Wednesday 30 November 2011

Pulau Tiga Mud Volcano

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a_mud-bather700 As mentioned in my previous posting, Sunset in Pulau Tiga, there is a unique attraction here that you will rarely find in other parts of Malaysia. Probably the only one in the whole country and one of the few worldwide.
It's the mud volcano.




You know you have reached your destination (Pulau Tiga) when you see this jetty. The friendly staff would help you with the stuff and things. No tips and no worries, it's part of their PR and the warm hospitality offered by Pulau Tiga Resort.

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The sweet panoramic view with clear water and blue sky is very refreshing; at least it is to me.
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Alright. Without further ado, let's meet the mud-skinned genie. I mean, our tour guide.

"Hi. I'm your cute, little tour guide. I'm a bit shy and will only show up on-and-off when needed, and believe me I know exactly when you will need my presence. I will show you around and right now I'm gonna lead you to the peak of this island and let you soak and bath in our muddy little bathtub. It's free and the mud is totally safe. You are guaranteed of a younger looking skin as soon as you emerge from the pond."
*Note: This is not me*
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Hello!


Disclaimer
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You have been warned (I'll repeat the English bit for you):
MUD BATH AT YOUR OWN RISK.
BEWARE! MUD POND DEEP 48" (4 FEET)


But  48-inch deep is nothing, you say. Sure, but the floor plane is unpredictably uneven, so there is still risk especially for young children. It's your endevour, so the risk is all yours...

That's including a very high possibility of meeting up with this two-tongue tough guy. It is not the most dangerous animal in the world - it's just a lizard - but their saliva is said to be poisonous, the islanders even compare them to komodo dragons.
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Refreshing n cooling!
The mud pond is very much worth fighting for but you are not here to pick a fight with someone. Even water buffaloes behave when mud-bathing. LOL

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Okay, I have no comment.


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That's gross! Eeuw..!  but seriously, is that the best you guys can offer? Show us some six-packs.


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"Rinse up everybody" - That's your big bath tub right in front of the lodging houses.

Once done with the wash up routine, it's pretty much game over. It is best to continue with a more delicate cleansing at the privacy of your chalet. For more information and cost of going there, read here.

Wednesday 23 November 2011

Welcome To The Club, Cmeon

Cmeon and Rosa,
A big congratulations to a wonderful and beautiful couple! We want to let you know how happy we truly are for you both. Your wedding day is only one day in your lives, but it marks the beginning of your journey together, the adventures to come, together.

You both met and found one another, compliment each other, and you'll share in each other's ups and downs that life brings. So, best of wishes, big congratulations to you both and welcome to the club!

Lots of love,
floyd & family.


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The venue where the historic event took place (St. Michael Church, Penampang).


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Blessings, and best of wishes!


Cmeon is my best man during my big day many years back and I'm so glad he decided to settle down and start a family of his own. More great shots of his wedding are not posted here intentionally.

Thursday 10 November 2011

Three Deeish

I was trying to say 3-D as in 3D theater, 3D television or three-dimensional view of things on our flat screens.

In still pictures there are several ways of achieving this effect although I don't exactly know how many. I'll share some of my shots that I think are somewhat close to what is perceived as three dimension by our eyes. Kindly note that they are no where near the fine quality products of the pros but, well, I tried.

One way is via lighting. Lighting the subjects at different focal distances will give you the feeling that one subject is further away from you than the other.

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Piranhas in a big aquarium


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Sad looking Snake confined in a glass cage


Another way is via depth of field (DOF). Shallow depth of field combined with focusing only the front-most subject can create 3D effect, such as these photos:

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'Beruang ' is one of the favourite dogs at Mom's


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'also-in' - a typical unwanted weed in your flower vase

Happy shooting!

Wednesday 2 November 2011