle-bustle of Jonker Street mostly at Geographer Cafe and visited the antique shops. We ate every couple of hours and I was certain that contributed to a couple of pounds that I have gained lately..heheh...

The room rate was reasonable and we took the Deluxe

The courtyard within the Baba House

Photographer taking picture of the photographer

Pasar Malam at Jonker Street. Took this pic from the upstairs dining area of Geographer Cafe.

The Chinese Temple in front of Baba House. When we have breakfast at the hotel cafe, we could hear the chanting of prayers...

Sunday morning Flea Market. You could find so many old stuff there.

Above the roof of the Chinese Temple. Dragon playing golf? Or hockey?

Lantern at Baba House Cafe

Not sure what this sculpture is called but it sure was interesting...

Interesting & Funny

2006-12-14T06:40:00.000-08:00

Took a few snapshots of funny signboards and interesting coaster...

Rockin' Into the Future

2006-12-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

We had a blast last Friday when we had an annual dinner with the "Rockin' Into The Future" theme. Needless to say we went all out getting dressed up!

Space Sheriff and Gold Lady...

(L to R) Has, Cheese, MJ, Rox, Maya K and Achik Spin

Taiping Lake Garden

2006-12-14T05:35:00.000-08:00

Went to Taiping Lake Garden for the weekend for some photography fix and here are some of the shots...

Pain(t)ful Days

2006-12-04T04:48:00.000-08:00

I'm baack...Have not been updating my blog for quite sometime now. Have been busy with my latest venture...hehee..Its oil painting week for me. Last week S and I went to Malacca for photography. Got some pics to share but that will come later la. Anyway, why oil painting? I dunno...went to Jonkers Street to get some paintings but my god, they are nothing less than RM500 a pop. I know..I know..you pay for the art..So, I thought, why not do my own painting? So what if it doesn't look it's worth hanging on the wall (except mine)...at least I painted it myself..So, I went to the art shop, got some stuff and started the pain(t)ful journey to complete these pics. I said it's painful because I had no idea how tedious it could be..but its good therapy for me too. I get to destress myself. So, here goes but be warned, I am no pro, just someone dabbling with colours.. .By the way, art sifus..you are welcome to comment.

"Follow The Leader" or S calls it "Jenglots" (so bad...!). My first attempt.

"Self Portrait" brush strokes using fat paint.

"Road to Nowhere" using the paint knife technique. The pic came from a book somewhere..

"Arif" brush strokes using lean paint.

THE BRAND TEAM

2006-11-22T20:24:00.000-08:00

Standing from left: Rox, Cheesecake, Maya K, Achik Spin, Jac, Cik Mimi
Seating from left: Lemeng, Syahril and SK
Absent: Nasha A, Cik Li.

It was scorching hot on our office rooftop but we braced the heat and got together to do this special shot for remembrance. A very happy go lucky and fun people and we got along together like house on fire! BREATHE THE BRAND! LIVE THE BRAND!

B = BOLD
R = RADICAL
A = ADVENTURE
N = NAUGHTY but NICE
D = DAREDEVILS!!!!!!!!!

My Two Heroes

2006-11-20T06:36:00.000-08:00

This is the boy with the split personality. He can be so lovey dovey with mom, likes to snuggle up with mom at night even at his age now. Very playful and mischievious! On the other hand, he can be very "garang" especially when his big bro got on the wrong side of him. Often than not the big bro will be reduced to tears! The name is Arif.

The romeo in school. He was caught by mom twice holding hands with a girl, walking around the school compound when others were in class having their lessons. Once during kindies and once in Year 1. Patient with the baby bro most of the time. Likes keeping his emotion to himself and can be very rebellious at times! The name is Hakim.

A Closer Look

2006-11-20T06:23:00.000-08:00

Some snapshots I took over the weekend...

The boys' pet hamster...Lava Boy

Scented candle

Flower candles

Decorative Plate

Wilting flower

Fancy a cupcake?

Wilting flower from the sideview

My not-cared-for fern plants

Bali High

2006-11-13T05:50:00.000-08:00

A few months back, my family and I had the opportunity to go holiday to Bali. We were pretty excited as that was the first time we went there. We stayed at Discovery Kartika in Kuta and spent the entire days sightseeing, eating and shopping. It was fun! We went as far as Kintamani as well as Ubud, Jimbaran and few other places. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time to visit Tanah Lot :( ... Next time perhaps, S?

Arif and Hakim having fun at the pool.

Hakim & Arif on Kuta beach during sunset

Picture taken from the balcony of our hotel room

Me...on Kuta beach

Me...in Ubud village

Us...posing in front of a Pura in Kintamani

We had to wear these sarungs to enter the Pura but Arif adamantly refused! (Not macho for him maa...) In the end the caretaker relented and let him enter sans the sarung.

Putrajaya@Nite

2006-11-13T05:07:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday, as expected, S was restless at home. My guess was right. He was itching to go for photography. As I had been working that day and the day before, he was more or less left to his own device. Sensing his restlessness, I suggested that we go to Putrajaya for some quick shots of the buildings and landscape there. I took some pictures (but I am still not that satisfied with the results though). Anyway, here they are...

Ap Kaise Zardar?

2006-11-12T18:12:00.000-08:00

Zardar (standing) with Arif and Ajab the chokidar on our rooftop in Zamzama, Karachi. (Pic by S)

The year was 2005. S was sent for posting to Karachi, Pakistan. So, there we were, the kids, S and I had our first taste of life in a foreign country. So foreign that we could not imagine how it was going to be. Anyway, it was during this stint there we met a man called Zardar, a Pakistani man from Peshawar. He was to be S's driver.

When we first met Zardar, it was when he drove up to the lobby of Sheraton Hotel where we had been staying for 2 weeks while waiting for our stuff to be shipped in from Malaysia. After two weeks of being driven around by an AVIS driver, Zardar was certainly "different". To be honest, I was scared of him then. He looked intimidating with his moustache and unkempt look. And he drove like a maniac too! (Honking and and high beam flashings were nothing unusual to Karachi drivers apparently). To make matters worse, he could not speak a word of English! "Oh dear.." I thought.

A few days later, Zardar turned up at our house as he usually did every morning, this time looking different. This time he was clean shaven (save for that moustache), with neat, shorter hair and pressed shalwar kameez. We were pleasantly surprised. All the more surprised when he greeted S with "Good Morning Kamar Saab". In English! Kamar Saab is Mr. Kamar(ul) in Urdu by the way. I was excited. Zardar knew a bit of English after all! Then I spoke back to him (in English of course) and Zardar just looked puzzled...Hahaha, he couldn't understand what I was saying. Apparently the "Good Morning" bit was just something he has just picked up and nothing more!

One week later, after communicating in sign language I thought to myself that this had to stop. It was frustrating when we couldn't understand each other. I made a pact with him. I would teach him English and in return he would teach me Urdu. He agreed excitedly and a couple of months later, he spoke a smattering of English and I, Urdu. It came to a point when we were in a conflict when he refused to speak in Urdu and I refused to speak in English! In the end we still spoke to each other in two different languages! Hahaha...that was so funny!

Zardar turned out to be a very hardworking man. He will come to the house early in the morning and set out to do his daily duties. Wash the car, send the kids to school, come back to the house, send Kamar Saab to the office, come back again, send the laundry to the Dhobi Wallah, run errands, bring "Madam" (ehem..that's me) to wherever she wants to go to kill her time (either window shopping, visiting Malaysian friends or grocery shooping at Aghaz). then pick up the kids and Kamar Saab back to the house for lunch and on and on and on....His work seldom ended early in the night. There were times when he had to work really late especially when we had to attend official functions. He would wait around by the roadside with other drivers and never once, he complained about his long hours. Sometimes we really took a pity on him but we had no choice because S didn't have Karachi driving license and besides, driving in Karachi was simply out of the question. One must have the heart of steel to be able to drive around in Karachi. The traffic was just insane!

"Madam" spending her rupees at Naveed's...(Pic by S)

Zardar, carrying Arif. (Pic by S)

Zardar was also popular with my kids. They simply adored him. He would spend his free evenings playing basketball and cricket with them. He would go to the shop and get candies for them. When Arif was sick, I remembered him offering to sleep over at the servant's quarters just in case we needed to go to the hospital in the middle of the night. And we did go to the hospital that night and were so thankful that he was around then.

Zardar also liked to play and joke around with his Kamar Saab. They shared secret jokes in the car and laughed out loud together, often leaving me wondering at the back of the car what they were laughing about. S would sometimes play basketball with him and show some karate chops to him as Zardar's favourite movies are kung fu movies. "Chinis movies" he would say....hehehe.

Zardar would also occasionally helped me in the kitchen and also helped fixed stuff around the house. We actually have another helper (a chokidar) to help me at home but I was more comfortable having him to help me out. He was a pleasant and hardworking person and everybody in the house liked him.

When it was time for us to leave Karachi and moved back to Malaysia, Zardar was as cheerful as usual. At least he appeared to be cheerful. But we knew that he was sad. We had bonded with him and we were very sad to leave him. We persuaded him to visit us in Malaysia and he excitedly agreed to do so. But until the last moments before we left, we still failed to get visa clearance for him.

So, good bye Zardar. We hope to see you in Malaysia one day. We will definitely take you around KL but bear in mind you will definitely not be behind the wheel this time! Not with your driving style, you will never survive the roads here in Malaysia. You could end up in the hospital not because of an accident or anything but because you would end up being beaten by our road bullies for all your high beam flashings and honkings!!!

"Ap Kaise Zardar?" (How are you Zardar?)

Flora In Perspective

2006-11-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

It was at someone's house during those Hari Raya open houses when I sneaked out to the garden and took these pictures...There I was, clad "demurely" in a kebaya and sarung but with a camera knapsack on my back, snapping away! Hahaha...

Sunset At Tanjung Aru

2006-11-12T00:27:00.000-08:00

I think it was a couple of years back, when I was sent to Kota Kinabalu on business when I had the opportunity to capture the stunning sunset at the Tanjung Aru Shangri La in KK. After a hard day's work I retreated to the hotel and took the chance to check out the place. They say that KK has one of the most beautiful sunsets and I think I couldn't agree more. These pictures were taken with my old Fujifilm digital camera (then, I wasn't into photography yet...). Nevertheless, I would like to share these pictures with you...

These people came out at dusk to light up the torches and then performed fire dance on the beach. It was awesome!

There's Always A Beginning...

2006-11-06T23:38:00.000-08:00

Me and my new buddy

That's me...someone who has just discovered life through the view of a lens...the camera lens that is...hehehe..Not bad. Not bad at all. It all happened quite suddenly. It was a couple of days before Hari Raya when my dear S dragged me to Pertama Complex. Pertama Complex??? Yuck! Of all the places, that's one place I loath going to. The traffic, the crowd, not to mention the choice (or rather the lack of it) of things to shop...what do we girls hope to shop there anyway? Sulkily (but I was sensitive enough not to show it...) I followed S to the said place. I knew what he was up to....the only place there that attracted him was the camera shop!

You see, S is an ardent fan of photography...kinda obsessed with it to be more accurate. He already owns 2 cameras! I never could comprehend why a person needs so many cameras. He has the F100 and the D100. And at that point of time in Pertama Complex, I had the feeling that this was not just a "look, see" excursion. He was going to add more to his already bulky camera bag. Hmmm.....yup, true enough, voila! the chinese camera shop man whipped out a D200! Oh..oh...I thought.

An hour later after lots of oohhs and aahhs, we left the shop a few thousand ringgit poorer! We left with not just a D200 but with a D50 as well! The D50? It's not his. It's mine! Me, the one person who really wasn't interested in any hobby in particular (save for shopping..hehe). Me, the one person who was perplexed by S's need to go out to snap away. You see, S is the kinda guy who will sulk and sulk if he didn't get his fix of snapping pictures. And S is the kinda guy who will sulk more if he didn't get anybody to accompany or rather join him on those photography trips. So, what is S to do? Recruit a "potential" photo buddy! S presented me the D50 and said, " My Anniversary gift to you". I was gobsmacked. What? Anniversary gift? I would rather get an expensive watch (equivalent to the money spent on the D50) or even a trip to Koh Samui or even Bali again. But the ever gracious me, protested only once and then thanked him for the"gift" thinking what the h*ll was i going to do with that camera.

Well, to cut the story short, few weeks on, here I am..a trigger happy gal. Hahaha! My first "project" was during the recent Hari Raya. Snap, snap, snap. Snap here. Snap there. Almost everybody was not spared. It was more a point and shoot kind of picture taking. I was on the first phase of bonding with my camera. Some pics came out ok and some were absolutely Trash Bin material...hehe. The second project, it was a trip to the zoo. I organised the trip. With the boys in tow. Not so much because I was treating the boys with the zoo trip, rather because I wanted to snap away. This time more seriously done with the correct filters, telephoto lens, apetures and shutterspeeds. Yeay! I had fun! Needless to say so did my dear S. Some pictures came out beautifully (well, at least to my beginner's standard). I was hooked! More locations and objects to discover perhaps?? Bring it on S!!!

Feel free to browse through some of my best production (ehem!) so far...

Birds of a feather flock together...

Boat by the lake...

I may be slow, but I can be mean..!

Whatcha lookin at huh?

S, engrossed with his new toy

S with his D200