an unplanned river cruise in december 2010 along the muddy muar river gave us a breathtaking view of the masjid jamek sultan ismail, an identical and bigger version of the original masjid jamek sultan ibrahim. completed in 2002, the biggest mosque in muar was a letdown when given said resources and budget, it ultimately ended up with an exact architecture, albeit a bit picturesque.
the location:
in lieu of visiting a sea stack somewhere in malaysia, this pic, taken in june 2010 was another sea stack that i was initially introduced and subsequently captivated by the intro scene to the 2008 disney movie, the chronicles of narnia: prince caspian.
here’s the scene, at the 2:20 mark:
cathedral cove, with its maori name te whanganui-a-hei which means the great bay of hei.
the location:
the federal government complex at jalan duta, kuala lumpur which was completed in 1978, currently houses the internal revenue board malaysia and ministry of international trade and industry. the five identical buildings have been the landmark of jalan duta for almost 23 years before they were overtaken by the federal territory mosque as the new face of jalan duta and soon to be eclipsed by the new national palace, which is still under construction while making copious amount of money for some and burdening the rest.
the weather in the photo, taken in january 2008, seemed to agree to the bleak future that awaits them, not appealing enough to be appreciated and loved, not ancient enough to be considered a world heritage site.
the location:
anak krakatau from sunda strait, born in 1927, spewed thick plume of ashes, hot gases and rocks intermittently in january 2011. a record breaking growth rate of 6.8 meters per year, it now sits uncomfortably idle, more than 300 meters above sea level on the krakatau caldera, formed from the aftermath of the 1883 eruptions.
the total silence of the periodic eruptions was making me alarmingly dreadful but spiritually at peace even though i was 2.5 km away on the semi comfort of water monitor/snake infested and uninhabited black lava sand, pumice scattered beach of pulau sertung, formerly known as verlaten island. it had a certain sort of grandeur ever willing to unleashed its fury and unthinkable destruction, but not that day. it was also the moment i found out of how miniscule and unimportant i am in the grand scheme of things.
the location:
an attempt by the 2nd largest mosque in southeast asia, erected in 1982 and completed in 1988, to hide behind a column of tembusu trees failed miserably as 2 of its minarets were indubitably protruded and nakedly exposed. they are the 2nd tallest in the world after all.
the concrete behemoth, commonly known as the blue mosque, in shah alam, was secretly photographed (but obviously not to god, though debatably so) in november 2007.
the location:
a simple freeze frame of a group of respected men doing their damnest act while having fun and presumably showing vital/non vital body parts at sungai sendat, selangor in this august 2007 photo.
the location:
while on a state highway 80 in june 2010 driving towards aoraki mt. cook, i managed to pull over the rented car on the gravel side road and walked away, freezing temperature notwithstanding, while the kids were screaming to get out of the child seats and followed my steps. i ignored them and got the chance which they didn’t have (at that moment), to look around and took in what was, an extraordinary landscape – the southern alps.
aoraki mt. cook, at 3,754m, the highest mountain in new zealand, stood proudly and prominently in front of me. it had a magnificent and timeless quality. although i was not really on a high mountain, but the perspective on the world changes almost immediately.
the location:
an estuary from a small inlet flowed through pantai irama in bachok into the gentle slopes of the south china sea. the clear sky was polarised through the glass to provide vibrant colours fit for one of the most famous beaches in kelantan among picnickers and enthusiasts alike. pic was taken in october 2007.
the location:
st. francis xavier stands on top of st. paul’s hill, melaka in this photo dated august 2009. the statue was erected in 1952 with both hands intact but a tree branch fell on his right arm the following day where he remains without a limb until today.
the location:
nitzus 