Old Kuala Lumpur In Black & White

it is very apparent that i spend a lot of time taking pictures around the north eastern region of the city centre. at my uncle's request, we took a drive to Petaling Street for a little bit of sight-seeing and i once again whipped out the Olympus E-PL3 for some street photography.

i haven't been to Petaling Street (also fondly known as Chee Cheong Kai) for a while but the surrounding is still familiar - bootlegged goods stalls adorn the crossroads of Chee Cheong Kai, the blue-tinted roof that hangs ominously above the streets, the sight of tourists, and perhaps locals, haggling for a pirated Rolex watch, and old buildings from old Kuala Lumpur that tower above the stalls like monoliths. since it was the third day of Chinese New Year, the whole place was rather devoid of people save for a lot of tourists. some of them lounging about the hawker stalls with beer bottles in their hands, observing the crowd with indifference and taking in the environment of a very busy section of the city.

The roof

Look at me

turning a corner, i walked into Jalan Sultan and this particular building that was supposed to be torn down months ago with murals adorning the wall of the building.

Heart Jalan Sultan

Jalan Sultan

Old Kuala Lumpur

shortly after the prowling around and a little shopping, we walked over to Pasar Seni.

I Heart KL

what with Old Kuala Lumpur's charm, grit, and old values that gives this part of the city character, at the end of the day, i found myself appreciating old Kuala Lumpur very much more than i previously did. i wonder why it usually takes me rounds of photowalks for me to appreciate something. i guess there's no doubt beauty in everything if you take the time to observe the lines, wrinkles, and mannerisms.

Melaka In Black & White

in my previous entry, i made a remark about how the Olympus E-PL3 makes a great street photography camera. i'm going on a tangent here and not equating my street photography with the street photography purists subscribe to. my viewpoint of street photography is inclined more towards a candid outlook of my surroundings.

for what it's worth, the Olympus E-PL3 is built for speed and functionality. it is lightweight, the autofocus performs with blazing speed, and i believe most digital street photography aficionados would greatly appreciate the grain film filter that couples extremely well with a high ISO setting, eg. ISO3200. i, for one adore the filter and am considering this to be my default setting when i'm out with this camera.

Chinese + Iban

Sungai Melaka

That door

A dragon

Chinese New Year In Jonker St.

Melaka In Colour

here i am, once again in Melaka for Chinese New Year. fortunately this time around i was able to traverse a little bit more around town on foot. our accommodation was situated along the Melaka river and to get to the tourist spots was just a walk along the river. with a new digital camera on hand, i decided to give the Olympus E-PL3 a spin around town.

i was quite impressed by the city's efforts to make this river as clean and tourist-friendly as possible. the fact that the river doesn't stink makes the trek along the river so much more pleasurable. guest houses adorn the riverside and there is this Venice-like charm to this location. tourists whizz along by boat, or even on bike. a backpacker's haven. and the graffiti even adds a little more charm to the already interesting architecture.

camera-wise, it took a little getting used to before i could snap away like i'd usually do because the camera is ergonomically shaped like any other compact camera. i kept thinking how the camera would slide or slip off my hands, and it took some time before i was finally able to keep a good grip. in all honesty the colour shots are mediocre at best, but as i came to learn later that evening and during my walkabout in Petaling Street, the E-PL3 is a fantastic street photography camera. more on that in a later entry. for now, here's a bonus photo of the view from my hotel room.