There are times we look upon our past endeavors, relishing our old self and wonder what have we done for the past years. As we Journey on our life on Earth, we find ourselves thinking did we do good or did we finished what we all started? Sometimes questions like this goes into one’s mind and unknowingly, you don’t really know what to do.

Once awhile while listening to the sweet sounds of birds chirping in the air when you wake up early in the morning, you’ll wonder. Why is the day so beautiful? If only it could last longer and melodies of ones life is as sweet as a birds song.

For until it all, there are many things to think about, for we as humans are never satisfy with what we have and always wanted more. Some call it unwanted wants, while the most appropriate word would be greediness. It dawned upon me, that after going through life as a child, a kid, a teenager, a young adult, that as time goes by, responsibilities start pouring in no matter whether one likes it or not.

As a child, all we ever wanted was to play and get to meet our friends in school. Problem then was we all have to face our exams in school. Same goes to while we’re teenagers, undergoing puberty, learning to accept that the opposite sex that we once roughed together is seemingly different and attractive to the eye.

As time goes by, we go into college, universities, polytechnic to ensure we have a build up to our career. Sometimes regretting what we did during our studies, we don’t get to be what we wanted to be like our ambition back then. As time goes by, minds start to mature. People see things in a different way. There are still fun and games like how it used to be, but fun is now derived simply with a means for getting back our childhood memories.

Aside from just fun and games, people will start to think how to

- manage their finances
- the problems each family faces (when parents get old or did I earn enough to help finance the house)
- relationship (is she/he the one whom I am looking for, what if… )
- work (What will my future hold if I am still in this job? What will it be like if I am 30 and fresh graduates come out and the skill I am having now is just the same like them)
- future endeavors (can I get a nice home to stay with, will I be able to support my children, should I quit this job for the sake of my love ones). There are like it seem more things to think about as time goes by.

One can be wacky, one can do a lot of things and live to not regret it. While after all, we only have one life to live and so live your life to the fullest. Is not everyday we’re 16 or 21 or 50 or 80. It’s only a year once.

It’s to this point, sometimes simple thoughts are not just enough to constitute the magnitude of the complications of getting older. It scares me, the writer of this column too to know that I too am getting older as we see the years go by like a twinkling of an eye. For each passing day, things change, technology change. As technology changes, demands of better work quality are more as expectations are higher.

So think about it. If life could be simple, there won’t be so much heartache. It is as if there’s a way to sleep it all away. Though there’s no way we can put off technology in our life. Without technology there’s no Internet, there’s no way to communicate with other parts of the world instantly. Though with technology, gone are the ways of the old tradition. Snail mails are getting obsolete, live plays are not as enthusiastic as it used to be (people who do attend these plays expect more) and lots of new methodologies are incorporated.

For now, it feels like are you actually reading Weird Weird Denial which usually produces posts about his life, travel and photos. In case you’ve just arrived, do know that http://danielctw.com existed with writing posts such as this. Do refer to some of my thought provoking ones below.

I rest my case. If you would like to contact this blogger, do use the Contact Me section or email me at me[at]danielctw.com

Note : Pictures above are taken using the HTC Hero.

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Amazing how we all go through our daily life in the city, busy with our work, school work, college work and other things that get us stress. At times it is good to stroll or go for a break towards nature. Hello…. entertainment does not only come in the form of night life. So this post is so backdated but not as backdated as the one for Tibet, but here is what I want to share with you. The place I will be introducing to you is the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park situated near Lake Gardens.

It was around December 2009 and yes it was a outing for Chia Yen and me, the weird author of this blog. Well, I could have talked about the bus ride, the stop at Petaling Street and many other instances, but as the title suggested it’s all about the bird, 鳥（とり）.

Though, of course riding on the bus (The Hop On Hop Off Double Decker Bus) brought us first to Petaling Street (China Town) and because it’s so plain in the morning, the only thing I can show you is the photo down there.

Anyway let’s go back to our Kuku Bird Park. Seemingly I have only one regret while going there with my trusty D300. I’ve forgotten to bring my Nikkor 55-200mm VR Lens. *dissapointed just like the uncle’s expression at Petaling Street*. Well, not to worry, photographers do have to learn to adapt and armed with only the portraiture Nikkor 50mm f/1.4D, I proceeded to take photos of the birds.

I will say less, just observe.

SQUAWK!!!!!

My Peacock Head is Blue

The best I can do with a 50mm view of Flamingos

A photo of the surrounding lake area behind a man-made waterfall of droplets of water. I am sure some of you would want to know how much is it to enter this Bird Park. Malaysians, you’re in luck! If you have a MyKad with you, you get it for RM15 per entry if not it will be RM42 which is way higher. Is it worth it? To me, unlike a Zoo, if you just want to concentrate on the different species of birds and of course another attraction of sitting with the birds and posing with them, then yes, a bird park is the place to be.

I definitely love this next shot. I could say, it depicts action and life instead of just some public display to the public. Too bad I don’t have a zoom. Darn.

What a greedy Pelican at the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park!!

Of course, saying all this, being at the bird park, you get to see beautiful birds and their striking colors. Now how pretty is that. The sounds of birds singing and parrots talking. Everything is interesting. Of course, the next photo is prettier.

*PEACE*

After all, imagine carrying that big bouquet of flowers the whole time in the Bird Park. (Eh.. I also got carry oh!)

ps : How did that bouquet of flowers appear? Think….. remember I was at Petaling Street earlier.
pss: For those wanting to know more about Kuala Lumpur Bird Park, you can visit their official site on the link posted above.
psss: Want to see more of the photos of the bird park that I have taken, get ready to see them at my new blog mentioned at http://danielchew.net in the coming days.

Until then, what’s next? Tibet? Bali? I think anything goes.

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Finally it’s the day to leave Lhasa town for a while and go on my way to the Base camp of Mount Everest. Yes, I will be traveling to a peak higher than Mount Kinabalu and the place I am going is nearly 6000m above sea level. It’s so gonna be cold up there.

Upon driving on the way, we made a stop on a site for photography, but amazingly we are also charged for stopping there. Each person was charged 30 Yuan (that’s RM15 in Malaysia). Just because there’s a lake which is so blue, it looks so fake. Yes, the blue makes it so fake  but what they mentioned was it was natural color and it’s not because of the sky, it’s due to some chemical in the lake. Amazing right. If you were to see it by yourself. Since I’ve already paid 30 Yuan, I just need to pose with the lake in the background.

Jeng Jeng Jeng. I love the solid background. No humans… darn red thingy at the side. Supporter of Liverpool FC all the way. Even in Tibet. Of course, I can’t get enough of just standing in front of the background. What about a JUMP????

I am here… woo hoo~~~ LOL.. Though it seems that everywhere I go, everyone is doing the jump. So not unique, I don’t want to be like everyone else. Why not do something else with the lake pose. Hmm… let’s do what Daniel does best. WEIRD POSE.

Hahaha… don’t know what I am doing. Not special but just want to do something different. Mission PHAILED. Ok done about this part.

Let’s see how it was before we (that’s me and the other 2 friends with me) got to the lake. We went on a jeep and below you can see the roads that were used to travel up.

A view from the jeep’s window

The road is so long and winding. Sometimes it can be very near the edge, the whole lot of us are praying the driver is driving safely. So anyway since the blue lake is there, we thought of going there nearer and nearer. So to see whether it’s really blue.

Here’s my friend here, Ek Wei with the so called dog of Lhasa, Tibet and with a local man. Now no alteration in the photo and yes, the lake is super blue even upclose. This is crazily weird. First time seeing a blue lake and it’s not an optical illusion.

So here’s another proof of the blue blue lake of Tibet. I just love the surroundings of Tibet. Superb sceneries, not many places you can find these kind of view and perfect sky.

Next this is the place we had our next stop. OMG, look at the height of the place.

5560m above sea level and we can actually see a snow mountain up close. Wooots… White white, something which I don’t get to see in Malaysia. What a way to play around and look at the clear white snow.

The surrounding area of Kharola Snow Peak which have the snow and yes, it’s just a 5 minutes walk there. Hmmm.. did some mini HDR technique on the clouds to avoid having just white background on the sky. Not so appealing but I just want to show you how the mountain looks like.

This is finally the end of the Kharola Glacier and Blue Lake of Tibet. The view is superb. I really love the view, oh my goodness, I wanna go there once again. What a day up 5000m above sea level. Who’s game for the next Tibet trip??

ps: What’s next? Food review? Bali travels? Kuching Travels? or more Tibet Travels? The decision is yours.

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After what have been a long time, it’s been overdue and this time I am trying to finish what I have been doing all these while. My last post talks about me in Potala Palace and what’s in store in there. Basically you will see Dalai Lama’s old place, the 3 Buddha statues (Past Buddha, Present Buddha and the Future Buddha).

Moving Around Lhasa Tibet
Monastery Visit Around Tibet
Drepung Monastery
etc.. do view more from the Tibet category under Travel.

The view up there wasn’t as spectacular due to the palace is situated right at the city. So what do we do after walking up like few hundred meters up the palace, I took photos…. of myself again. This time thank you Kenny for helping me shoot these series.

But before that I would like to have your eyes upon this layer of sticks. Yes, they are part of what the palace walls were made of. Made from wood and those papers you see stuck between the wood are Yuan notes (China currency) with the occasional of other countries currency. Well, it seems mostly locals donate their money to the preservation of the temple/palace this way.

Now after what seemed to be a long time of taking scenery and the palace itself, I just had to do a jump.

Kinda miss the long hair though. Is like I have a ponytail at the back. Well, if I wanted to tie, I could though. Now after all the walking, it’s time to go out the exit and we were surprised that we came out from another door.

Hmmm.. Potala Palace, if I were to go to Tibet again, I don’t think I would bother spending 100 Yuan to go up this palace again. Seems all you need is to visit it once. Finally it’s time for lunch. I miss modern food and decided to get something I used to drink. That’s when I called for Sprite. Guessed who was on the Sprite container.

JAY CHOU?????? Really =_=”" Sprite ambassador?

It got me thinking, why do people collect Coca Cola cans, but not Sprite? Then I find that it’s useless thinking these kind of stuffs. After what seemed to be a long rest, it’s time for the next temple to visit. This time another temple which cost us 40 Yuan. Why is every temple costing so much?????

Since we got used to temple structures all the temples almost look alike, I decided to scout for some main architectures and designs of that temple. This was what I found then.

Shot using the 55-200mm VR, I got this shot. Seemingly a zoom lens was put into proper use that time. Nothing beats posing with the background of the whole temple though.

I see Bruce Lee in Tibet~~~~ not… darn it was hot and I was squinting my eyes. What are those decorations or ornaments made of? They’re made of Gold! Yes…. real GOLD.

Of course I wasn’t the only person on top the temple worth shooting at. (paiseh *shy*) There’s also the occasional monk climbing on top the roof to go on to the other side of the building.

Unlike the houses and temples in Malaysia, the roofs here are mainly flat. No tiles. From far, the red garment makes it look like Spiderman was climbing up the wall. This monk seems to capture my eyes and I decided to capture it at the moment.

Now what about Tibetan people? All these time, it was architecture and scenery, what about the people? This is how a Tibetan woman from afar looks like.

Yes, this shot was taken during lunch time on the top of a building. Look at the Tibetan woman below. I think I need a 600mm to get close enough.

Of course, other than Tibetan woman, there are the occasional tourist from other parts of China. Suddenly I feel much at home.

A Female Tourist from China

Ngek Ngek Ngek Ngek……

Signing off – till next time.

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Is my blog moving? Hmm… well, after like a few months and promising that I’ll update my blog frequently, I did for awhile but only to neglect posting about Lhasa Tibet backpacking trip. Well, here is Daniel once again, in the middle of the street of Lhasa. Though it was about 4000m above sea level, it was also very hot.

Come to think of it, it was hot as the sun was shining so brightly. The breeze was there though, but I wouldn’t want to risk any sunburn on my own hand, so I got myself a sweater. Photographers would know that there’s something wrong with this picture though. Don’t you feel awkward?

Anyway it was one of the days in Lhasa and here in Lhasa, one of the famous place is Potala Palace (the place where the Dalai Lama used to be). Well, since I can’t go in the palace yet, I took a picture with the stone with writings. Can’t read them though. Strange how it feels. I feel so short compared to the rock.

I think during this time, I was already down by a kg. Yes, the constant walking and carrying my bag full of camera gears which consist of a Nikon D300, 55-200mm VR, 50mm f/1.4D and a Sigma 10-20mm. Not to mention the extra weight from the SB-800 which I think was only used once during my visit to Tibet. Flash units are kinda rarely used when one is traveling. Now enough of my photos, let’s see what the Potala Palace looks like.

On the left, the Potala Palace was built on the hill. The original hill was actually part of the road that you see now. Or rather the road was part of the hill before it was destroyed and now became a big main road. Well, now what do I want you all to focus on. The sky is indeed magnificent and yes, the whole view in Tibet is definitely somewhere any photographer would want to be.

The life here is pretty safe. I could just walk out at night and there would be police everywhere guarding the streets. Anyway since there is a lot of free time in Lhasa Tibet, the gang (me, Ek Wei and Kenny) walked towards the artificial pond or lake to take scenery shots. There are lots of shot taken over here but here I wanted to show 2 shots taken straight from the camera without using any HDR or any doctored job on the photos itself other than resizing and putting my blog link on it.

If you would love to see the EXIF of the picture, just right click and save and look at the properties of the photo. This is the setting I used to shoot this photo. Imagine how clear the sky was, how the clouds reflect itself on the water. But where’s the Potala Palace? Here’s the next photo.

Yes, Potala Palace is just around the corner. Why are we still here? Well, practically, a few of us are waiting for the sunset to capture the sunset scenery across the lake. How did it turn out though? Seemingly we have too many photos of the scenery that we find that we shouldn’t neglect ourselves.

Then we do what we do best. We pose to the extreme. Some of you might have seen this photo before though.

Now who can beat the top 3 posers.

Though if you have the chance to see the Potala Palace at night, it’s definitely a breathtaking sight. Well, that’s what we did and we walked at least 20 minutes from the hotel to reach the palace and took the photo……..

….. with me in it. Yes, it was this dark, and I just use the internal flash on the camera to shoot this. Then of course, that’s what you get for just using the internal flash and with not so “powderful” focus and setting. Now how about if you use long shutter and make it sharp and crispy.

The Full View of Potala Palace with it’s reflection

Why is there water? Well, it’s basically a water fountain show running at the same time. Just so happens that I got this shot when the water fountain stopped for awhile. Exposure time  is 13 seconds. Too bad the lights around it are giving the orange feel.

Finally it’s time to sleep and the following day, it’s finally the day to go up the Potala Palace itself. Now wait….. how much does it cost? It’s RMB100 or 100Yuan which is equivalent to RM50 in Malaysia. Ahhhhhh…….. this has better be good. It’s way way expensive compared to the other temples.

See the big blue square thingy. That’s where we roughly were when we took the photo of the 3 Heroes of Tibet. So now we’re entering Potala Palace. What is in there that are in store for us. Sad to say, didn’t really take any photos in the Palace as it’s FORBIDDEN at certain areas and also you need to pay photographer fee if you would want to take some internal pictures of the rooms and statues.

So what other things did we do there? I might say, that it’s good if it’s continued on the next post.

ps : I am back~~~~

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