Our home called Kuantan

Vistana Hotel - In-room Plants

2012-02-12T14:22:00.000+08:00

Vistana Hotel Kuantan has a couple of in-room plants in the suite. There is one in each bathroom in front of the mirror.

So I temporarily moved them onto the dining table for a photo shoot. The dining table is black, smooth and reflective. The late afternoon sun was breaking through the window onto the objects.

Joining the fun is some Vistana Hotel shampoo, body wash and body lotion. I think these images look great as still life set-ups.

What do you think? I would love to do some more still life the next time we're at Vistana Hotel!

Vistana Hotel - Having Fun

2012-02-08T17:32:00.000+08:00

We had a fun time at Vistana Hotel. We enjoyed our time in the room, by the pool and around the lobby.

Here are some of the pictures we took:

Leah relaxing in her pushchair by the pool

Three cool girls!

Thoughtful in the pool

A carrot juice for Fidelia as she tries to combat her high blood pressure!

She didn't eat any of it!

Posing for a picture in our suite

It was breezy and Lauren was cold!

Family picture in the lobby at Vistana Hotel Kuantan

Vistana Hotel Interior

2012-02-06T12:19:00.002+08:00

The Vistana Hotel Kuantan is a beautifully designed and maintained building. The public areas, corridors and rooms help its guests feel welcome and entirely comfortable.

Here are a few samples from our recent stay there:

Our children love this full length mirror in the Suite

A view of the main room in the Suite

Dining table, and plants taken from the bathrooms

Illuminated corridor on the 2nd floor

Vistana Hotel Room View

2012-02-05T16:05:00.000+08:00

We are back from a most lovely stay at our "second home" - Vistana Hotel Kuantan.

It's nice to get away once in a while, though it's a little more often nowadays thanks to Wayne Lee. He's the Hotel Manager and has made us feel more than welcome into our 'second home'.

Here's the sea view from our Suite:

Relaxing at Vistana Hotel

2012-02-01T17:51:00.002+08:00

*Our home called Kuantan* is relaxing at Vistana Hotel this week. Just popped back home to get some more clothes and stuff for the children. Plenty of pictures will be posted when we're back home at the end of our stay.

We hope you are all having a great week, and that through your positivity, good things will happen for you!

Blog Flashbacks

2012-01-28T10:56:00.001+08:00

It's the weekend and it's raining lightly this morning after a week of beautiful hot weather. We've all woken up with runny noses!

To start off the flashbacks today I'm referring you to a post in January 2011 and my talented friend's artwork in accordance with Chinese New Year (CNY):

CNY art

The Australian Open has now reached the finals and I was so sad to see my mate Roger Federer lose to Rafael Nadal in the semi-finals the other night. So in the second part of our flashbacks, we go back two years to January 2010 where Federer destroyed Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the semi-finals, en route to winning the tournament by beating Andy Murray in the final.

Federer wins Aussie Open semi 2010

Fidelia's Friday - My Precious Ones

2012-01-27T17:00:00.001+08:00

Here are the three most important people in my life. I love them so much. They lighten up my life and I will love them always.

Leah fell asleep on Duncan when he was on the computer

Lauren watching her cartoons

Leah and her lollipop

These are my precious ones. I am so lucky to have them in my life.

Have a great Friday and enjoy your weekend everyone!

Chinese Garden, Singapore

2012-01-24T16:43:00.000+08:00

I came back from my latest trip to Singapore with a visit to the Chinese Gardens, located a short walk from the Chinese Garden MRT.

I was glad to get in as the last time I went, it was closed for renovations. The weather was fine and I spent around an hour walking around the gardens, taking a few pictures on the way.

Me at the entrance

Sadly, access inside the tower was denied. Later my friend told me that there was a suicide case there recently.

This year is the year of the dragon

A cheeky monkey

Some of the scenery at Chinese Garden

Commemoration stone for the opening of Chinese Garden in 1975

Statue of Confucius at Chinese Garden, Singapore

The Bonsai Garden

A seat with Mickey

A Chinese sundial sits in the gardens

Two birds hop across the grass at their home, the Chinese Garden, Singapore

Fidelia's Friday - It's my birthday!

2012-01-20T19:44:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone, it so happens that my birthday falls on Friday this year! I'm going to share my special day with all of you.

Birthdays do get less exciting when you're older. I am not practically EXCITED to be in my late 20's now but I am thankful to be able to celebrate this special day with my beloved husband and two lovely children.

Lauren made me a lovely card. She's good at making cards. She told her daddy what to write on the card and I will treasure every card she makes for me on my birthdays.

Here are some pictures of my cake that my dear husband ordered from my talented neighbour.

Hmm...yummy!

Thanks my dear husband for the cake and also the lovely presents you bought for me. I still need to collect the present my parents-in-law sent to me all the way from England. Mum, I promise I will get it tomorrow!

I also would like to thank those that wished me a Happy Birthday! I am having a great time despite having a runny nose.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! HAVE A FABULOUS FRIDAY EVERYONE!

Abstract Samples

2012-01-17T16:16:00.000+08:00

The last several days I've been experimenting with abstract photography once more. It seems to be a very rewarding field.

Yesterday the Australian Open began in Melbourne too, and I enjoyed watching Roger Federer progress from the first round. He's so smooth and professional. Australians will be sad to see home favourite Sam Stosur eliminated just an hour ago in the first round. That was a real surprise.

Today I'm sharing some of my recent abstract photography work. Tell me if you like it . . .

Have a great day. I'm pleased to announce that the sun has returned and the rains disappeared in Kuantan. That makes me happy!

Fidelia's Friday - Lauren and her brolly

2012-01-13T11:51:00.000+08:00

Duncan recently took the opportunity to add to our photographic collection of Lauren by taking some lovely pictures of her with her new pink umbrella.

The pictures were taken on our balcony and outside the apartment. She has many faces and poses and I hope you hop along to our family blog to check them out. (The link is below this post).

Lauren is aware of all her online blogger friends who come to visit daddy's blog and leave comments about her, particularly the recent birthday wishes she enjoyed. Thank you once again for your support and interest in her! Lauren, as well as us, truly appreciates it!

Lauren's photos with the brolly

Roger Federer sent me mail!

2012-01-11T16:20:00.000+08:00

Can you imagine my delight when I discovered mail in my post box from Roger Federer?!

The letter was found yesterday, complete with Swiss stamps, picture of Roger Federer and postal marks from his hometown Bottmingen.

Roger Federer is a tennis superstar, the best player to have ever played the game, with 70 tournament wins and with 16 major titles (more than any other male player ever), the greatest of all time. He is currently ranked as number three player in the world and is preparing for the Australian Open, which begins on 16th January.

I've been following his tennis career since mid-2004.

I wrote Roger a letter in mid-December 2011, which I'd been meaning to do for quite some time, and boy am I glad I did! I didn't expect any sort of reply. He's a very busy man with a wife and two daughters in addition to his professional tennis commitments.

The letter contained two postcard pictures of Roger Federer, autographed by the man himself. I must admit, I screamed when I took the letter out of the post box! That was a great moment :)

As you can see, I was considerably ecstatic for the rest of the day. I'm framing the two postcards and envelope and I'll be writing him again after the Australian Open.

Roger Federer sent me mail! He's my friend. He's a top man.

Blog Flashbacks - Lauren's Birthday

2012-01-07T15:09:00.000+08:00

First of all, it's Lauren's 4th birthday today. She was awake and ready to open her presents before any of us!

Her party bag

My parents sent her this card, which arrived from England yesterday, just in time!

My parents also sent these colouring books

Hairband and bag from mummy and daddy

"Bunny"

Her new umbrella

Later tonight we'll be doing a birthday dinner at our home for Lauren, featuring roast chicken and potatoes, pizza and birthday cake. We have invited our neighbours to join us, as usual.

Today's flashbacks will focus on Lauren's previous birthdays. This is what we did in January 2011 for Lauren's 3rd birthday:

Lauren's 3rd birthday - Jan 2011

And here is Lauren on her 2nd birthday in January 2010:

Lauren's 2nd birthday - Jan 2010

Happy birthday Lauren! Have a lovely day!

Fidelia's Friday - Leah bling bling

2012-01-06T11:49:00.002+08:00

Fidelia's Friday is back after a long break! Here is a post about our second daughter, Leah. Please click the link below which will take you to our family blog. Thank you!

Leah bling bling

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

I'm gonna get you, thief!

2012-01-05T17:02:00.004+08:00

We went out for lunch at Vistana Hotel today, and followed it up with a trip to the clinic for Leah's injection.

All went well. When we arrived home we found that our house had been broken into. We were quite shocked to see that someone had used a sharp type of knife to cut through the grille, which we had padlocked.

We nervously began exploring the house. We noticed a few files with our papers, certificates and passports spread all over the bedroom floor, but nothing had been taken. The thief was obviously after some jewellery, but fortunately we are not into buying (real) jewellery! Ha!

Here you can see how the thief had cut off part of the grille where the padlock hangs

Our neighbours said they had heard some loud banging but thought nothing of it. How I wish they did think something of it!

Apparently the thief tried to get in the neighbour's house but someone was home. Our other neighbours in the block opposite have been broken into a few times in the recent past, with jewellery gone missing.

Now we have to repair the grille

Three of our neighbours have seen the thief face-to-face and their descriptions of him match up. Then I suddenly remembered earlier this morning when we were leaving for the hotel, there was a thin Malay man smoking cigarettes at the bottom of the stairs, in his mid-40's. He saw us go down and leave our home. He also had prime viewing of my neighbour's house opposite us. I am extremely sure he is the thief.

He's stupid enough to keep coming back to these apartments, so I'm sure he'll be back before long.

I'm gonna get you thief!

Top Ten Photos of 2011

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000+08:00

Hello and welcome to Kuantan for my top ten photos of the year review. You may remember some of them from earlier posts. I had around 30 pictures, all of which could have featured in the top ten, but after much consideration, these are the best of the best.

10. At number ten is a hanging bridge over Lembing River, in the quiet town of Sungai Lembing. My wife, Lauren, and a friend stand midway down the bridge.

9. In at nine is this hot photo from Bukit Sekilau. Children stand in front of the raging fire as the fire crew make their way to the scene.

8. In eighth position is this lovely perspective picture of a road bridge in Singapore overlooking Marina Bay.

7. At seven is this picture of Lauren and her aunty Urai surrounded by sun, sea and sand at Damai beach, near Kuching.

6. This abstract image makes sixth spot. A torchlight shines down on a diamond to create this light show on the wall.

5. From the 18th floor of Park Seven condo, I captured the raindrops on the window, with the iconic Twin Towers in the background.

4. In fourth slot is this lovely yellow flower. It wasn't until I reviewed the image later that I noticed one bug homing in on another sitting on the flower.

3. In third place is this fascinating image of 'the smiling gecko'. After spending half an hour getting him out of the kitchen, we got him to the balcony on a Cornflakes box, where he smiled for a photo!

2. Second prize goes to these two flies on an orchid branch, copulating fully oblivious to my lens. I held a piece of white paper behind them for focusing purposes, whilst snapping the picture with the other hand.

1. My best picture of 2011 is undoubtedly this night scene of Marina Bay, Singapore, from the wobbly Helix bridge. It was dark, I was tired, the suspension bridge was bobbing up and down, but the picture came out crystal clear.

Which photo did you like the best? Would you have chosen a different number one?!

The Zenith Hotel - one year in operation

2011-12-26T11:42:00.000+08:00

Those of you who have been following my blog for over a year will remember I became closely acquainted with The Zenith Hotel through my blog.

I met the then GM Jerina Foong at the end of December, was shown around and offered a free night's stay.

We recently visited The Zenith Hotel to see their Christmas decorations. It has been in operation for a year now. Here's how it looks:

Absolutely love the blue lights on these stairs!

A Season of Giving

2011-12-23T16:57:00.000+08:00

Christmas is most definitely a season of not only giving, but receiving also.

It takes both a giver and a receiver for a gift to be successfully exchanged. The example we refer to is the gift of salvation offered by Jesus Christ, which is not so often 'received' by people on earth. The commercialism of Christmas tends to get in the way of us 'receiving' this gift.

Though my gift today carries nowhere near the magnitude of the Saviour's gift, it is a little something which I hope will brighten up someone's day.

My gift today is a little bit of blog space to a collection of my top followers. When I refer to 'followers' I am looking at those who have taken their time to consistently comment on my blog, thereby being a support to my blog and helping to build it up.

Anyhow, commenting on other's blogs is also good business for you - if you type your name (or blog signature) in Google, you will find every single one of your comments you have made on other's blogs! So whilst helping to advertise someone's blog, you are also helping yourself.

I am not overly keen on statistics like number of followers, those whose faces appear in little square boxes on your blog, but I do take an interest in those who take an interest in me. So today I'm going to 'give' a bit of blog space to those who have faithfully commented on my blog throughout 2011 and hope that you will 'receive' them and check out their blogs if you haven't already done so!

In no particular order, here are the people and their blogs whom I'd like to say a big thank you to for supporting my blog with their meaningful and sincere contributions over the past year:

ordinary malaysian, thank you for your support and frequent contributions! If you want to know the latest news about events in Malaysia, particularly the political side of things, this is the blog for you.

http://lifeasanordinarymalaysian.blogspot.com/

Odie Langley, it's been a pleasure reading your lovely comments. Thank you for taking such an interest in my blog and my family! Odie can be reached here:

http://odielangley.blogspot.com/

Diane AKA Thisisme, you have been a regular supporter of my blog, with comments filled with love and sincerity. Thank you so much! Diane has a lovely blog about her life in England here:

http://southhamsdarling.blogspot.com

Fidelia, my good wife, thank you for your support of my blog and for being patient with me when I've spent hours uploading, resizing and watermarking pictures to share on my blog. Fidelia's blog about our lovely children is here:

http://www.duncfiehorne.blogspot.com

Linda, thank you for your support and friendship through the blogging world, and for contributing to my blog regularly! Linda is living a good life in Italy, see it here:

http://lindyloumac.blogspot.com/

Rosalind, I believe we crossed blogging paths during the A-Z challenge of 2011, am I right?! You have been a good supporter of my blog since then and I enjoy reading your comments. Thank you for your contributions! Rosalind is an excellent writer and campaigner. Check out her blog here:

http://rosalindadam.blogspot.com

Barbara, we too met during the A-Z challenge if my memory serves me right! Thank you for commenting on my blog and taking the time to do so. Barbara's blog about the English language is found here:

http://english-speaking-zone.blogspot.com

Leovi, thank you so much for faithfully following and commenting on my blog posts! It is great to have your support. Leovi is very talented in abstract photography, a blog of which I never miss the chance to see his latest work. Prepare yourself for some abstract photography here:

http://lafotografiaefectistaabstracta.blogspot.com/

Lotta, I have enjoyed using Google Translate to help me read your Swedish comments in English. I'm sure a few things may have got lost in translation but the meaning is understood! Thank you for your lovely contributions to my blog. Lotta is a skilled photographer and takes beautiful pictures of scenery in Sweden:

http://lotta-hippsomhapp.blogspot.com

Anna Mohamed Amin, you have been a consistent contributor to my blog on various posts of your interest. Thank you for your insightful comments and for supporting my blog throughout the year! Anna is studying in Russia:

http://apple-plum.blogspot.com/

Traveling Hawk, I appreciate your warm support of my blog. It's great to hear your comments of approval of the work I'm doing on my blog. Thank you for your contributions! Traveling Hawk is from Romania but travels the world. Read her journeys here:

http://travelinghawk.blogspot.com/

Anthony Stemke, I have enjoyed your thoughts on my blog from time to time. Thank you very much for contributing and taking an interest in the Asian way of life! Anthony is pretty good with food. Here is his blog:

http://gritsandgroceries.blogspot.com/

Michelle, thank you for supporting my blog through meaningful comments. It's good to have you on board! Michelle lives in Melbourne and writes about her life there on her blog:

http://www.michryn.blogspot.com/

Marie Harmony, thank you for your visits here to my blog and for leaving such nice comments, particularly on the Fidelia's Friday posts which I know you enjoy a lot! Marie is living as an expat in Ireland, here is her blog:

http://myexpatadventureintheshamerockland.blogspot.com/

Thank you also, to all those who visit my blog but don't leave comments. Each and every visit is appreciated. If your name wasn't on the list, I'd love to hear from you, and I'll be sure to come your way in return. Let's get contributing!

Okay, the giving is done, I feel great! Now it's up to you to receive . . .

Rainy Season in Kuantan

2011-12-22T17:01:00.000+08:00

We are stuck in the middle of the rainy season in Kuantan and it's spoiling pretty much everything, making me quite annoyed and bored (not a good combination!), bringing along its fair share of runny noses and headaches too.

However, I've been able to once more whip the camera out and snap some rainy pictures. We even managed to have a little fun!

To see more rainy pictures, click the link to my nature blog where they are displayed in full -

Water Droplets Galore!

Merry Christmas from Kuantan

2011-12-20T15:28:00.000+08:00

(By multiple demand, this lovely picture of Lauren is now included!)

Whoever you are, and wherever you may be in the world, we wish you a very Merry Christmas from Kuantan and hope you are uplifted and edified in this season of giving and receiving.

Blog Flashbacks

2011-12-17T10:54:00.002+08:00

On Thursday I posted some pictures of our home this Christmas and how we have decorated it accordingly. In this week's Blog Flashbacks, I'm showing you around my home in December 2010:

Christmas December 2010

Back in 2009 around this time we were also decorating the house for Christmas. It's interesting to look back on these things to see how our decorational inclinations have evolved over the years!

Christmas December 2009

Wherever you are, enjoy your Christmas, and the spirit of giving and receiving!

Fidelia's Friday - Lauren's different expressions

2011-12-16T14:39:00.000+08:00

Here are pictures of Lauren with different expressions!

Happy face!

Sad face!

Angry face!

Excited face!

Scary face!

Bored face!

Lauren loves to take pictures. She's good at modelling!

Which one is your FAVOURITE expression? Duncan thinks her bored face looks like her Aunty Rachel!

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree . . .

2011-12-15T14:22:00.000+08:00

With Christmas Day just ten days away, I'm sharing some pictures of our house, the Christmas tree being the focal point:

We have a few presents waiting under the tree

What would Christmas mean without a reminder of Jesus Christ, whose birth into the world is the entire reason we celebrate CHRISTmas?

And here is the imposter. I feel a bit strange having a picture of Jesus and a Santa Claus advent calendar almost side-by-side. It is nonetheless a lovely advent calendar. Thanks to my mum for sending that over a few Christmases ago!

And here is Mr. Bean. Mr. Bean however, has nothing to do with Christmas - it's just that Lauren decided to hang him on the tree! Makes it interesting :)

Had to snap a picture of my new favourite ornament - the vase!

A flurry of warm lights on the tree. Oh no, the imposter again!

We started off with one Christmas tree . . .

Then we went for two . . .

We got a little greedy and had three!

If you are not Christian, do you still celebrate the real reason behind CHRISTmas, or is it just another holiday to you?

If you are Christian, does the pull of Santa distract you from the birth and life of Jesus?

Fluctuating weather

2011-12-14T16:39:00.000+08:00

Human beings love talking about the weather, and I'm no different. The weather acts as a convenient topic to begin a conversation with either friends or new acquaintances. Do you realise how often you mention the weather in your conversations with others?

In Kuantan, as indeed in all Malaysia, the weather is a 'hot' topic. But during the months of November and December, we have witnessed severely fluctuating weather patterns.

Check out the first example, from November 2011:

I started off cycling from home in clear blue skies. But after just a couple of minutes, the wind really picked up and began blowing in some grey clouds over the convention centre and Putra Zenith . . .

Cycling became suddenly really tough as the gusty winds pushed me back. I looked over my shoulder and saw this:

The beautiful sunny day was quickly turned into a dull, ferociously windy, stormy day. Thankfully I managed to get home before the downpour came!

This picture was taken a couple of days later as the monsoon rains slowly crept their way in to Malaysia - the sound of the rain reverberating on the old tin roofs produces such a heavy din, yet I find it hugely peaceful and calming.

But the rains come and the rains go, and we were about to witness the other end of the weather spectrum . . .

Still in November, we experienced a sudden change to striking heat, as shown on this beautiful day:

Shortly after these gorgeous holiday-weather skies, we sat in the Vistana Hotel gazing out at the pouring rain filling Kuantan with a hazy appearance.

We had four days of continuous monsoon rain last week, and then suddenly on Sunday, the weather changed to this beautiful day with fluffy white clouds against a blue sky. And it was very hot.

How is the weather where you are?

Enjoying the sun

2011-12-13T15:49:00.000+08:00

I took Lauren out for a play on the park on Sunday.

With all the rain we've been having of late, we decided to take advantage of the sunny afternoon which presented itself.

We didn't stay for long as the sun was so pulsating. We live in a country of extremes: it's either tipping it down with rain making going out impossible, or it's burning hot, making any time out very brief!

When it rains, it pours

2011-12-12T19:14:00.000+08:00

We are in the middle of the annual monsoon rains here in Kuantan. Running through November to January, they limit our enjoyment in going out. The evenings are dark and cold. Lauren somehow loves it.

In this picture, I captured Lauren gazing out the window at the pouring rain. Simply switching off the lights and taking photos in the dark with nothing but the rain and street lamp outside, made for some unique images, like this one.

The rain has been falling all day and all night for the last few days. It has caused flooding at The Zenith Hotel basement car park, and the disappearance of the letter 'K' by the riverfront. It now reads "UANTAN".

http://www.facebook.com/kuantan.my

We also associate the monsoon rains with being stuck in the house all day long, which I'm not too keen on, along with interruption of the satellite television reception, which is definitely not good when you're trapped at home on a never-ending rainy day!

Fidelia's Friday - Floor lamps

2011-12-09T15:50:00.001+08:00

We are surveying floor lamps. So, we checked out some cool floor lamps on Google.

These are the lamps that we thought are pretty interesting!

http://www.archiexpo.com

http://www.lightingpictures.net

http://www.voltexdesign.com

http://www.ikea.com.my

This is what we would love to have. Simple and nice!

Do you have interesting lamps at your home?

A Bug's Life

2011-12-08T14:15:00.001+08:00

There are plenty of bugs invading our balcony on a pretty consistent basis. Using my coloured paper as apparatus. I captured this dainty specimen on my orchid plant:

This is a bug's life - they fly around, eat, mate, and get photographed by me!

For more pictures of a beautiful dragonfly I captured right after this fly, hop over to my

Nature Blog

where a full documentary is explored.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-07T16:09:00.000+08:00

Our Christmas Tree is up in the living room. It looks particularly splendid at night when it is the sole source of light in the house.

We are going out to do some window shopping tonight with a view to adding to the decorations on the tree a little, and to the pile of presents under it!

Is your tree up yet? Have you done your Christmas shopping?

A Kuantan Sunset

2011-12-06T13:50:00.000+08:00

This is one of my favourite sunsets in Kuantan.

After a rainy day, the clouds began to move away and the blue skies were filtering in, just in time to catch the golden glow of the setting sun. When I noticed the evening light from my balcony, I grabbed the camera, ran outside, and captured this image.

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Strange Toilet in Sungai Lembing

2011-12-05T16:30:00.001+08:00

To a lot of you, this toilet I came across in Sungai Lembing may be a little on the strange side. A small room with a bucket of water (out the picture to the right) and a hole in the corner.

First up, let me tell you what and where Sungai Lembing is. Sungai Lembing is a tiny town about 45 minutes drive from Kuantan. It is a town that time forgot. Famous for its tin mines once upon a time, visitors both local and foreign make day trips to see this mysterious place.

You can drive from one end of the town to the other along its main road in about 30 seconds. The abandoned tin mines lie at one end of this road.

Sungai Lembing is still habitable mind you, but if you can't figure out this toilet, where to put your trousers, how to clean yourself up, you're going to be rather stuck!

By the way, I hope you like the new video introduction of my blog I posted yesterday!

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Blog Flashbacks

2011-12-03T12:13:00.000+08:00

It's the first week of December and preparations for Christmas are well under way. The tree is up, (and has been for a couple of weeks) and plans are advanced for buying presents for the children and family members.

Reflecting back to a year ago, I posted an announcement regarding an upcoming documentary on the trees of Kuantan. The post contains pictorial links to the documentary.

Trees in Kuantan, December 2010 post

In December of 2009 we put up our brand new advent calendar, a gift from my mum. It's the best such calendar I've ever seen! Take a look at it here:

Advent Calendar Fantastic!

Wishing a happy festive season to all who will be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ this December!

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Fidelia's Friday - Aquaria KLCC

2011-12-02T12:14:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I wrote a post about our trip to Aquaria KLCC at our family blog. So, Fidelia's Friday will be about that. Please click the link below to check it out! Thank you.

Aquaria KLCC

Have a fantastic Friday everyone!

CPB members, vote for my photos here

My experiment with engineered backgrounds, and new blog friends

2011-12-01T14:02:00.001+08:00

Today's post is over at my nature blog. I have recently been experimenting with engineered backgrounds for my nature photos.

This all "stemmed" (excuse the pun!) from my camera's difficulty in focusing on part of an orchid plant in macro mode.

Hop over to Where Nature Presides - Kuantan to read how I overcame this problem and see more of my experiments.

Over the weekend I met two friends in KL who both have lovely blogs. One is a woman named Holly, she's from Korea and has a beautifully maintained blog all about Korean cooking. Go and pay her a visit, follow her and leave a comment at:

Beyond Kimchee

Secondly, it was nice to meet, if only briefly, Jennifer, a friend we made through the blogging world. She's American and has recently moved to Malaysia with her husband and two children. Leave her a comment, pay her a visit, it's an interesting read. It's a life-changing experience and she humourously writes about her new life in Malaysia at her blog:

Larsens move to Malaysia

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Petronas Twin Towers at KLCC

2011-11-29T16:20:00.000+08:00

*Our home called Kuantan* has been out of posting for the last few days while we have been on holiday in Kuala Lumpur (KL).

One cannot visit KL without going to Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). And the heartbeat of KLCC is the quite majestic Petronas Twin Towers, the tallest such buildings in the world. (There are higher single towers, but these twin towers are the top of their class).

The Petronas Twin Towers are huge. It's only when you stand right beside them or view them from higher ground that you realise just how much they dwarf everything else in sight.

I always stand in awe of these marvellous towers, the symbol of Malaysia and KL. Just as they cause us to look upwards, they symbolise the future growth and potential of Malaysia. It also reminds us that we look upwards to a higher Being for our guidance and help.

The Petronas Twin Towers is an incredible structure and marvel of engineering.

Here they are viewed from a construction site:

This is a view inside Suria KLCC, a shopping mall beneath the Petronas Twin Towers

The Twin Towers from the back. Suria KLCC shopping mall stands below the wonderful structure.

This is what you call 'a room with a view'

Yes, this is the condo unit of my friend's place at KLCC, with the most perfect view you could want. The following pictures are taken from the 18th floor of this condo.

The raindrops on the window provided the perfect foreground to the KL skyline dominated by the Petronas Twin Towers in the background.

I could take photos of these magnificent towers all day . . .

They look even prettier as night sets in . . .

This final picture was taken at another friend's house, nearby Jalan Ampang. Look at the beams of light shooting into the night sky from the tips of the Petronas Twin Towers. To the left of the picture is the KL Tower.

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Fidelia's Friday - Our lovely children!

2011-11-25T10:06:00.000+08:00

Here are some recent pictures of our lovely children taken this week. Enjoy and have a wonderful weekend!

At Vistana Hotel, Kuantan

Leah sitting down by herself

They just love each other so much!

Which one is your favourite picture?

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Kuantan roads - Part 4

2011-11-24T15:21:00.000+08:00

Welcome to Kuantan roads - Part 4, the final installment. It's always great photographing scenes of nature during hot, clear, blue-sky days. There is no need for the flash, and instead, the camera captures all the natural light as it falls down from above.

The photos today show roads in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, under the most glorious of skies and soaked in mid-afternoon heat. These are the roads I love to walk when I have a bit of free time. This week, you've been able to walk them with me from the comfort of your own homes. Hope you enjoyed it!

This is a miniature pineapple. It doesn't grow any bigger than this. Fantastic little thing isn't it?!

Loved this heart shape leaf

The dashing blue sky was too good to miss!

Looks pretty good in black and white too

These grassy plants decorate the roadside in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

Photographing roads can be very tricky if there is no supporting cast either side. Thanks to nature for filling in and beautifying each photo!

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Kuantan roads - Part 3

2011-11-23T15:32:00.000+08:00

Kuantan roads - Part 3 takes us on a journey up and down the streets of Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan.

Today we focus on the roads which boast beautiful scenes of nature, my favourite places to go on a hot afternoon walk while the baby is sleeping!

These are some of my favourite images in the collection.

This lovely little plant rises against a grey sky, with the dome and minaret of the Bukit Sekilau mosque visible at the end of the road.

This orange flower soaks up the sun in Bukit Sekilau

Peering through a jungle of leaves and tropical flowers, the road is barely visible.

This half-eaten leaf provides the perfect windows to this road in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan.

Which is your favourite picture?

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Kuantan roads - Part 2

2011-11-22T14:11:00.000+08:00

In Part 2 of Kuantan roads I'll be showing you some smaller roads which lie between rows of houses, the sort of roads that are less travelled.

Also a few more views of roads in Bukit Sekilau where nature poses so proudly. Enjoy . . .

Do you have any small roads like these last 2 pictures, where you live? The less-travelled roads which still carry a lot of charm?

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Kuantan roads - Part 1

2011-11-21T14:19:00.000+08:00

Before I begin with Part 1 of my little documentary on Kuantan roads, I want to inform you of a little milestone I have reached.

This post right here is the 600th of my blog's existence! It seems to have gone by in a blur and I'm amazed that I've so far come up with 600 posts about my life in Kuantan.

I often walk the roads in Kuantan, or more particularly, the roads in the Bukit Sekilau area of Kuantan in which I live.

I love photographing nature, and that is abundant along the roads of Bukit Sekilau, the pleasant village where we've been living for over 5 years.

The collection starts here . . .

One of my favourite views in Bukit Sekilau

Is there a favourite road where you live? Why do you love seeing it over and over again?

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Blog Flashbacks

2011-11-19T13:04:00.000+08:00

A year ago to the day I witnessed a lovely sunrise when I woke up inadvertently early, way before my alarm. I was so glad I did! Not only did I see a beautiful event in the skies, I also learned some life lessons which I couldn't have gained had I rolled over and gone back to sleep.

Appreciating the journey - November 2010

I remember well back in November of 2009 I created a large Geography quiz spanning over 60 questions. It was a good test. Here I posted some starter questions. Click the link, and see how many you can answer!

Basic Geography Quiz

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Fidelia's Friday - Birthday Party at Kuantan Curry House

2011-11-18T15:20:00.002+08:00

We were invited to a surprise birthday party last night at Kuantan Curry House. We enjoyed the food and the warm atmosphere there!

Here are some pictures Duncan took.

Lovely fruit punch

Beautiful view of the restaurant

Nice painting on the wall

Lauren

Lamb or beef ribs (I don't know but it was DELICIOUS)

Some kind of colourful rice

This fried chicken tasted like heaven. Lauren couldn't stop eating it!

Chili chick peas on the left and grilled glutinous rice with fish inside on the right

Some kind of vegetable salad

The birthday lady in the middle looking very surprised!

Birthday lady and Leah

Our dessert... yummy!

The cake is just gorgeous and delicious!

Our chef and the owner of the restaurant and his mother

Thanks for inviting us!

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Red bamboo plants

2011-11-17T10:38:00.000+08:00

Today's post features the amazing red bamboo plants, which are prominent here in Kuantan.

I'm kindly asking you to visit my nature blog via the following link, where this post will be displayed in full. I hope you enjoy this fascinating plant and its rich colours!

red bamboo plants - click here

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A gecko encounter

2011-11-16T16:19:00.000+08:00

My wife is terrified of geckos, which belong to the lizard family. We had a gecko in our kitchen recently and we had a lot of trouble trying to get it out the house. Here is our struggle in pictures:

Look at the remarkable suction power of its feet!

I scooped up the gecko with a cornflakes box but it tried to escape...

So I carefully moved the cornflakes box outside to the balcony...

Then the gecko gladly posed for a beautiful picture!

With some gentle persuasion, the gecko crawled over the edge of the balcony

The gecko attempted to crawl back up the wall...

But it fell off.

Well,

I sprayed water on it and it fell!

The gecko was remarkably fine and soon crawled off somewhere!

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Kuantan Curry House

2011-11-15T14:08:00.001+08:00

The Kuantan Curry House is located in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, right beneath our apartment.

When my then-fiancee told me we would be living in an apartment above a curry house, I was thrilled!

I remember walking into the Kuantan Curry House in 2006 when we first moved to Kuantan, and asking for roti canai. That was the start of a 5+ years friendship with the lovely family who own the restaurant.

A common dish at Kuantan Curry House is the banana leaf meals. For those of you who have never heard of 'banana leaf meals' it's basically rice and curry with some meat/fish and vegetables all on a banana tree leaf. One can eat with a fork and spoon or go the old traditional way and use your hands!

The Kuantan Curry House speciality dish is fried fish, flavoured with an age-old secret recipe which keeps customers coming back for more!

My personal favourite is the gorgeous fried vegetables made by Mr. Samindan :)

Here we can see the famous fried fish on the top shelf

The Private Function Room

Mr. Samindan, the owner, is seated on the right. Sitting beside him is his oldest son, Magen. Standing at left is his second son, Thina.

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Blog Flashbacks

2011-11-12T15:00:00.000+08:00

Welcome to the weekend, and with it, a look back in time in my Blog Flashbacks post.

A year ago to the day, Fidelia put the Christmas tree up, just as she did a few days back this year. I also shared this dramatic sunset as viewed from our balcony:

See some more photographs here:

Pictures from my old Panasonic Lumix camera

Back in November of 2009 I was delving into the musical world. Luciano Pavarotti had passed on a couple of years earlier but his awe-inspiring performance of "Nessun Dorma" still lives on and always will. If you are not aware of this great song and Luciano Pavarotti's performance of it, click here:

Nessun Dorma by Luciano Pavarotti

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Fidelia's Friday - Our Christmas tree is up!

2011-11-11T13:11:00.000+08:00

It's our own family tradition to put our Christmas tree up on the first week of November.

I am always excited when it comes to putting the tree up. Since Lauren is a lot older now, she helped me with the decorations. Thank you my dear Lauren for your lovely help!

Lauren can't wait for Christmas Day because she has all the things she wants for Christmas written down, starting from the beginning of this year. We will try our best to get all the things with one condition. She has to be a good girl!

Here are some photos taken by Duncan. Enjoy!

I was thinking to buy a big tree this year but I realise Leah is going to crawl soon and I don't think she will be able to keep herself away from the tree. A small tree will do. Easier to decorate!

On Christmas Day, we normally have roast chicken and potatoes. We can't wait to have that again!

How do your celebrate your Christmas? Please share with us. Who knows we can also do the same thing if it sounds fun!

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*Our home called Kuantan*

Vistana Hotel - In-room Plants

Vistana Hotel - Having Fun

Vistana Hotel Interior

Vistana Hotel Room View

Relaxing at Vistana Hotel

Blog Flashbacks

Fidelia's Friday - My Precious Ones

Chinese Garden, Singapore

Fidelia's Friday - It's my birthday!

Abstract Samples

Fidelia's Friday - Lauren and her brolly

Roger Federer sent me mail!

Blog Flashbacks - Lauren's Birthday

Fidelia's Friday - Leah bling bling

I'm gonna get you, thief!

Top Ten Photos of 2011

Top Posts of 2011 - Part 3

Top Posts of 2011 - Part 2

Top Posts of 2011

The Zenith Hotel - one year in operation

A Season of Giving

Rainy Season in Kuantan

Merry Christmas from Kuantan

Blog Flashbacks

Fidelia's Friday - Lauren's different expressions

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree . . .

Fluctuating weather

Enjoying the sun

When it rains, it pours

Fidelia's Friday - Floor lamps

A Bug's Life

O Christmas Tree

A Kuantan Sunset

Strange Toilet in Sungai Lembing

Blog Flashbacks

Fidelia's Friday - Aquaria KLCC

My experiment with engineered backgrounds, and new blog friends

Petronas Twin Towers at KLCC

Fidelia's Friday - Our lovely children!

Kuantan roads - Part 4

Kuantan roads - Part 3

Kuantan roads - Part 2

Kuantan roads - Part 1

Blog Flashbacks

Fidelia's Friday - Birthday Party at Kuantan Curry House

Red bamboo plants

A gecko encounter

Kuantan Curry House

Blog Flashbacks

Fidelia's Friday - Our Christmas tree is up!

Our home called Kuantan