The EPL-5 ( A real World Review ) in Sungai Lembing.

Hi Folks,

After a long break from the Blogging world, I finally has enough energy to keep my two fingered typing back in track. It's a Review that's long overdue since the EPL-5 was send to me a month ago. Due to the Haze and packed schedules, I finally has the time to settle down and do a series of  short reviews starting from my trip to Sungai Lembing.

Sungai Lembing has always been a place that I wanted to visit and photograph since my Marketing days, way back in the late 2000's. It was early this year that a friend of mine from Astro suggested that I tag along for look at this Rustic and Beautiful Town. I didn't made it then and after watching the series in Astro, I was Awestruck by the Beauty and the Uniqueness of this place. So, I decided last weekend along with a old buddy of mine to go there on a 3D/2 nights stay at Sungai Lembing & Kuantan. I am not going to tell you where S.Lembing is, as most of you would have heard of it by now. All I can say is that this has to be one of the '' Most Photogenic Old Towns '' I have ever been. Believe me, it's a Haven for Shutterbugs and Nature Lovers alike.

Sungai Lembing is one of the oldest Tin Mining town in Malaysia and is famous for its @ Hanging Bridges, Mountain Top View of the rising Sun at Panorama Hill and  The Rainbow Waterfall. Besides this the town is unique with those Huge Hundreds year old Trees along the main road and most importantly, the Old Pre-War wooden Buildings and houses. As with most small towns in Malaysia, Food is a topic that (  most of the Facebook Generation ) will not miss. S.Lembing is famous for its '' Ketchup Mee , Dried Chilli Mee, and Yong Tau Foo ''.

Now for the '' Gear '' itself, the Pen EPL-5. Thanks again to John Wong of Olympus Malaysia for kindly loaning me a Mint unit for this short users review. As with the OMD, this cam share the same ( By now famous ) Sony 16.1mp sensor as its Predecessor. IQ wise, it's almost the same as the OMD EM-5. The EPL-5 is of course the Mid level line of the Pen series and hence the exclusion of the Weather sealing , the top Dials & 5 Axis stabilization. Well, you get what you pay for and don't be fooled by the compact look, this camera is Solid and a joy to hold in our small asian hands. My only gripe is that the Menus are a bit hard to access and sometimes confusing in a emergency situation. I still prefer the EPL-2's  menu as it's a lot more simple and Uncluttered. I would love to give the newly launched EP-5 a try to see the difference in a real world usage.

 And now , lets do the remaining part of the Review / walkabout in Pictures ...!!!  All done with the  EPL-5 along with the standard kit lens 14-42 ( Courtesy of Olympus Malaysia). As with all of my past Oly cameras, the OOC jpegs and its built in '' ART FILTERS '' are a joy to use and sometimes even Addictive.

The Greeting Sign of Sungai Lembing at the entrance to the town.....You won't miss those Large '' Ball Bearings '' Left of it.

After the  welcome sign on arrival at Lembing town itself, one will notice those trademark Hundred year old trees at the center of the road divider.

The other most important thing about S.Lembing is its Hanging Bridges. There are around six of them of which 4 are still in use. Here are some Pics of those wonderful Hanging Bridges.

Besides the Bridges, there is of course The Lembing River itself.  Don't let the calm fool you, at its peak ( Monsoon Season in the Late 2000's ), the River overflow its Bank and the Town was flooded in no less than 15 feet of Water. It's just a reminder of the Awesome power of Nature...!!!

Now for the Rustic side of things....All those Old buildings and the Folks here at S. Lembing Town.

Lembing is also Famous for its supply of the now World Renown '' Tongkat Ali '' and one Man even Carve and make Sculptures out of it ...??? Want to be as strong as a '' BULL '' ? Then come down here to Lembing, the Town Where '' Time '' Forgot ...!!

As with most Old Town or New Village in Malaysia, Food has always been a Major Topic of discussion. Here in Lembing , the food synonymous here are the '' Ketchup Mee, Tau Foo & Local Biscuit ''.


     The Famous '' Ketchup Noodles '' done in either '' Red ''

     or .......... Black ketchup ....!!!!

Besides this, Lembing is also Famous for its Delicious '' Tau Foo ''. With so many Waterfalls and Streams, it's not surprising that the Tau Foo here taste so Fresh and good.

And The Chef behind all this good stuff is '' Mr. Chubby ''....Ha,Ha.

One of the main reason for my coming here has to be the View from '' Panorama Hill '' or better known in Malay as '' Bukit Panorama ''. At around 300 meters it looks like a piece of cake for Young climbers, who could easily scale it in around 1/2 hour. But for us Old timers 45 minutes is the Norm here. Waking up at 5.00am is also a Norm here if you're gonna climb up the Hill just before the break of Dawn. The whole purpose is to watch and in my case '' Photograph '' the Beautiful Sunrise Scenery Surrounding the both sides of the Hill. Well, here are the Pics....!!!

And here are some Friends that I made which includes some Young Photographers from Peneng.

A Few Vertical Shots from the Hill Top.

Finally , I would like to add a couple of Pic of the Place that we stayed. There are lot of Hotels, Guest Hoses, Resorts and even Homestay here. But after reading a fellow Bloggers opnion, I decided to give  '' Lembin Village Resort '' a go. It's along the other side of the Riverbank and the main reason I picked it is because of it's serene and Quiet surroundings. More than that It was the Owners Friendliness over the Phone and in Real Life that made my decision the correct one. Without a doubt , this is the Best Place to be if you're ever thinking of making the trip here. It's not only Quiet, it's also well kept and Clean. Here are some details of the place : 

@  Lembin Village Resort
@ Contact : Mr. Vinson Chow at : 019-9011267
@ Resort No : 09-5411831

And here's the Pics ...!!!

There you go, looks like my two typing fingers are crying out for Help....Adoooiii!!! So much more to see at S. Lembing and so little time to see it all....Argh !! Those that I missed includes... The Rainbow Waterfall, The Crystal House and The Old Tin Mine. For that I will see be back at Lembing for a second time ( That's for sure ) ...!!! What a Beautiful Place this is and may I suggest you all make that trip there before the Modern World Creeps in ...!!! At Lembing, Time stand still and we the Aliens are Intruders  ....Yee Ha !!

As for my ageing opinion of the EPL-5, there are as usual the Pro's & Con's of any Camera out there. After 2 Months with it , here's my down to earth '' Personal Users Opinion '' :

What I like about the EPL-5 :

@ The EM-5s Sensor
@ Ergonomics
@ Compactness
@ OOC Jpegs

What Needs to be Improved on or changed :

@ The Whole Internal Menu Set Up ( Too Many of them are Tuck away ) and when in a rush, could be hard to find. The EPL-2 is way much simpler.
@ The 2x Teleconverter Mode still exhibits a lot of Noise and Artifacts ...!!!
@ The Price when compared to the competitions.

This is another Camera from Olympus that I could easily recommend to anyone, be it a First time user or Advance Amateurs. But for those who are on a Tight Budget, May I suggest your look at the EPM-2 or The EPL-3.




That's all for now and I will be back with an Article on '' The Old Trades of Batu Pahat '' when I have the time and energy..... Phew !!!

Take care and Remember that Time waits for no one. Go out and Live that Dream and Live Life to the Fullest ...!!!



Cheers !!!.....Uncle James.

The Year of the Snake & Comet a Coincidence ??

Greeting Folks,

2013 has been called the year of the Comets by Astronomers around the World for a reason. It's  a year that Three or more Major comets  will be Grazing by our earth and hopefully putting up a grand show of our lifetime. But the main reason is Comet ISON ( C 2012 S1 iSON ) , which will be passing by our earth this November and predicted to shine as bright as the '' Moon ''....!!! Wow !! You read it right, if  things goes according to  predictions, this baby will be a sight to behold. Just like Comet Hyakutake of 1996, it's tail would have stretch across 3/4 of the night sky.

This is a Pic of Comet Hyakutake taken back in April of 1996. If things goes as plan this is what we may likely see this coming November.

Now back to the other comets that are considered Major events for this year. Firstly, comet LEMMON  ( Which is grazing the southern skies now ) and is fading. It's the First among the three comet in our list and is visible just on top of comet Panstarrs right now. They both share the night sky this coming months.

Here's a Pic of Comet Lemmon shot recently by Rolando Ligustri of Australia. It's now a Mag 4 comet.

The Next one is of course Comet PanSTARRS ( C/ 21012 L4 ). This Comet is curently visible in the southern continent of Australia and New Zealand. It's special because it's a Twilight comet and is easy to search as it's just above the setting Sun over the Horizon. This is also a good chance for folks living along the west coast of malaysia to have a look at a Live comet ( Many have never seen a comet in their entire Life ). It's for this reason that I am organizing a Comet watch/ Star Party / Astrophotography and Creative Photography Outing for my friends and fellow Forumerd over at Chiaroscuro.net.

This is also a good chance for our friends and fellow photographers to get together and have Fun. It's also a time to share and learn from one another. Here we are all equal and everyone has the right to voice and share their opinion on any subjects matters.

A Latest Pic of Comet Panstarrs shot by George Ionas of New Zealand ( 27th of Feb ).

This is a Sky Chart from Sky & Telescope with the dates and viewing directions.

Recent brightness estimates indicate that the comet could be experiencing a surge or “second wind” after plateauing in brightness the past few weeks. If the current trend continues, PanSTARRS might reach 1st or 2nd magnitude or a little brighter than the stars of the Big Dipper when it first becomes visible to northern hemisphere sky watchers around March 7. That’s little more than two weeks away!

For Now lets just concentrate on Comet Panstarrs this coming weeks and have fun while were're at it. Below is my official Logo of the Comet watching event.

This is only the first of two Major Star gazing events i have for the year.. The second will be held around November, and that will be a Major one .... ( COMET ISON ) !!! For further info on the outing and a Detailed intinerary of the event, Please log into our 4/3's site here : 

http://mychiaroscuro.net/forums/showthread.php?t=7172

So finally, what has The Year of the water Snake has to do with all this comets ?? In my fun opinion it has to do with '' Water '', and since most comets are made up mostly Ice, and has a tail, doesn't that reminds you of the Water sssssnake ??? And to cap it all, a comet over the sky looks like a snake falling fro the skies ...Ha.Ha.!!!  Just my candid explanations of the Mythological world of Zodiacs and Astrology.

Remember, all are welcome and feel free to drop by if you're anywhere near here.


Cheers ...!!!


Regards ..... Uncle James Moh.

Where Now ?? ... Four Thirds .

Gooday Folks,

It's being a while since Oly last launch a regular 4/3 camera. If it was a stand alone system like the old days, one may say that it's a norm for oly to launch a camera every 3 to 4 years. But since the advent of Micro 4/3, Oly has been concentrating most of it's resources on the later. We can clearly see why, for it's m4/3's that's moving sales. Not that a '' one country, two system '' is bad, it's just that a lot of the regular 4/3 users are left in the doldrums.

So, the million dollar question is ... Will ( and not when ) the E-7 ( or whatever they may call it ) .... ever surface ??? This question has surface around the photographic world recently....!!  Personally, I have a hunch it will arrive, albeit a little longer, maybe around 2014 or even early 2015, the reason being the OMD ( EM-5 ). The sales and success of this baby surprise so many including Oly themselves. This camera even won a number of camera of the year awards. It's m4/3 that's making money and moving sales for Oly, so, it's only natural for Oly to concentrate it's resources on it. 

On the other hand I see the E-7 being the last of the Mohicans. Simply because like most of the top end Oly cams, it's a money losing line and an unsustainable option for any company.  The Future clearly is Micro 4/3's and one that I feel will see the test of time.

As for me, Oly will always have a place in my heart ... This collage of pics below are my Appreciation for what Oly cameras has done for me in the past. They are all Regular 4/3 cams that I have shot with, along with a theme to match. I loved them for the OOC Jpegs and Rich Oly colours. Whatever the outcome maybe , just go out and have fun, and let things take it's natural course.... Cheers !!!

Here are a set of six collage along with the cameras that the pics were shot with. They are of course Regular 4/3s cameras. The one that I didn't own were the E-330, E-3 and E-5, but I did try it out with sets from my students and friends.

Remember at the end of the day, it's the Pics that matters, for all your gears are but  just tools of your creative imaginations.


Regards ... Uncle James Moh.

'' Meanings of Life '' ... My Brief View .

Hi Folks,

“What is the meaning of life?” is hard to get a solid grip on. One possible translation of it is “What does it all mean?” One might spend a lifetime trying to answer such a heady question. Answering it requires providing an account of the ultimate nature of the world, our minds, value and how all these natures interrelate. I’d prefer to offer a rather simplistic answer to a possible interpretation of our question. When someone asks “What is the meaning of life?,” they may mean “What makes life meaningful?” This is a question I believe one can get a grip on without developing a systematic philosophy.

The answer I propose is actually an old one. What makes a human life have meaning or significance is not the mere living of a life, but reflecting on the living of a life.

 Even the most reflective among us get caught up in pursuing ends and goals. We want to become younger ; we want to read more books; we want to make more money. These goal-oriented pursuits are not meaningful or significant in themselves. What makes a life filled with them either significant or insignificant is reflecting on why one pursues those goals. This is second-order reflection; reflection on why one lives the way one does. But it puts one in a position to say that one’s life has meaning or does not.

Another way of rephrasing the question is “What is the purpose of life?” Again we all have our own subjective purposes but some would like to think there is a higher purpose provided for us, perhaps by a creator. It is a matter of debate whether this would make life a thing of greater value or turn us into the equivalent of rats in a laboratory experiment. Gloster’s statement in King Lear comes to mind: “As flies to wanton boys we are to the gods – they kill us for their sport.” But why does there have to be a purpose to life separate from those purposes generated within it? The idea that life needs no external justification. Our efforts may ultimately come to nothing but “the day was sufficient to itself, and so was the life.” (Good and Evil, 1970) In the “why are we here?” sense of the question there is no answer. It would be wrong, however, to conclude that life is meaningless. Life is meaningful to humans, therefore it has meaning.


Hence it's only logical that you and you alone can see the lights of  life in a way it's meant to be. We all have our ups and downs in life, at times even questioning the purpose of life. But in the end, it's only right that we fulfilled what we set out to do in this life, after all there's only one life. So, live life to the fullest and cherish every moment with the ones you love, be it your friends, family, hobbies or your pastimes.

Therefore ''Look to this day for it's life, The very life of life '' .... Cheers !!!

Have a nice day ahead ... !!!


Regards ....Uncle James Moh.

Those Magnificent Men and Womens of Batu Pahat !!

Hi Folks,

It's almost Election time, and as usual, those  folks who are involved directly or indirectly are busy planning for what seems likely a Game Changing year. As with the most of us, Change is something that's long overdue. Lots of us are fed up with a system of goverment that's meant for the elite few. It's a goverment that lays too much emphasis on Quotas and Racial preference, Personal Gains and where the word '' Demi Rakyat '' is pocketable. Most of them are more concern about where the next Millions are coming from. This will eventually lead us nowhere but to a Stagnatory State, where it is us the Rakyat, who suffers.

Now for something away from the norm and back to those Men and womens who made Batu Pahat Proud. Believe it or not, many folks around the country still thinks that Mr. Lim kit siang and son are from Malacca !!  Surprisingly, both the proposition and opposition of the Chinese communities are from where else but Batu Pahat. Besides the political sides of things, Batu Pahat has in the past and present produce Men and Womens of Academic, Entrepreneurship, Political, Scientific, Humanitarians, Artist, Singers and Adventurers. There is very little left to be uncovered when it comes to Talents. But of course there is always a reason behind all of this. For that I try to do a write in the near future.

Here are some of The Men and Womens that most of you are familiar with, be it famous or infamous.

How many of them can you identify ??

There's a secret behind all of this, I have my own theory, but as always there's more to it than just plain coincidence.  It's a long story but the main word here is '' WILL ''.

This are just a few amongst the Thousands of Talented B.P. rians who are spread around the world today. I will update the best of the rest in my second part of this series. This above is only the Political sides of things. Three Cheers to them All...!!!



Regards.........Uncle James Moh.

The Year That Was 2012 ( In Pictures )

Hi Folks,

It was a year that was filled with the usual Natural Disasters, Wars, Religious Conflicts, Famines, Political changes and some breakthrough Scientific discoveries. It's also a year when the world as we know it, never did comes to an end. But the Doomsday Hype did made a lot of folks in the media world Rich . It was also a year that President Obama made that 2nd term in office against all odds. The year saw the rise of the Arab Spring uprisings turns even more violents and a death toll that rises by the day. It's a sad fact of life and one can only pray and hope for the best. Be at Peace with you fellow humans whoever they may be.

As for me, there are two things that stands out , and they are my returned to roots and meeting up with my forefathers and relatives in China. The other being breaking my record for Flying in 5 different types of Aircrafts in a single year.

Here's a review of the year done in the Photographic way.....in Pictures !!!

Below are 2 sets taken by yours truly ........ First, my Flying adventures !!

The Man behind all of my Flying adventures...MR.TAY ( Instructor, Examiner, Aircraft Builder, Flight Worthy examiner and Golf Instructer ), He is of course '' The Man of the year for me.

Mr.Tay is seen here on the Left of the Pic with fellow Flying Enthusiast Haan Boon.

  

Those nostalgic trips back to Hainan, China.....My Roots and the wonderful Childrens of Hainan, China !!!

 

Now for the best of the rest of the year that was 2012....From Atlantic.com, the year in focus.

Here's my favorite 2 events of the year....Felix Baumgartner's record Skydive from the edge of space and The discovery of the '' God Particle '' by CERN.

The Best of the rest, Stunning shots from around the world. These here are a good example of the phrase '' A Picture is worth more than a thousand words ''. This is the part of Photography where the word '' Capturing The Moment '' clearly defines it all.

Here's wishing that 2013 will be a year where your Dreams, Enthusiasm, Goals, Passions and wishes comes true. May you accomplish whatever you set out to do and may Peace, Good Health and Prosperity be with you all.....Cheers !!!

Regards...........Uncle James Moh.

A Christmas and New Year Message

Ho, Ho, Ho Folks....Here's my Fresh '' Out of the Oven '' Macro shot of Water Droplets taken late this evening. Since we don't have Snow over here, but what we have are abundant Rainfall and loads of Raindrops...!!! And what better way to Wish our christian friends here and around the world than a '' Tropical Blue Droplets '' Christmas and A Happy and Prosperous New Year......Cheers !!!

Pic shot with a 85mm Micro Nikkor F/3.5 and Nikon D80.

Cheers...!!! Uncle James.

Some Thoughts on 2012

Hello Folks...The year is drawing to a close and 2012 was another year filled with the usual Natural disasters , uprisings, political turmoil and another Mass killings due to the ( Lax 2nd Amendment Laws ). What a sad way to end the year and my heartfelt condolences to those who have loss their loved ones. It is still a Noisy and confusing world that we live in. Show compassion and love to all living things as a whole, and this world would be a better place for all of us. Here's a pic dedicated to all of you here and folks around the cyber world....Cheers !! James.

 

 

Hi Folks,

Here's another Pic with a Quote of the day . Just to warm things up on a Cold and Rainy day.






Cheers !!....Uncle James.

Hi folks,

It's been a while since I last posted any thoughts or article here.I think I will, as usual, do it the Photographic way, by means of Pictures. From now on I shall do it on a '' THOUGHT OF THE DAY '' basis. I will pop in a Pic along with a Quote of the day.

Here's sharing one for Today .....Cheers !!!

Regards......Uncle James.