Monday 26 January 2009

Year of The Ox! No Bull..

Well, its Chinese New Year today, and its meant to be a tough year ahead for most of us from what you read in the media reports. I was in Chinatown on Sunday to buy some 'kum' or mandarins, a must for the celebrations. The ones you get from the supermarkets are tiny compared to those on offer from Chinatown. It seemed like everyone had the same idea, the oriental supermarkets were bursting to the seams, there were queues inside the stores not unlike those seen at Wimbledon on Men's Semifinals day! Unbelievable! It was literally snaking around the aisles, about 100 people in front of me., all for a crate (heavy) of kums. Well, Margy, my other half was smarter. Since the crates of fruit were displayed outside on the pavement, she asked the delivery man, an Indian gentlemen, and was told that she could pay him instead! There you go..

Man they were delicious and sweet,..the easy peel variety with green leaves still intact.

Saturday 24 January 2009

Estrella - Stay

Just came across a local indie pop group called Estrella over at Susan Loone's blog, and watched the video of their current single, Stay which I think deserves some recognition! Will check out their first album when I get back to Malaysia.

Thursday 22 January 2009

Insignificant gesture, significant moment

I was walking home across Putney Bridge today and this scene above caught my eye. It was a simple enough moment. A man made his way down to the riverbank with a bagpack full of stale bread, tossing them onto the hungry birds. There were pigeons, sparrows, seagulls and a majestic white swan in the feeding frenzy, and more were swooping down to the spot. The look on the man's face was pure glee! As it is mid-winter, the trees are all bare. This must be such a feast for the birds. (click on picture to enlarge)

There is hope yet for humanity, despite what appears to be death and destruction a mere week ago in Palestine.

Saturday 10 January 2009

Peaceful but passionate..


..that was what the BBC reporter said in the 8pm news. An estimated 20,000 people from all backgrounds, including Jews, Christians and Muslims (plus a jolly elderly Irish 'elf') and a handful of vocal celebrities and politicians in the likes of Annie Lennox, Eno, Lauren Booth (Cherie Blair's half-sister) and Ken Livingstone rallied for support on a stage to start the protest march against Israeli aggression in Gaza. The location : the aptly named Speaker's Corner in London's Marble Arch. I got off the Central Line train at Marble Arch a little after 1pm, and followed the crowd straight up to the rallying point with the help of stewards and the Metropolitan Police. It was -1C, grey and cold, and snow flakes began to fall..


































Friday 9 January 2009

Stop The Killing : Anti-War Demo this Saturday

This is a rally call to all to come out and demonstrate against the invasion of Gaza and support the Palestinian people, where needless killings are happening. This is now becoming more than a war, its become a humanitarian crisis. Predictably, this will be a massive turnout this Saturday. As innocent women and children are being killed, politicians in the UN are playing ding dong on semantics and definitions. We cannot sit idly by anymore.

For more information please visit www.palestinecampaign.org

Saturday 3 January 2009

KL PHOTOAWARDS 2009 : 2 months to deadline!


Only 2 more months to submit your entries to KL PHOTOAWARDS 2009. Deadline is 1st March. So grab your camera and give us your best shot. The competition is open to all photographers. We want to see your interpretation of what a photographic portrait means to you. More information at klphotoawards.com There's a USD3,000 top prize for professional clickers.