A Family Outing to Pulau Aman

You might not have heard of this little known small island, Pulau Aman (Island of Peace) unless you are a local resident. It is located off the west cost of mainland Penan, or south east of Penang Island at approximately N05° 16.110' E100° 23.513' geographic coordinates.

Visitors could get to the island on one of the boats at Batu Kawan Jetty, which ferries passengers to the island for a fare of RM6 (for adults) and RM4 (for children). On normal days, there are 4 trips between 10 am and 7 pm. with additional trips to cater to the weekend crowds.

         Boat Departure Schedule

Departure Time from Batu Kawan Jetty	Departure Time from  Pulau Aman Jetty
10 am	8 pm
1 pm	12 noon
4 pm	3 pm
7 pm	6 pm

Awaiting for the boat ride at Batu Kawan Jetty

For my family of foodies, and photographers, an afternoon of fresh sea breezes, merriment, laughter and sumptuous Mee Udang was the draw.

Scenery of Mainland taken from Batu Kawan Jetty, I love this picture

For your safety, there are life jackets are kept above the captain of the boat.

The boat came, we got on. 
See....so many cameras

View from Pulau Aman Jetty, as we alight

The Restoran Terapung, Mee Udang Istimewa

Upon arrival, as it is way past our usual lunch time, with our stomachs growling we headed straight for the Restoran Terapung Mee Udang Istimewa.

To spice up lunch, our choice of some very fresh prawns, and on the right....the prawns just cooked in a simple boil to retain its original exquisite flavour and freshness. Below, and behold.....can you see the freshness glistering through its shell?

Mee Goreng Udang

For comparision, prawns sold at RM34/kg.(I paid RM12.40 for only 8 prawns) from the Alor Setar Market. We paid RM40/kg at Pulau Aman.


The infamous Pulau Aman's signature dish, the Mee Udang Istimewa, they have it in the wet form / in gravy too (Mee Rebus).

You could have your pick of fresh prawns, mantis prawn, squids or flower crabs. All very fresh, some are still alive. We pick some flower crabs to take home, they are slightly more expensive than your local market, but ...they do taste ....so very nice.

I enjoyed the fried rice, it has the flavour of seafoods

Some interesting sights to visit, if you have time

The Village

Beautiful and tranquil....

The many Breadfruit trees (Sukun) trees seemed native to the island

Beautiful and tranquil....

That's my 'big' brother and me

End of the path

End of the path

Fishing boats at Pulau Aman

View of the Penang 2nd Bridge Link in the background View of the Penang 2nd Bridge Link in the background

Our boat back to the mainland

All To Get On Board, if you missed this, hop on the next one in 3 hrs

Pulau Aman, is a quiet, peaceful island, whose inhabitants are mostly fishermen, it is good for a get away outing from the hustle and bustle of city life. You get some sun, relax, enjoy the serene air of  tranquility, fresh sea breezes and nice food. A great family outing indeed.

I had so much fun and yes, I would like to go again. It is the people that you are with that makes any outing so very special, isn't it?

My Canon IXUS 220 HS

I found out that knowing the features of a camera is one thing, when it comes to shopping for one, the experience can be very different from what you expected.

I went around a few shops to check out a few cameras. But I made a mistake of not getting the sales personnel to demonstrate to me the scale and scope of each. I feel uncomfortable to ask to be shown the full function of the cameras, since I am only checking out and was not sure if I would end up purchasing from them. After all there were a few shops.

Since I have not been fiddling with a camera for the past 2 years, and I find checking out the specifications on the cameras was quite daunting, especially since the buttons and menus are slightly different on each brand of camera.

Luckily for me, I was able to call up my ‘Big’ brother who has a keen interest in cameras and photography to help me decide for one.

beautiful, isn't it?

I am glad I finally settled on a Canon IXUS 220 HS (just found out that the HS stands for high-sensitivity sensor) for RM799 (within my budget and light enough for me to carry around) on Sunday evening, which I now suspect was the reason they would not bring down the price. Another is I have been to that shop for the third time. I bought from them because the nice young man was more helpful than the rest and because what better place to buy a Canon camera than a Canon Concept Store.  Not the right time to buy, I was at another shop before the Canon Concept Store and this salesman was showing me 2 cameras, and telling me the 2^nd one takes a much better picture, (without telling me why) when to my inexperienced eye, they both looked the same.

My advice……….look at cameras long before you decide on getting one. Get to know them well before you decide to go hunting for one. Nothing beats going to the shop and pretending that you are going to get one that day, just do not go to every shop in the same block. Another thing is paying more does not necessarily mean you get a better one when it comes to cameras.

Camera Fairs are a good place to visit to improve your know-how even after you have bought one.:-)

These are 2 websites I like, there are many that you could look at. Do note that there are variations to the names of the range of cameras available for different countries.

I have added a few links below for your further reading pleasure.

http://www.digital-photography-school.com/how-to-buy-a-digital-camera

http://www.consumerreports.org                      

http://www.pointandshootshutterbug.com

Basically, this is what my Canon IXUS 220 HS has:

• HS SYSTEM with 12.1 MP high-sensitivity CMOS sensor
• 24mm, 5 X Zoom lens with Optical IS
• Hi-speed Burst & Super Slow Motion Movie
•  Creative shooting modes
•  Full HD movies recording
• Stylish stainless steel body finish

What To Look Out For When Buying A Digital Camera, If You Are A Novice Like Me

I have been thinking of getting a replacement camera for some time now. Not easy, especially for a novice like me. I do not want to spend too much as I hardly use my first camera and am not so sure I am going to take a lot of pictures with the second one.

However, I feel a good camera should be able to capture the pictures that tell your stories, even for a novice. The picture should be your eyes to the world, even if it is blurry, and that is the phenomenon I want with my new simple point and shoot camera. Am I having my head in the clouds?

 

What You Should Consider   

What You Should Consider

• Lens Focal Length (how much you can see) the lower the better for focal length, 28mm or less, a shorter length gives you a wider angle view.

Lens Focal Length (35mm)	Terminology	Typical Photography
Less than 21 mm	Extreme Wide Angle	Architecture
21-35 mm	Wide Angle	Landscape
35-70 mm	Normal	Street & Documentary
70-135 mm	Medium Telephoto	Portraiture
135-300+ mm	Telephoto	Sports, Bird & Wildlife

Apertures (in f-numbers), or f-stops are lens openings that control volume of field. The aperture range indicates how much the lens can open up for light to pass through. E.g. going from f/4 to f/8 increases the depth of image. With aperture priority you are able to keep the foreground sharp while blurring the background, but with greater depth, both objects can be focused. Need practice though. To capture fast-moving subjects, you need the shutter priority to do that. Changing from f/4 to f/2.8 would mean halving your shutter speed from 1/125 sec to 1/250 sec. The smaller the number, the larger the lens opening.  Does your new camera have selections for aperture and shutter priority?

• ISO, or sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO number, the faster the camera sensor absorbs light, but this comes with some drawbacks, image noise or grainy images. So hopefully, the manufacturer of my new camera balances that nicely for me.

• Shutter Speed. How fast your camera starts up and shutter speed lag (the right moment for the right image needs a fast shoot or speedy multiple shots). You should check out how fast the shot is taken, using auto focus mode. You don’t want to miss that spur of the moment shot.

• Megapixels, the higher the mega pixels the higher the resolution of your pictures. This means better pictures but at larger sizes.

• Is your camera too big and heavy for your needs?    

• Is the battery rechargeable and long-lasting?

• Is the optical zoom sufficient for you? Without a higher optical zoom, you won’t be able to take that close-up shoot. It should come with an image stabilizer for a sharper image as any slight shake, and you get a blurry image. Try out the auto focus at full zoom, to check too. Preferably, it should have a manual focus for those special pictures to override the not so flexible auto focus.

• RAW mode, taking ‘raw’ data pictures, without compression. Loss-less quality shots allow you to edit them without losing quality (compressed is fine with some excellent photographers too).

• Check out the storage card format and capacity.

• Will you be taking videos? Can you zoom, or auto focus when taking videos?

• Try out camera; see how it is in low light. Does it have the flexibility of taking in low light? Larger sensors are important for capturing quality images. How does the camera perform in bright sunlight.

All in all, it would depend on your needs and budget. The higher specs may not come cheap and of course it should be a joy to use.
 

My selection for my budget of around RM800 :

Canon Powershot Elph 300 HS

Panasonic Lumix DMC FH5, FH25 or FH7

Panasonic Lumix TZ18

Sony WX9

Sony WX7 (no RAW) rrp RM899

Competition Act 2010

This isn't very fair, is it?

Our Competition Act 2010 will start rolling on 1^st January 2012.

The Act (in the US, they have their Anti Trust Laws) basically is to promote fair competition.

The Competition Act 2010 strives to provide a business environment that ensures fair play, without favoritism, deter abuses by major industry players or anyone for that matter. It will help promote a market environment and check monopolies. A free market environment will promote fair competition and do away with any barriers to entry.

Free market,‘jangan pakat’, no partnering to benefit themselves at the expense of consumers.

Hopefully, the leveling of playing fields and fairness in the provision of goods and services will bring about dynamic competition, innovation and improve competitiveness. This will ultimately benefit the public or consumers and small businesses.

This is also an opportunity to enhance our productivity, skills and competencies and businesses can then become more globally competitive, especially in the current challenging economic environment.

Bear in mind, though that competition too can destroy those who are inefficient, slow to response, not strong enough nor competent enough to embrace the challenges.

Adopting the right practices to improve productivity, processes, new techniques and to innovate will be necessary to fight competition and move Malaysia forward toward a successful direction for the future.

Koh Samui Here We Come

Koh Samui Here We Come

Joining My Friends

Emotions went back and forth when my ex-colleagues invited me to join them on their annual trip to Koh Samui. Shall I, shall I not. I have never joined any of their annual trips.

Having been working with them for the past seven years; reason, my 24/7 is fully taken up by work, family and sleep, no time to indulge and pamper myself.

The opportunity and temptation to experience the camaraderie, of being with friends on an exotic island was too much to resist. Yes, I am going, I told them, from then onwards there was no looking back.

The Journey

Our outbound bus journey started at around 8 p.m. on 7^th Sept. 2011, with everyone very excited. Bags of belongings together with personal comforting pillows were packed for a restful journey.

I personally could not get much sleep partly due to the hard seats and partly due to my short legs.

The journey through the night was pretty uneventful, except that we had to go through 2 immigration points, one Malaysian and one Thai at the borders. We were guided by 2 Malaysian tourist guides and 2 Thai tourist guides who humoured us and explained everything.

We arrived at Donsak Jetty in the early hours of the morning, boarded a ferry, had a comfortable ride as the sea was calm and arrived at Koh Samui at around 7.30 am after about one and half hours ride amidst the cool morning breezes and waves gushing against the ferry and experienced a beautiful sunrise over the ocean.

Sunrise when approaching Koh Samui contributed by Ms. Ng SL

Sunrise at Koh Samui contributed by Bosco Lai

Sunrise at Koh Samui contributed by Ooi CY

Arriving at Koh Samui Jetty, contributed by Ms. Ng

Sights and Sounds of Koh Samui

The island is idyllic. The sound of waves rolling on the beaches, sun rising on the horizon, laughter and splashes on the beaches by holiday makers create an irresistible relaxing atmosphere.

The two days were filled with sightseeing trips. We went visiting 3 Buddhist temples,  the Wat Phra Yai and Big Buddha, Wat Plai Laem & 18 Arms Buddha, Kunarama Temple & Mummified Monk. We or rather some of our colleagues rode on elephants, enjoyed durian treats at the Wang Sao Thong Waterfall. 

Wat Phra Yai & Big Buddha, contributed by Ooi Chai Ying

Buddhist Temple contributed by Ooi CY

Wat Plai Laem_18 Arms Buddha contributed by Ooi CY

Hinta Hinyai Lovers' Rocks contributed by Celine Goh

Group photo at Hinta Hinyai Rocks contributed by Celine Goh

Hinta Hinyai Rocks contributed by Ooi CY

Wang sao Thong Falls contributed by Celine Goh

Our sightseeing itinerary usually ends with us rushing back to Weekender Hotel and getting ready for a splash or swim at the beach or hotel pool.

Lamai Beach, Koh Samui contributed by Ooi CY

Weekender Hotel Pool, contributed by Celine Goh

Big Crab Restaurant, contributed by Ooi CY

After dinner we would survey the night streets outside the Weekender Hotel which were lined with traders hawking their wares, handicrafts, trinkets and souvenirs.

Night Street at Koh Samui, contributed by Bosco Lai

Street Market, contributed by Ooi CY

Souvenirs Shop contributed by Ooi CY

The bright lights of the streets, the bars, dancing girls, massage parlours, restaurants and street foods kept us entertained and happy throughout the night.

Fire Thrower, Lamai Beach Party contributed by Ooi CY

Bargaining to slash prices seemed more interesting than the actual purchase as we haggled with the vendor to buy whatever caught our eyes and fancy. Squeals of excitement and shouts of satisfied glee were echoed when we have a good deal.

Colours of Traders, contributed by Bosco Lai

Beautifully Lights on Display, Koh Samui, contributed by Bosco Lai

Floral Soap Carvings contributed by Bosco Lai

We were lucky to be able to join the Lamai Beach Party on Friday night where guests were treated to displays by Fire Throwers, ‘Kung Ming’ lanterns, Limbo Rock, fireworks, listening to music, making the night more exuberant and excitingly vibrant. Drinks flowed throughout the night, spirits lifted and elated. Everyone was happy as laughter rang through the night air.

Colors of art and handicraft beautifully captured in some of my colleagues photos stay etched in my mind.

We were all tired out as the holiday came to and end as we gathered outside the hotel one final time, Saturday morning, boarded our bus with our now heavier bags filled with products of Koh Samui, said our goodbyes and proceeded to the jetty for our return journey.

A Ferry Passes By contributed by Yeap BC

Most of us were tired out, but we did not pass off the opportunity to take a few more photos to carry home our memories.

Colors of art and handicrafts were  beautifully captured in the photos taken by my colleagues,  which were enthusiastically shared around, perused and discussed with delight . The sights and sounds of Koh Samui stayed etched in my mind.

As they say, ‘Pictures speak a 1000 words.’

We briefly stopped at Hatyai, to pick up some more local products to share at home. The journey home was tinged with nostalgia as our holiday ends and reminiscences of home.

     My special thanks to all my friends for sharing with me 

    a great holiday and those beautiful pictures. leehwa