That was captured in San Isidro, Buenes Aires. Soon, Energizer will be bringing this race to Malaysia!
The country’s inaugural second (Hooha beat Energizer to it on 6 Feb) night marathon will actually take place in Cyberjaya on March 27, 2010, and is divided into 4 main categories. These are 42 kilometers, 21 kilometers, 10 kilometers, and the relay race which is (4 pax x 10 km) each. Beginning at 5 pm for the 42 km race, the event is scheduled to end at midnight.
What special about this race is - runners will don an Energizer headlight (provided in the goodie bag upon registration, along with other Adidas goodies) to run 42 kilometers. (Insert fantastic marketing strategy here!)
The official website, www.energizernightrace.com.my, will be launched on January 10, 2010. So, don't click the link now!
Registration forms will be available from the website. Come back for updates! :D
It's almost time to bid 2009 farewell and welcome 2010 into our lives. Looking back, 2009 is fun yet trying year for me. I have been to new places, met new wonderful friends, learned something new and at times, had to survive with just water and bread. :)
Running? Not that I have forgotten running as my passion. It was sort of taking a back seat behind my other passion, photography. I have been selective in my race events. Yeah! Me was hit by recession too. :) Instead of running in ALL the roadraces, I played photographer (and supporter for my running friends) in those races I have chosen not to participate.
I started putting YouTube videos of races (and other "cool" stuff too) beginning of the year. The response has been encouraging - the most viewed video at 14,100. But I am no Susan Boyle. LOL!
The most important yet heart-breaking video was unwittingly captured at Adidas King of the Road, Shah Alam. It was a 36 seconds video of a young runner, Gary Leon Robert who collapsed at the finish line.
The video was uploaded by a request from the family of Gary to look for missing Gary. It helped the search party to focus the search in the stadium since it was confirmed that Gary did pass the finished line and not missing along the route. Unfortunately, the video was probably the last moments Gary was seen alive. He was found dead the next day in the stadium. RIP. Full Story Here.
The BEST of 2009
These are my favourites photos from 2009. They may not be technically perfect but they perfectly captured the moments I went through. In those photographs, I was not just the photographer taking the shapshot from outside in but I was totally in the experience, well at least I tried.
From marathon partners to life partners. Played wedding photographer at fellow marathon runners - Narumol & Hajime in Bangkok. Attended a Thai wedding for first time. What an enriching experience! Full story here.
A Walk-umentary. Walked from Batu Caves, KL to Maran, Pahang with Lord Murugan devotees in an annual pilgrimage for Panguni Uthiram. Was carrying a milk pot and trying to shoot the procession at the same time. Thank God no milk was spilled in the process. :)Full story here.
Hot Clowns. A very uplifting shoot (pun intended) at Putrajaya Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Was aiming for the huge clown balloon in the sky. Then suddenly a real clown on stilts) came marching into the composition. :) Full story here.
Safe in the arms of love. I shot this golden baby (the adults are grey) silver leaf monkey at Bukit Melawati, Kuala Selangor. More of the series in my Flickr album.
Dogs Paradise. A three-legged dog posing for the camera at Noah's Ark Natural Animal Shelter. Surrounded my hundreds of warm, furry and fourlegged welcoming party can be quite overwhelming. One of the best experience money can't buy. Full story here.
A sulphur miner at Kawah Ijen, Indonesia. Miners carry a weight of 70-100kg of sulphur from the bottom of the crater up to the rim then down the mountain with a measly pay and without proper protections. It is one of the worst job I have seen in my entire life! I have yet to blog about this. Maybe next year. LOL!
Past and Present. I love the angle of this pic. It captured a present Dr. M and a past Dr. M (background) at a book signing. If I have a future Dr. M, then we can do a "A Christmas Carol, Malaysia Boleh version". Kidding! Full story here.
Eye On Sunset. Sunset at Melaka river mouth. Once bustling with trader junks and ships in its olden days, it is now busy with tourist boats. The round thingy in the background is the Eye On Malaysia ferris wheel. Full story here.
I Gotta Feeling...that tonight is a good good night! It was a good good night indeed. Got my priceless shot of the night - Will.i.am and Taboo of The Black Eyed Peas "making love" with on stage. Full Story Here.
Hornbill. Snapped this gorgeous hornbill at the Lotus Life Liberation Park (LLLP) in Bentong, a place where some of the rescued Pulau Ketam were re-homed. Full story here.
Magick River! Believed to be a spiritual river by the Temuan Orang Asli tribe. The best spot for a picnic by the river in Malaysia! Full Story Here.
Rainbow of Hope....A gift from the sky on my last evening in Rawang. I was about to leave the next morning after finishing my course in an academy there. So, I decided to take my camera and walked to Emerald West, a new housing area where I used to run. There is a running track around the lake in Emerald West and long private road, perfect for hill traning.
I was busy snapping away when suddenly I realised a huge rainbow in the sky. It sent me to a mad dash around the lakeside to find a good composition.
The rainbow only lasted about a minute which made it more precious. It was like a "farewell" gift to me. I felt so blessed.
OK. There you have it, twelve of my "best" photos for 2009. Many more to come in 2010, I'm sure.
Wishing you a prosperous, peaceful and abundant new year ahead.
What? A trip to Magick River, a night stay at Bamboo Palace.
Where? Kampung Pertak, Kuala Kubu Baru.
When? 14-15 Dec 2009
Who? Fellow photography enthusiasts - Debbie, CK, Alex and Eric.
When Debbie proposed a trip to the river of Kuala Kubu Baru (KKB), I was the first one to say yes. Being a kampung boy, I always enjoy the nature. But the opportunity like this doesn't come often in the city where I called home now.
We left Rawang after class on Monday. The journey was about an hour or so. We stopped by a KKB town to pick up some foodstuff - bread, eggs, milk, coffee, noodles and bananas.
The place that we were heading was called Magick River. It is located in Kampung Pertak, an Orang Asli settlement along the road leading to Fraser's Hill. We would be staying at Debbie's friend, Antares' place.
With a small fee, we get to call Bamboo Palace our "home" for the night. It's a Orang Asli shack built behind Antares house. Very basic, complete with flushable toilet, gas stove, electric fan, DVD player. Very basic, right?. LOL!
The kitchen is located below the living area. We had to be careful not to walk above the ktchen when food was being prepared. Otherwise, we might find some surprises in our Maggi soup.
It's a fantastic place to chill out, very airy and comes with mountain view. :)
I love the hammock. I could sleep all afternoon there but then, why sleep away when the Magick River was waiting? :)
The weather was kind to us. I couldn't imagine if the sky decided to rain....Or roof was made of woven Attap leaves...
The trap door into Bamboo Palace.
Our breakfast - Cook with love. Thanks Debbie for this delicious and filling French toast. Everybody was helping out.
Meet Prudence. My unofficial welcome party, bodyguard and tourguide to Magick River.
Here's the Magick River....Believed to be a spiritual river by Antares and the Temuan Orang Asli tribe.
Yup....in some area the rocks were flat enough to sleep on. (Insert Zzzzz here)
Perfect for a cool dip in a hot afternoon.
There are several spots along the river for picnic. Find your own spot and be one with nature. :)
I could hear the water flowing by looking at this photo. I miss Magick River! :)
My two "tourguide and bodyguard" - Prudence (white) and Roger. :) They are unbelievable sweet and frinedly.
An early morning walk along the river. Surrounded by the loveliness of greens and fresh cool air.
This is Antares, the gatekeeper of Bamboo Palace and Magick River. :)
You know I love butterfly...Heheh! They can be difficult to photograph. But with a little patient and lots of sun block, the results can be astounding.
Listen to the river....your trouble would just float away like the debris in the river.
Many dragonfly species called this river their habitat.
This is the restaurant we dined in. Great food but service on the slow side.
I absent-mindedly dropped by Adidas pouch (with RM50 in it) on the floor on the first night.
Thank God, it was returned to me on our second visit on the next day without a single sen less in it. (Insert major relief here)
Yummy fish dish.
You have seen the photos and now, do check out the video. The river is amazing! One of the places I don't mind visiting again and again.
Background song by Antares. He sang a song by Cream called Badge when we dropped by his house before leaving the Bamboo Palace. He was no feeling well that day and tried singing to bring up the positive energy.
I actually asked him if I could post the video on YouTube but I was denied for the reason he was not having his best hair day. I understand. I did get permission to put it as background music for my video. :D
Antares rocks!
ENJOY!
Note: I got to know that Antares is hospitalised for Malaria a couple of days ago. Let's all pray for him to get well soon.
What? Carven Ong 18th Anniversary & Graduation Gala 2009.
Where? Grand Ballroom, Prince Hotel.
When? 11 Dec 2009
Who? Carven Ong is a prominent designer, principal and entrepreneur.
Carven in the middle.
Owen Yap, the emcee, in a fedora.
Celebrities present - Tony Eusoff, Sharifah Syawati etc.
The judges for Carven Ong Academy fashion show, headed by Gillian Hung.
The gala was divided into two - the graduation fashion show and then Carven Ong Couture 2010 Spring/ Summer Collection.
These are some of the creation of Carven Ong Academy graduating students. Some wearable. Some eye-catching. Some wacky. Some even downright weird. But creativity knows no boundaries, right? :)
Check it out....
She is ready to be packed, sealed and delivered. A creation using plastic blister sheets - those used in packaging fragile items.
Transformable wear.
She looks happy for someone who had a Barbie doll glued to the head. :)
A head turner.
Yo guys, fancy a fancy wear like this?
A headdress that would make Queen Amidala of Naboo proud.
Booty-licious!
Soo Wincii, Miss Malaysia/ World 2008 turned singer entertained the guests at the gala.
She performed two numbers. For the video clips, please scroll down.
After Soo Wincii sweet performance, came the show everybody was waiting for....Carven Ong Couture's latest collection.
The Spring/Summer 2010 collection is called “Snacas’ Spell” (snaca old English word of ‘snake’) – an inspiration like mimicking human mutating into cold-blooded creatures: a tiny step toward the dark side. The long evening gowns are electrifying sexy and elegant with the snake design coil around the heads, clasping through waists, entwined on body and throats as a symbol of Eve’s temptation and of elegance, as it’s seen in Greek mythology.
OK, I didn't write that...It came from the press release. LOL!
Check out the pics! I was blown away by the sheer seductiveness and elegance of this "wicked" collection.
Carven beautifully transformed the images of slimy-scaled and slithery snakes into a glamourous, sexy and even feminine creations on the catwalk. Bravo!
We notice Amber "sneaking" in to the hall when the event was about to end. No matter how discreet her entrance was, all the cameras were on her! LOL!
Amber was being so graceful and generous with her poses for the camera.
Amber looking elegant in the emerald gown, I believe is an Carven Ong creation.
Amber Chia, so flawless. Not an eyelash out of place. :)
Who wants a RM1000 discount voucher for Carven Ong gown? Since I am not getting married by Jan 31, 2010 (voucher expiration date), I decided to give this away. Please email me your contact and I have it send to you.
I have three video clips for you for this event.
Soo Wincii (蘇盈之) performing her self-penned debut single, 一眼夢幻 (Dream)
Soo Wincii covering a Siti Nurhaliza favourite - Bukan Cinta Biasa.
Watch the parade of beauties in Carven Ong's Spring/ Summer 2010 Collection - The Snaca's Spell, and of course the dropdead gorgeous, supermodel Amber Chia.
ENJOY!
Acknowledgement: Thanks to Ken of Carven Ong Couture for the invite. Amber Chia for being so graceful and obliging when asked to be photographed. Thank you!
