Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park

Not long after i bought the Olympus Macro Flash System, I went to Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park to test out the system for outdoor macro photography...

The Butterfly Park houses more than 6,000 butterflies from 120 exotic species. The park is an imitation of the butterfly's natural habitat. It includes more than 15,000 plants from 100 species that has been painstakingly landscaped to resemble a Malaysian rainforest atmosphere. Contributing to the Butterfly Park's beautiful landscape is a uniquely designed hydro-pond built with a limestone path right in the centre. Surrounding this hydro-pond is a gazebo, commanding a breathtaking view. There is a nursery and breeding area for the butterflies. The park includes both preserved and live specimens, totaling 1,230 species in all. Facilities include an informative insect museum. There is also a souvenir shop near the exit selling lots of local handicrafts and framed butterflies and beetles. You can enjoy a glimpse of butterflies at this unique park. (Source: Cuti.com.my)

Not much useable photos from the outing as still learning to control the system. And the butterfly park did not have so much so-called 120 exotic species of butterfly flying around. Following are selected few. Enjoy...

Besides butterflies, dragonflies and flowers are nice too...

Have you been to Kuala Lumpur Butterfly Park???...

Caterpillar Invasion

My mum's 富贵花 (Adenium Obesum) had been invaded by three caterpillars. The caterpillars were quite huge. The plant itself was not really that healthy anymore, and with the invasion of the caterpillars, my mum's sadness was doubled. So, I had to remove them from the plant and moved them to bushes 100 metre away from my house so they can continue invade other plant before become a beautiful butterfly. Me myself was not a big fans of insect so removing them from the plant was gross and disgusting. Below are some photos before I take them away... :D

Eat, eat, eat...

Caterpillars are the larval form of a member of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). They are mostly phytophagous in food habit, with some species being entomophagous. Caterpillars are voracious feeders and many of them are considered pests in agriculture. Many moth species are better known in their caterpillar stages because of the damage they cause to fruits and other agricultural produce. The etymological origins of the word are from the early 1500s, from Middle English catirpel, catirpeller, probably an alteration of Old North French catepelose: cate, cat (from Latin cattus) + pelose, hairy (from Latin pilōsus). (Source: Wikipedia.com)

Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat...

Eat, eat, eat, eat, eat, eat...The caterpillar just cannot stop eating the leaves...

Removed from the plant...

Look at their shit (lower right). Nice pattern...

The damage...

Do you like caterpillars? What will you do if you see them in your garden???...

Olympus Macro Flash System - Ring Flash Set SRF-11 & Twin Flash TF-22

Last year I bought a new accesories for my E-500. It is a second hand Olympus Macro Flash System. The system consists of Ring Flash Set SRF-11, Twin Flash TF-22 and Flash Adapter Ring FR-1. I rarely used it and had been kept in my drybox for very long time. Well, I have to go for more macro outing so my money won't gone wasted on it (this system is very expensive!!).

Olympus Macro Flash System...

Below are some photos taken with this system coupled with Zuiko Digital 35mm F3.5 Macro lens...

What do I think about this system?

I really like this flash system. This system really can give you very nice macro photos with it's lighting, although some photos above are underexposed. Well, you really need experience in controlling the flash. It is a good flash system for indoor and product photography and also a great fill-in flash for outdoor photography. I will try more outdoor photography with this system in the future...

Nippy Noodle Restaurant 弹牙竹升面屋

The shop...

Last weekend, my friend brought me to Nippy Noodle Restaurant to try their signature noodle - bamboo noodles. This is my first time trying this kind of noodles and really anticipated with it...

So what is bamboo noodles?

Jook-sing noodles 竹升面 (Bamboo noodles) is a rare type of Chinese noodle found in some parts of Hong Kong, Macau, and some parts of Guangzhou. The noodle is made with egg, and is considered one of the more rare noodle in existence. Historically the chef rides a bamboo log to press the eggs, flour, and other ingredients together. As of 2008 in Hong Kong, only a few restaurants are left that make the noodles in the traditional manner. (Source: Wikipedia.com)

My dried bamboo noodles with char-siew and roasted pork...

All the noodles are freshly made daily and there are no left overs. The noodles are made from premium flours and eggs without addition of any liquid or water. No preservatives or food conditioner added so therefore it is a very healthy noodle. The noodles are very springy feeling when you put into your mouth. Combine with the pickled chili, it is a heaven. The mee actually is called Wan Tan Mee by its normal look. This restaurant called it Bamboo Noodles as it is made by using bamboo. Usually they serve you the noodle without the pork lard. Go ahead and ask for it and definitely it will make you fly after eating together with the noodle. The pork lard fried fresh daily too. (Source: Foodpoi.com)

Personally, the noodles tasted like wantan mee but it's a little more springy and chewy. The char-siew and roasted pork were good too. I will visit again to try another variety of bamboo noodles.

Every tables had this description sticker to explain the bamboo noodles making procedure...

Address:
Nippy Noodle Restaurant
No 25 Jalan Kuchai Maju 7
Entrepreneurs Park, Off Jalan Kuchai Lama
58200 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Tel: +603-79821781

2009 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix III

Part 1
Part 2

And finally the three top teams of season 2009. Season 2009 was dominated by debutant Brawn GP and Red Bull Racing, and top teams with big budgets such as Mclaren-Mercedes, Ferrari and BMW-Sauber struggled with the new rules introduced in 2009…

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes (71 pts)

Lewis Hamilton (49 pts)

Heikki Kovalainen (22 pts)

Red Bull Racing (153.5 pts)

Mark Webber (69.5 pts)

Sebastian Vettel (84 pts)

Brawn GP F1 Team (172 pts) – 2009 Constructor Champion

Jenson Button (95 pts) – 2009 Driver Champion

Ruben Barrichello (77 pts)

Well, the race ended early because of the rain. As you can see from some of the drivers and constructors points which have XX.5 pts, it is because of the race ended less than 75% of the scheduled distance was completed. So half points were awarded at this race.

The 2010 season will starts in one week with season opener will be held in Bahrain. Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix (2nd April - 4th April 2010) will be the third race of the season, and I wish I could get cheap ticket before the race, I wish… :D The new season will be exciting one with additional teams to the grid and of course the come back of Michael Schumacher. I am really looking forward for this season – 2010 Formula One Championship!!!...

p/s: I am definitely going for the Free Practise session on Friday because it’s FREE. Hope there will be no rain that day. And will post up the pictures earlier this year… :D

Click here to buy your 2010 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix tickets now!!!...

2009 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix II

Part 1

Let’s continue with 4 more mid-standing teams…

AT&T Williams (34.5 pts)

Nico Rosberg (34.5 pts)

Kazuki Nakajima (0 pts)

BMW Sauber F1 Team (36 pts)

Robert Kubica (17 pts)

Nick Heidfeld (19 pts)

Panasonic Toyota Racing (59.5 pts)

Jarno Trulli (32.5 pts)

Timo Glock (24 pts)

Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro (70 pts)

Felipe Massa (22 pts)

Kimi Raikkonen (48 pts)

Part 3

Click here to buy your 2010 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix tickets now!!!...

2009 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix I

Late post again… Last year I went to watch my fist ever Formula One race which been held in Malaysia. It was like a dream comes true. If there was no cheap student ticket (normal ticket was extremely expensive!!!) , I would not drove to Sepang F1 Circuit to watch this event, although I am a hardcore F1 fan. Anyway, I’m glad I did went to watch the race. It was a great experience!!!... :D

I went for 3 full days – Free Practise Session, Qualifying Day and Race Day – and took tons of pictures. But almost 70% of the pictures were useless (either blur or unfocused). I managed to take every drivers’ pictures and would like to showcase all of them here. So let’s start with the team with the least points in 2009 season…

Scuderia Toro Rosso (8 pts) 

Sebastien Bourdais (2 pts)

Sebastien Buemi (6 pts)

Force India F1 Team (13 pts)

Adrian Sutil (5 pts)

Giancarlo Fisichella (8 pts)

Renault F1 Team (26 pts)

Fernando Alonso (26 pts)

Nelson Piquet Jr. (0 pts)

Stay tuned for more… :D

Part 2

Part 3

Click here to buy your 2010 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix tickets now!!!...