Spurs players try penalties blindfolded - London 2012

Awesome stuff!

Take your pick...

Rumor has it that Nikon decided to enter the fray of selling DSLRs with a cosmetic makeover. the Nikon D3 was the chosen one to get a face lift. designs were cool and the color was outstanding. here are the 4 makeovers of the D3.

White

Ferr (Red)

Bruce Lee

Camouflage

 
 Too bad, it was only a rumor. nothing concrete and no brick and mortar evidence.

Abdul & Charlie's @ MWH

another of my photo was chosen to be in our ad, published in the New Straits Times on the 5th of August this year. savor the variety of local food this Ramadan, priced at RM68++/person. be spoilt.

5th August 2010, New Straits Times

My shot

Selamat Berpuasa!

British Polluters

Two thumbs up for Greenpeace as they have instigated the logo competition personally for BP, the perpetrator for the biggest oil spill. at first, i really thought it was a 'real' rebranding exercise from BP after their burst pipe that caused the world a serious headache. then as the video goes on, all thoughts and ideas reversed and it was a Greenpeace 'act' again - and it was awesome! Greenpeace is first, who's next to advertise BP's new logo? check out one of the BP staff that was seen tearing the logo off but then stopped after realizing he was on TV. awesome!



BP Rebranding - Courtesy of Greenpeace

Cellini's Restaurant

Restaurant review photos published in NZ Wheels Magazine.

the invite

Misto - Pan-baked Lobsters

Dolci - Tiramisu Twist

artsy forks

Pasta - Duck with sprinkles of cheese

True Italian

man behind it all - Chef Yau

 the Magazine - NZ Wheels

 

Latest Project

recently completed a simple project - an e-banner - for Muay Fit Thai Boxing Fitness and was placed on Vision KL's website. actually, i planned to make it look really awesome but the file size restricted everything i did. oh well, it turned out pretty good too using pure Flash. enjoy!

VISION KL

MUAY FIT 

The Devil Is Saving Mother Nature

i recently received an email about a petition on saving Mother Nature. titled specifically "Protect Klang Gates Quartz Ridge and Selangor State Park from the proposed KL Outer Ring Road (KLORR)", it's no surprise to me that the government is scheming for another concrete project and the victim as usual is Mother Earth. Malaysia - being a concrete jungle - is booming. no doubt about that. but really think about this; do you think that our traffic chaos would be any better with larger, bigger and wider highways / expressways / freeways? ok, freeways would be a long shot but come on, the problem lies in the amount of cars we have in this country. we have enough highways and expressways that bottlenecks at the end. so what is the point? we already had a "terrific" Works Minister and the result is more congestions. ever thought about selling less cars? or heck, making less national cars? have they forgotten of the all important public transport? seriously, i think many would rather get stuck in the jam in the comfort of their car instead of a sardine-packed bus. now who wouldnt, right?

so save some trees, instead of modernizing our country to the brim. come on, even the devil is on our side! 

NEED GREEN!

SIGN ON HERE!

we need you!

Scam Scum

'Preying On Travellers by Joleen Lunjew'

i had a phone-interview sometime back about this article - to be published in The Star's Weekender section. and finally it is out. well, after reading it, we can all say that scams are everywhere. i mean, it is business in a shameful way but knowing them - no shame!. as for my part, tuk tuk drivers can be the slimiest frog out there in Cambodia - especially Phnom Penh. for newbies, getting on a tuk tuk is fun; until you get off it. agree on a price - most importantly - get on it. soak in the carbon monoxide filled air of Phnom Penh, get out, pay and leave! single destination prices are normally acceptable by the drivers (and less hassle too). as usual, a high price will slip out of the mouth; just make sure you bargain! i would say $1/km. this is the typical price for foreigners/tourists. motodups on the other hand should be half or less than half of the tuk tuk price.

 

photo by: FCC Cambodia 

learn a few Khmer numbers - Mui (One), Pi (Two), Bai (Three), Boonn (Four), Pram (Five), Pram Mui (Six), Pram Pi (Seven), Pram Bai (Eight), Pram Boonn (Nine) and i forgot 10. local currency is called RIEL; and normally would be in thousands. thousands in Khmer is Buann. so for instance, my house to Toul Tompoung (Russian Market) would take me 15 minutes by foot and 2000 riels by motodup. so i go, "Psar Toul Tompoung - Pi Buann Riel". as for dollars, just say it as Dollars - the locals know that. whilst bargaining for an item (normally are sold in dollars to 'outsiders'), one can say "Pram Bai Dollar".

planning to use a tuk tuk the whole day? tell the driver, e.g. 9am-6pm; Wat Phnom, Vimean Ekareach (Independence Monument), Toul Sleng Museum, Killing Fields of Cheung Ek; how much? after you have visited all these exciting attractions and the driver did not demand more than what he asked for, hand him a tip. after a whole day, a dollar or two wont be too harsh on you - would it? cheers! the best way to know about the prices is to check out travel books like Lonely Planet on a Shoestring and travel forums like Trip Advisor. travel forums are more reliable as users tend to share their experiences most recently. i have my share on Trip Advisor as well- click here.

good luck on your adventures on the Khmer Tuk Tuk. personally, its much better and comfy compared to the Thai Tuk Tuks - noisy and not comfortable. hope on a Khmer Tuk Tuk and let me know! would love to know your experiences!

p/s - thanks Jo! =D

Khmer Whiskey - Homemade

i had the privilege to try my very first Khmer Whiskey - Homemade! given to me by my staff, the whiskey was bottled in a 500ml plastic mineral water. looks intimidating, but when it sips through the tongue and down the throat, expect the unexpected.

• Pale bronzed in color
• Smoother than any other whiskey in the market
• High alcohol content (i'd say maybe 50-60%)
• Strong fumes

at first i was told that it was Khmer Wine. not too shabby this country. but just as soon as it touched my tongue, the whole thought of homemade wine diminished! its frigging WHISKEY! well, miscommunication happens a lot in this country when the locals try to communicate in English with an expat. but hey, it is ALLLLLLL good! no worries there mate!

 

the poison

Foundation for a Drug-Free World: An Effective Drug Prevention Campaign on Marijuana, Ecstasy, Crystal Meth, Ritalin, and other Street Drugs

Brilliant information. Check it out. An eye-opener really to both the conservatives and fast-pacers.

Foundation for a Drug-Free World: An Effective Drug Prevention Campaign on Marijuana, Ecstasy, Crystal Meth, Ritalin, and other Street Drugs

The Evil Lamp

just when we thought that the Pixar study lamp would get away from flattening the letter 'i' in Pixar, this parody gave the letter some justice. well done!




the animation is awesome. very well done. it looked like the video took a lot of time to be developed and produced. kudos to the team! fantastic work you did!

Bangla Transport

found this on YouTube and it is amazing. these Bangladeshi workers can make you go, "WTF!". just take a look at it. now, imagine our workers can do that. heck, imagine a beeline of them carrying these bricks on their heads walking towards the site - get a camera!

2 Dollar Bill Ya'll

i was at a small village in Kandal province not long ago and was walking around a market when this note caught my attention. this money changer had a US 2 dollar bill stuck at the display. it was not long ago since i started using the US currency so my first thought about this bill was that it is fake. but then my local staff said its real, and there are people using it. i was curious of its genuine state.

 

the bill that ticked my curiosity 

according to Wiki, the 2 dollar bill face design is the oldest of all current US currency, adopted in 1929. on the reverse side, it is the second oldest - adopted in 1976. Former President Thomas Jefferson is the dude on the face of the bill and the picture on the reverse of the note is engraved picture of "The Declaration of Independence" by John Trumbull. for more information on this rare bill, check out the Wiki site here.

 

picture courtesy of Mike Vine <mikevine.wordpress.com> 

this currency bill is the least circulated and used bill amongst all currency bills, hence my curiosity of its genuine state. the funny thing is, when the bill was first printed and circulated in the country, many took it as a "collectible" instead of daily usages. now, i regret not buying the 2 dollar bill when i had the chance. hopefully there are other money changers  in Phnom Penh itself that has this bill. bugger!

Away From The City's Hustle & Bustle

Again, i was away for quite sometime. i apologize for that. by the way, Happy Belated Chinese New Year to ya'll!

---

i was recently in Kampong Cham, one of Cambodia's many provinces - is the third largest city in the country. not as popular amongst the tourist compared to Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, this province lets you experience the true Khmer lifestyle, along with French colonial buildings and architecture. the locals here are much more laid back compared to the hustle and bustle of Phnom Penh. it did remind me of Vientiane, Laos where the locals behave pretty much alike. chilled out and very settled in their very own habitat. just like Vientiane, Kampong Cham has the Mekong River as a companion and the riverside is just as calm as the former. there are quite a number of guesthouses situated close to the Mekong, by the riverside; as told from SEA On A Shoe String guidebook.

 

what are you looking at? got a problem with what i am doing? 

  

sunset

  

Japan - Cambodia Friendship Bridge 

you must be wondering what am i doing in this province. well, it was work related. we have an activation roadshow here in the outskirt districts of Kampong Cham, which landed me here. the journey to the concert location took almost an hour from the city itself. deep inside the rubber plantation, a very small village which houses a primary school is the location. as we drove through the rubber plantation, i was seriously wondering where on earth are we, and are we on the right track. as we hit the dusty and rocky roads, we reached the school, much to my relief. this is an NGO event, Child Protection Concert - sponsored by the American Embassy. they were launching the newly built basketball and volleyball court in the school compound.

 a market in the outskirt district

 

good rubber

  

get a face mask boy! 

as we started setting up the roadshow booths and so forth, many village children started popping at our booth - pasting a very curious look on their faces. it was their first time seeing such a setup in their village i'd assume. they were curious and eager. we decided to have fun with them by sticking temp tattoos on their arms. then more came as one started to show it off to their friends. the kids were charming - kids being kids.

 they are talking about us

 

Americans' contribution to the country 

the concert started off with a few local singers and comedians on stage. by 8pm, the compound was filled! locals from villages nearby and afar started to arrive at the concert site. vendors of all sorts - food, drinks, game stalls, gold sellers, etc can be found all over the compound. my assumption of the total amount of people were at least 5000. makes me wonder where'd all this people come from. the night went on - singers dazzling the crowd, my crew selling sim cards like hotcakes, locals getting drunk.

 

locals invited up on stage to have a laugh 

  

we are like honey, cause we are sweet 

as the concert come to a close, we were delighted. after a FULL day of working, all of us were tired to our socks! using our last pound of energy to close the whole setup, packing and uploading assets to the truck, we finally arrived at our hotel almost 2am. everybody was in their room, KNOCKED OUT!

 

Pepsi didn't dare to promote their latest product - gasoline in a bottle 

Super High Me

30-days of non-stop pot

Caught my attention while browsing through rows of DVDs here in Sovanna and thought, "Hey, sounds kinda like an "info-movie". *kaching* got it wrapped and i just bought a DVD which i have not seen and heard of. it's actually a parody of "Super Size Me", where this dude goes on consuming McDonald's three meals a day, the average amount of meal to be taken by a person. trying to prove what sorta consequences will thsi McDiet have on a person, Spurlock endures the moment of truth. here in Super High Me, Doug Benson goes without smoking pot for 30 days, and then smokes pot for the next 30 days. Doug, a stand-up comedian ,is a former Stoner of the Year and #2 Pot Comic in the USA. he is also one of the creators of The Marijuana-Logues, a parody of The Vagina Monologues. in this hillarious experiment, he will undergo several tests, such as Psychic Tests, SAT exams, Sperm Count tests and many others to be compared when he is high and not high.

 now that's a major difference

being a stand-up comedian, Doug travels throughout America doing his thang, whilst talking about his adventure and movie. California has made it legal to have "Dispensaries", where marijuana medications are sold to patients (Proposition 215 under the California law). there are pills, liquids, lip balms, sprays, etc that are solld by these dispensaries. it is ideal for those who cant smoke it, as one would argue that Mary Jane can help cure or prevent chronic pains, depression, nausea, HIV (wtf?!!?), whining and what ever the doctor says is appropriate. interesting?... you be the judge. then, the Prince of Pot was introduced. meet Marc Emery, a Canadian cannabis advocate. i cant imagine how the Prince hails from Canada where bongs and pipes and other cannabis related stuff are ILLEGAL. amazing!

 Los Ganjales - the sacred town

one interesting part of the movie is when Doug was introduced to "The Volcano", another method in smoking pot. out in the market, there are "Bongs", "The Submarine", "Joints", and so forth. this method is pretty intricate as it involves. The Volcano Vaporizer that releases essential vapors from the ganja up into an air-tight bag. an eye-opener, really. but i still think that this machinery is used for other purposes. haha.

 Doug & The Volcano

 The Volcano Vaporizer

being a noob at this topic, it was really an eye-opener and the way they portray the essence and goodness of marijuana, makes it all very debatable in every sense, may it be medical-wise, intelligent-wise and comic-wise. get a hold of this movie, sit and learn, watch and observe; no fingers to be pointed at me for "encouraging".

 Mary portrays herself in different forms

 have fun watching the movie. leave a footnote.

Library of Human Imagination

got a tip on a very interesting subject here - The Library of Human Imagination. yes, from a very internet-savvy colleague. presenting to you, Jay Walker's Library of Human Imagination.

 part of the library - notice the glowing blue lights on the glass panel?

Jay Walker, founder of Priceline.com; is one very successful dotcom entrepeneur. he built and curated this library based on one simple thought - the human imagination. original artifacts dating centuries ago is part of his collection. from typewriters to bibles to a real satellite (the Sputnik), Jay has been collecting these "items" for more than 20 years ago. just like me, i have been collecting "junk" like 10 years ago (although nothing close to what he have) and have no where to put them. i was stuck, but not Jay. Mr. Walker decided to built a building just for his "treasures". and that is how the Library was created. Human Imagination is a terminology very often used by many, having to think back and WONDER, how on earth did they think about that? this library can seriously answer any question that you might have when you were a kid. the highlight of this library would be the glass panels around the library which lights up more writings and manuscripts that you can ever imagine.

i just wanna be at the doorstep!

according to Jay, only a handful of guests are allowed in, and it has to be selected. its not a public library. this genius work has been hiding since it was built and was only revealed to the public recently at a talkshow - Ted.com. the video will be available here, at the end of this alright. so, who wants to have a library like this?

artifacts 

super cool; looks like ancient Neolitic drawings

heres the video of the talk show Ted.com; where Jay Walker revealed his most intimate secret.

"You don't own the books, the books own you."

Discovery Channel - The World is Just Awesome Sequel

and this is the Sequel of the AWESOMEST song and commercial thus far.

the breakdown...

Scene 1: the astronauts return
Scene 2: Deadliest Catch
Scene 3: Zac Sunderland - Youngest person to sail solo around the world
Scene 4: an F-16 pilot
Scene 5: a random Egyptian
Scene 6: Japanese Taiko drummers
Scene 7: random kids singing arm-in-arm
Scene 8: Swords
Scene 9: Animal Planet - Charissa singing "I love the lemur eyes"
Scene 10: Beyond Tomorrow - Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway
Scene 11: Planet Earth
Scene 12: Planet Earth
Scene 13: Storm Chasers
Scene 14: MythBusters
Scene 15: Optimus Prime cameo
Scene 16: Dirty Jobs
Scene 17: space shuttle launching
Scene 18: roller-coaster junky
Scene 19: Build It Bigger
Scene 20: Planet Earth
Scene 21: Indians celebrating Holi
Scene 22: Survivorman
Scene 23: Cash Cab
Scene 24: random fireworks across the world
Scene 25: hopefully we will see more of the astronauts next time...

and the lyrics...

(Dialogue)
Astronaut 1: Man, I cannot get that song out of my head.
Astronaut 2: Totally, I’m going again.
(Melody begins, astronauts begin to sing)
Astronaut 2: I love the mountains,
Astronaut 1: I love the sun so bright.
 
I love the mountains,
I love the sun so bright,
I love crustatceans,
I love the stars at night,
I love the whole world,
So many things to see;
Boom De ah Da  
Boom De ah Da 
Boom De ah Da  
Boom De ah Da 

I love to CATCH fish,
I love the lemur eyes,
I love the future,
I love when humans fly,
I love the WHOOOLE world,
No place I'd rather be;

Boom De ah Da  
Boom De ah Da 
Boom De ah Da  
Boom De ah Da 

(Still Dirty, still loving it)

I love to blast off.
I LOVE ADRENALINE!
I love the big bang,
I love where air is thin,
I love the whole world,
And being part of it.

BOOM DE AH DAH
BOOM DE AH DAH
BOOM DE AH DAH
BOOM DE AH DAH


yup, thats right - the TV commercial





BOOM DE AH DA! 

Discovery Channel - The World is Just Awesome

BOOM DE AH DA!

the first time i laid my eyes on this commercial while channel surfing, it straightaway hit me.

IT IS AWESOME!

i loved it so much, this is the breakdown of the TV shows that were in the commercial.

the breakdown...

Scene 1. random astronauts
Scene 2. Build It Bigger
Scene 3. Shark Week
Scene 4. Survivorman
Scene 5. Hong Kong Skylights
Scene 6. Deadliest Catch
Scene 7. Going Tribal
Scene 8. random surfer
Scene 9. Dirty Jobs
Scene 10. come fast
Scene 11. Unearthing Ancient Secrets
Scene 12. Monks in Nepal
Scene 13. Planet Earth
Scene 14. Dilated People's concert
Scene 15. Future Weapons
Scene 16. Storm Chasers
Scene 17. Man vs Wild
Scene 18. Raging Planet
Scene 19. Planet Earth
Scene 20. random fireworks by the beach
Scene 21. MythBusters
Scene 22. Stephen Hawking
Scene 23. Planet Earth
Scene 24. random astronauts... again!

and here are the lyrics...

(Dialogue)
Astronaut 1: It never gets old, huh?
Astronaut 2: Nope.
Astronaut 1: It kinda makes you want to...
Astronaut 2: Break into song?
Astronaut 1: Yep.
 
I love the mountains,
I love the clear blue skies,
I love big bridges,
I love when great whites fly,
I love the whole world,
And all its sights and sounds;
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada

I love the oceans,
I love real dirty things,
I love to go fast,
I love Egyptian kings,
I love the whole world,
And all its craziness;
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada

I love tornadoes,
I love arachnids,
I love hot magma,
I love the giant squids,
I love the whole world,
It’s such a brilliant place…
Boom de yada, boom de yada
Boom de yada, boom de yada
 

finally, the TV commercial...

landmines - thank you usoa

something to ponder about. well,  i seriously think that landmines are not for playing. there are many Khmers out there who are mine-victims having losing their leg(s) and still there trying to make a living. lend a hand.

Cambodian Mine Action Centre
CMAC

Mine Action
E-MINE

 we need footballers here!

Krabi - Parte Dos

Wat Tham Seua aka The Tiger Cave

Krabi Town - what an amazing temple this is.there is a new pagoda being built and it looks magnificent! Wat Tham Seua is a place to be in Krabi Town. enter the Tiger Cave to have a look at amazing Buddha statues and also a skeleton with a tale behind it. dont really remember what was it about. monkeys are galore here. so watch out the banana you have been munching since you arrived. not forgetting those peanuts.

first glance at this sign and i was up for it. and yes, i eventually arrived at the summit and it was simply breathtaking. not only was the view from hundred of meters above the ground but literally i was panting! some steps are so steep that you are practically crawling up the steps. take a breather and enjoy the scenic view of the Krabi province. its just refreshing. even had a friend as company as we walked up the steps. the monk was going up to stay a night at the temple. we chatted and took breathers until we reached the top. very friendly guy with awesome tatts.

somebody call 9 1 1...

i had to cam-whore to prove i was up there. the Buddha statue was amazing, sitting serenely above everybody. the Pagoda was huge and gold. it was just awesome being up here. there were look-out points as well. honestly, it was well worth the walk, which took almost 45 minutes. how high was Batu Caves in Malaysia again? but nothing beats these steps up.try it... you have to!