A few days back, I was sitting in the mamak waiting for my friend and I overheard this conversation.

A : Eh you know right? That Kitty broke up with her BF.
B : Wah seh…. sure or not ah? How come like that one?
A : She say BF care about her frens more. Everytime frren gathering, he go.
B : Actually what you think happen ah?
A : U know la. I think Kitty over liao la. She expect bf to appear when he oleidi say goin out with frens yamcha. Then later tell everyone that bf dun care her.
B :  Wah really ah??? So now Ah Jon available la.

Then after that my friend called my mobile phone saying he reached already to pick me up for a game of MTG.

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Anyway this got me wondering how well do you know yourself. Let’s look at the basis of how character depicts a person. To be fair I will be using myself as the subject. Below is my written post.

Nowadays with blogs, many unknown have become known and they build up a network just like that. They have their social circle built up around that, due to most of them either sticking to their computer seats. Some picked up hobbies like

Photography

The most common one now in Malaysia but after seeing some of the over edited photos and telling others they take great photos, no eye see (mou ngan tai). Also with the cheaper availability of a DSLR, every Ahmad, Chong and Muthu can get one and then call themselves a photographer. I see some people do progressed further. Some buy it with the saying, I can slowly learn. Some buy it saying, no matter how I shoot, the photo will turn out well. Some just because they have the cash to spend to be the IN crowd.

Anyway photography isn’t a bad choice to build your social circle of friends. Of course, if you’re taking photos for events to blog socially for bloggers to read then one WON’T even need a higher end lens or higher end camera (except if they want to jank up the ISO). The only thing I don’t get it is why buy a super higher end camera other than the normal Nikon D3000, D5000, D40, D60, D40X and then in the end still Photoshop it so much.

What’s the POINT? (It doesn’t apply to those who modify photos for conceptual photography)

So I get haters right now, *woots* due to what I just mentioned as I noticed many people doing this. I have nothing against lower end DSLRs as I was once an owner of a trusted Nikon D40 and the ISO performance is really not that great. Of course, if you owned a DSLR and don’t know what is ISO and you’re so heated up because you say you take nice photos but I say you didn’t, then please go and study more.

Scuba Diving

It is a great way to mix with a group of people that are relatively unknown. Well this doesn’t apply though if one were to take up this hobby/sport with a group of friends and then sticking with them all the way.

As a matter of fact, the author of this post took up this sport to build his social circle and got to know more people. One is not only limited to Malaysians, you have people from overseas especially Japanese (they say they love the warm seas here where there are more colors and fishes and corals), Australians (well, they have the Great Barrier Reef but there’s also the Great White Shark) and others.

I know some bloggers do blog about their scuba diving adventure, and I do appreciate their blogs. Though, if that blog is about

“I dived here and I posed (one picture), then I posed, then I am there and I posed and I posed”

Sorry, you’re out of the picture.

After reading the above notes, what do you think then? I guessed you must have felt how frustrated I am. If you still don’t get it, then maybe you need to brush up your English. If you want to be a grammar police, then go ahead, since I don’t bother checking up what I wrote up there after I’ve typed (been doing this many times).

Finally, people must be wondering why I am blogging this way. Isn’t it strange? Some random thoughts flow through my head and I guessed I had the feeling to pen type them down. Maybe it’s also because it’s finally first day of work again after going on a week long holiday.

Conclusion

You know people don’t really understand the world when they don’t divulge themselves out there with the rest of the society out there. Their scope is limited.

I am sure some of you can depict how my character is after reading my post here. I will write what I felt my character is on this post and if you want to add on, you can do so in the comments too. At least maybe you can tell me what do you think of my character.

This is me.

Weird	I think very differently and always try to look what is underneath and further apart from the subject. I can hide my expressions and also acclimatize myself with the situation I am just to suit the environment and atmosphere. Some people call me fake, but that’s how I am.
Happy Go Lucky	Even though I love to think a lot, I do have my crappy side of me. Telling crappy jokes and laughing at nonsense is like instill upon me during my schooling years and college. The people I mix with also do have that tendency.
Lone Ranger	Even though I mix with people a lot, it’s not a necessity too. I am also a Lone Ranger. It won’t bother me if I were to do some things alone (of course if doing things alone is sufficient enough to complete), and walking and adventuring to places alone. Some people felt that it’s strange to eat lunch alone or go out in the park, running event alone, though.
Melancholic	I do think a lot. Sometimes thinking some simple stuffs too much that at times it proved my downfall. For someone like me who has this practical mind, I weigh in the positive and negative of an action in my space of mind. Sometimes doing that too much makes me felt that might as well not do that certain thing as being quiet is the best answer. Then see how the situation flows.
Low Risk Person	When you’re Melancholic, one tends to access their options. For someone like me, I am a low risk person. Trying to accommodate different people at different time and also if something is happening that might be harmful to me or to friends or family around me, I will back out and shy away. Please refer to Happy Go Lucky traits and Lone Ranger.
High Self Esteem	Sometimes too high for comfort but good to have some self esteem to boost one’s own confidence. People nowadays have very low self esteem. I bump into my MSN contacts and then they were asking questions like, “Why do I work?” “How come I exist here, only work and sleep?” “My friends say I am bitchy. I feel sad” Kinda depressing that at times I am the one who has to like cheer them up because they are the ones who wanted to chat about this. I always look at the world in the positive manner. Well, I guessed not many people can do that. Maybe because whatever shit that has befallen upon me, I always say feel that there’s a positive thing waiting for me. Due to that, I am also labeled as someone who isn’t sensitive at times. Girls also especially don’t like this method because they usually can’t and need pampering. Some of my own methods, I call myself Takeshi Kaneshiro, Aaron Kwok, Bruce Lee and the latest, Jay Chou (this you got to see in one of my upcoming post, link will be posted here too)
Don’t care	I meant I have the “Tidak Apa attitude” or rather say “Let Bygones be Bygones“. Well, whatever that doesn’t affect me, let it not affect me then. Do refer to Happy Go Lucky. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t care about what’s happening around me, I know about the news and stuffs. It means that I know about the stories and how some things will affect me. If it doesn’t bring so much damage and not something life threatening and something which can alter your life 180 degrees, why bother about it so much. Of course, this also can lead to how someone can perceive me as “Not caring”.
Nature Lover	Why am I a nature lover? It is in lieu with Happy Go Lucky, Lone Ranger traits. Seeing that I enjoy traveling and moving here and there, I wonder at nature. At times I love to walk alone outside and just look at how the birds fly and the songs they sang and it’ll bring peace to my mind. Some people cannot stand staying in a village or kampong without the busy city life and shopping complexes (I know few people who are like this), but I can. Seriously I am not a person who does shopping like it’s something fun. My idea of shopping is to go online, click purchase and pay using PayPal, credit card. It’s so much easier. Loves the beach more though. Well, I can do Scuba.
Jack of all Trades	Personally I can’t keep still. I love to learn a bit of this thing, a bit of that thing and something from something else. Well, this is due to personal satisfaction. So in order to fulfill the High Self Esteem trait. How is it so? So when someone says something, I know that I know what he is talking about and my expression wouldn’t have that clueless look. That is also good for my practice with my Pretentious trait. I might not know it all, but all I need is to know some and from then I can squeeze out more information.

You know I can actually write more and more about myself, but I think the list will grow longer. This is like doing a bit soul searching and knowing all about oneself. I am sure some of you have your own list and those that know me can also add it to this list.

Of course, this is where my high self esteem can make me do something like this.

See…. of course. You can disagree if you want to.

Some of the traits above might apply to you too. So if you are able to finish reading all of them, congratulations and thank you for reading. Definitely have to appreciate your time and effort reading this while working browsing the Internet.

It has definitely been awhile since I wrote such a long thought provoking topic and to have it appear in Weird Weird Denial once more. So let me ask you this question.

What do you THINK of these kind of ARTICLE and POST?

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The first ever mobile phone I got was an old second hand Nokia phone.

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It was huge and bulky. Most importantly, its cover was opaque and purple in colour. Purple is my favourite colour. It has this dragon motif on its back which lights up every time there’s an incoming call. A modification my friend rendered for me because it was a second hand phone and she was selling it to me for only RM50.

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When you’re 14 and every one around seems to be reachable via a personal line, you’d want the same too. I lapped on it immediately, after loads and loads of begging from my mum who reluctantly gave me the money.

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When my dad found out though, he was furious. A 14 year old should not be given the privilege of a mobile phone. Moreover, the phone was a second hand product wherein I didn’t check thoroughly before purchasing it. The phone I bought has way too many technical problems that because I’ve got myself a prepaid SIM card already (SIM card those days were so expensive! RM50 was it? I’m pretty sure it used to cost so much more than SIM card these days), I was given my dad’s older one to use instead.

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The first mobile phone was then given to my younger cousin as a toy.

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Since then, mobile phones I had were all hand me downs from my dad (probably 1 or 2 after that?), except 2 years ago when my dad finally bought me an XpressMusic phone, the bulky sliding one, with no questions asked. I was surprised; it was not like I really deserved a new phone anyway.

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Recently though, I realised my increasing want of having a WiFi function in my phone. Surfing the web on prepaid account costs money. I went into a few stores and checked out a few models. I haven’t found one that I like yet I’m hoping for a new phone.

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My opportunity came last Sunday when my dad told my 12 year old twin brothers over dinner that they would need mobile phones next year since they’re going to be in secondary school.

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13 year olds with mobile phones.
Kids these days get things so easily!
Thanks to us predecessors who fought for that privilege in the early days, AGREE?

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“Daddy, since you’re planning to give them a mobile phone, get a new one for me and give them mine! :]”
“No, you’re NOT getting a new one. Earn your own money if you want one.”

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What the.

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The boys better appreciate what they’re getting else I’m confiscating whatever phones (hand me downs or not) they’re getting for my own use! Kidding. :]
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Question: So hey, when is your first mobile phone?

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We’re now finally back to Midui Glacier and more and more adventure as we carry on. Surprisingly it’s going to reached almost a year since I last came back from Tibet. Well, actually it took quite a while to draft this whole post and I haven’t even started writing on Bali and Philippines too.

Now this is the journey to the Midui Glacier, Tibet 2009. That’s like a year ago and from this post, I am leaving to Taiwan in awhile.

Midui Glacier against the brown sandy stream. Now wait, how did the water came about? The source is the ice that is and still melting.

Then we got a bit closer.

Then it was then super close. Alright alright, it’s just the lens doing it’s thing. Of course let’s judge how far is the glacier from the lake.

Now that’s what I call far. It looks near but indeed, the ice block the one you see like a small little brown hill is where we will be heading, and that’s like still a mile away from the snow. Of course along the way, there are many things that caught my eye. One of them is something protruding out from the stream.

Something white in the middle of the stream. It’s big.

Oh… it’s a piece of the ice that was left all alone there slowly melting but right in the middle of the stream.

Remember the brown hill? It’s actually ice covered with mud. Yes, it’s all ice blocks. This is the part where we get to stand on though. Of course, shooting can be done with a different setting. The above shot with a lighter color style.

To show the ice is really there, I took this shot and you can see that it’s really ice. Of course, nothing would be complete without making my mark that I have been to this place. What’s will all the scenery if I don’t have myself in it too. It shows that I’ve been there. I don’t know about others but that’s what I will do when I reached to another distant land. Maybe I should have done something like Matt? DANCE??

Or just pose!! Of course some of my antics were caught by my friend Ek Wei. This I got to show you.

Kenny and me trying to take our best shots of the place there. Of course we didn’t know that the camera was pointed at us. Until…… Ek Wei called my name and Kenny’s.

What else! Pose time. I guessed I can forever do the cool type of pose.

Of course, there were many photos taken, but if all things have to be posted on this blog post, it’s gonna take forever on Midui Glacier.

Important Side Note: I had one of my scary experience here also (besides the night experience). When I took photos of the Glacier, I have been looking at the camera for too long pointing towards the Glacier. Bad move…. after that I had problem with my vision as the Glacier is too bright with the ray of the sun shining on it. I was seeing everything with blurness and whitish all the time. It was hard to adjust. Thank God I was okay after a few minute rest without taking any photos.

Of course, where there’s great photos, there’s also time to depart from the place due to time constraint.

We went pass a lake which have huge ice blocks in it.

Anyway for those who don’t believe the water was cold when one touches it, believe it. Imagine what will be in the next picture?

It’s cold and he got hold of an ice particle in the lake and brought it along. Now imagine how cold his hands were. The whole ice and under the hot sun. His hand is gonna sting. Ouch!!!

By the way, this post is a pre-setted post as I am currently away in Taiwan and that means more photos to come in the coming future blog posts. Of course there are Bali and Vigan photos to be uploaded too. If you would love to see more of the photos, do visit my facebook photo page that I’ve shared. My facebook link is found on the right.

Here are the previous posts in case you just chance upon this post though.

[Tibet 1] Hello from Lhasa, Tibet

[Tibet 2] The Rough Journey Tibet

[Tibet 3] Another Day in Lhasa

[Tibet 4] Visiting Drepung Monastery Tibet

[Tibet 5] Monastery Visitation Tibet

[Tibet 6] Moving Around Lhasa Tibet

[Tibet 7] The Day I Visited Temples at Lhasa

[Tibet 8] Weird Blue Lake Tibet

[Tibet 9] Randomness at China and Tibet

[Tibet 10] More Monasteries and Mt Everest

[Tibet 11] Journey to Mt Everest

[Tibet 12] Journey to Namtso Lake

[Tibet 13] Namtso Lake Scene

[Tibet 14] Return to Lhasa from Mountains

[Tibet 15] Lhasa Town Free and Easy

[Tibet 16] Beginning the Journey to Chengdu in Jeep

[Tibet 17] The Giant Tree and Tibet Tradition Wear

[Tibet 18] Journey towards Midui Glacier, Tibet

Simple post this time. It’s more towards scenery.

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A few weeks back, instead of traveling, it was time for some relaxation as we now see the next day out with a few of the cutest and weirdest animals accessible to public. Instead of telling you where I’ve been, why not some photos to keep you guessing where is this place I did go. Well, if you really want to know where is that place, just keep reading or just scroll to the end of the post to know the location. (Of course, doing so defeats the purpose of the author writing this post for the benefit of its readers)

Short Note: Basically all shots were done using the AF-S 18-55mm Nikkor f/3.5-5.6G ED DX which is actually my D40 kit lens and using my Nikon D40.

Greeted by Mr Turtle, poking his head out to say hello.

The white part is distracting (someone please get me a CPL a.k.a. a Polarizer filter). It’s always refreshing to sometimes relax and look at the creations God has created and the animals that we share with on this planet. So guys and gals, do your bit to save our planet okay? NO LITTERING!

The Koi fishes were looking for attention. Whenever I got near them, they’ll look at me expecting food, only that I fed them with my snapshots on them.

Of course, being somewhat of a environmentalist and also someone that loves nature, getting in touch with the animals seems so special, it’s not even weird, but it’s definitely special. Take a look at the almost close encounter with one of the other animals here.

The deer. He/she was practically trying to sniff and smell when I got close to it. Whose finger was that? Could be Princess Yen or mine. (hee.. hee..) and the deer looks so cute. If only I could have taken this shot without the steel cage.

Next let’s get on with the birds. Coo coo….

The BLUE peahen? Peacock? Don’t really know what species they are, but I sure don’t mind calling them peacock blue. Darn, this reminds me of a new song by Katy Perry – Peacock. It’s addictive I tell you. I meant…. the beat of the song.

Whenever there are birds, another bird would usually appear. The majestic Eagle.

A little different from the brown feathered brothers, this EAGLE still look majestic as ever. Funny though, they don’t seem to leave their position even though they could. Just happily doing it’s elegant pose there while I snapped like 3 to 5 photos of it.

But with every cool bird, there is also another bird as graceful. Which bird is as graceful as the… SWAN.

No close up as I mentioned earlier I am using the Nikon D40 Kit lens. That doesn’t mean one can’t take nice photos. Though the drop in quality for using higher ISO in my Nikon D40 is more visible though. The swan swims together while ignoring the WEIRD me.

Of course, whenever there’s Daniel Chew, there are definitely something which usually will catch his eye. This time, I won’t appear in the post, nor anyone will appear….. YET. Just have a look at a WEIRD LOOKING ANIMAL below. What do you this this is?

EWOKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not!!!!! ROARS!!!!

What a strange weird world we live in.

Note: Finally you’ve reached the end, now where the heck is this place? Malaysia? Yes, if you’ve been guessing that. But where in Malaysia? None other than our largest waterpark in Sunway, SUNWAY LAGOON!!! Yes, they now have a wildlife park in case some of you didn’t know about it.

Till then as I finished editing the Tibet photos for the next post. *poof*

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The year is coming to an end, though there are many places which Daniel Chew or DanielCtw has been which have not been documented yet.

Well, of course that doesn’t mean you won’t get to not see them all. I know there are those who would want to join me on my adventures, do drop me an email at me@danielctw.com or if I ever were to organize a trip for all, I will put up the invites at the sidebar.

I apologize to those who were looking for me during the days when I was away from my headquarters in Kuala Lumpur (yes…. that’s my location) and yes, I would love to say THANK YOU to those for the invites and events which I would love to go to, but had to decline some of the offers due to clash of timing and at a different part of the Earth.

Anyway here’s a picture of one of the adventures I had during this year, and there are many more to come.

Note: If you’ve been reading this blog, why not suggest me a place in Asia or South East Asia to visit and why? Then at least I know what to visit and I’ll definitely will credit you for suggesting me a superb place to visit when I do.

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