Operasi SAR Kg Kemansah

Last Saturday, I received a call from Gerakan to report duty for "Operasi Orang Sesat". This time it was at Kg Kemansah area, Hulu Kelang. The victim was a 26+ old woman. I had prior arrangements and only picked up my gears at home and rushed to the scene around midnight. It was a joint operation between police, JPAM (Civil Defence), 4WD members and the villagers. There was also the Police Air Wing and the K9 unit. There were 35 members from JPAM.

Teams were sent into the jungle at 2am. "tempat ni memang keras" said one of the local villagers. Hmmm...I was telling myself "now how does that bit of information useful to calm the nerves of the search party?". I felt like saying "abang ni boleh diam tak?" but I knew that it was wishful thinking on his part.

JPAM's heavy rescue vehicle with communication tower

The guys were poking fun at me. You see I bought myself an Aitor Jungle King 2 survival knife...been eying for one...resisted but succumbed to the temptation. However, during operations, I am always there at the PKTK (Pos Kawalan Tempat Kejadian), helping the Ops Officer organize the running of the whole ops.

Another factor is I have knee problem because of my old 'rempit' days. I was riding at 80+ km/h when I hit another motorcyclist, went flying, landed on my knee and my motorcycle used my legs as a landing spot. Next day, it was swollen like really bad. Until now, its not that good for climbing high places.

I didnt sleep at all right up to the next morning, communicating with the various search parties via radio and coordinating with the other agencies. At 1000hrs, I got my chance to silence the guys once and for all. I was instructed to go in with a party of 5 to check out a specific area. The name of the place? Air Terjun Sofea Jane. I was like saying "wow sedapnye nama". They named it after the said actress shot a movie scene there.

the police K9 unit

We teamed up with the police K9 unit...which comprises of the K9 itself, a handler and a helper. Man, that K9 was a big one. Since I was walking flank, the K9 was right behind me. Luckily it was a well trained dog. I am sure my 'well developed' calf muscles smells like KFC to him..haha. As we were trekking uphill, I could hear the dog's breathing getting louder and louder...like a locomotive. Looking back, I asked the corporal "Kopral, anjing you ni ok ke? Macam nak kena sakit jantung je" (Translated: Corporal, is you dog ok? sounds like he's having a heart attack soon). The answer..."Dia penat sangat ni. Silap2 boleh mati ni. Kita berhenti kasi dia rehat dulu la, boleh tak?" (Translated: He is very tired. He could even die. We stop to let him rest a bit). The helper took out its bowl and pour water for it to drink. I find that very amusing. Thanks to the dog, people like me could also rest without looking 'out of shape"...hahaha.

the "air terjun Sofea Jane"

When we arrived at the place, it was beautiful. I went down to the bottom of the waterfall and recite some prayers including azan (supposedly to 'free' the victim IF she was 'trapped' by evil spirits). Suddenly...a strong, sweet smelling aroma...and the hairs on my neck stood up. I looked up and I was all alone. Unknown to me, the rest of the guys had gone over the other side, thinking that I needed some 'privacy'. Hmmm...what to do now? Well you asked for it Kaz, so now you face it like a man. Hoya! In the midst of this tense silence... except for the sound of the waterfall... my heart pounding....it was a very erie feeling...suddenly....jeng! jeng!... suddenly the radio crackles and I almost jumped out of my skin in fright. "Semua tim penyelamat. mangsa telah ditemui. lapur balik ke PKTK. over" Haha...I bet you Rambo never had any of these Kodak moments.

the crowd including concerned relatives and friends

To cut the story short, the damsel in distress was rescued. Based on what has happened to her, the moral of the story:-

- Never be over confident and enter the jungle alone
- Always respect the jungle and its habitants
- Respect the guardian. If the guard advice you to not enter, dont go and hurl abusive words.

My First Wedding Job

Huhu, who would have thought...me...doing wedding photography? Well....I did that twice before, once as a favour (so that doesnt count as 'official') and the other was to bail out a friend who had to leave early while on the job (so that doesnt count as 'official' too). Guess that makes this one 'THE ONE' (official that is).

Understandably I was nervous. Why? I am not sure really. I think it may be because I dont know whether my 'taste' appeals to the bride & groom. After all, photography is a form of art and beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Well I guess the groom's family had seen my work (my 2nd 'unofficial' job was during the eldest sister's wedding) or maybe they were just doing me a favor.

I couldnt sleep that night. At 2am I was still busy cleaning lenses and charging batteries. Just like a small kid with his 'new' toy. At last, I managed to put in about 3 hours of sleep. Borrowing Catz's favourite expression..."crazy"...haha.

The groom is the son of Dato' Sham & Datin Saadiah, fondly called Ijan (not sure of his full name though). The bride and groom had insisted there will be no 'bersanding' ceremony on either side, so it makes it more challenging for me to get good shots.

I would like to share with you this unique wedding reception on the groom's side. Why unique? It was a BBQ reception, with stalls serving BBQ stuff, beriyani, char kueh teow, sotong kangkung, tauhu bakar, ice kacang etc etc.

The groom's reception




The families

The groom's family


The bride's family

To the bride and groom, I wish them "Semoga bahagia ke anak cucu. Amin"

Bali Revisited....Part 2

Gunung Kawi

Tanah Lot

Ulu Danu

Pura Luhur (Uluwatu)

Taman Ayun

Jimbaran

....to be continued...final part

Bali Revisited....Part 1

I took a trip to Bali as a closing for the year 2008. I had planned it sometime back. Everytime I went to Bali, it was to visit the various dive sites and never had a 'real' opportunity to see the various land attractions. I had seen what Bali had to offer underwater and now its time to see things topside.

This time I didnt even pack my underwater housing. Instead I brought my D80...finally...had enough money to own a DSLR and what better place to test it than Bali.

Originally I had wanted to write a diary sort of writing, depicting every step that we took. Then I found out that its hard work doing that. Catz also commented that the very idea of blogging is to tell things as how it is, and not like writing a report. Hmmm...

Well, here are a few pictures of the places we visited:-

Malaysian Owned Spa

Surprisingly the owner is a Malaysian...from USJ. We liked his shop, as it was nicely decorated, clean and...with your own personal multimedia console where you can watch cable TV or your favourite DVD. For 2 hours of foot massage, facial, Balinese massage and body scrub, including refreshments, it costs Rph150,000.

Nasi Sunda

I cant remember the name of the rice package (i.e. the one in the basket). In this picture also including Gado-Gado, Pekedil and Sup Buntut.

Hard Rock Cafe

Went there to take photos and buy some souvenirs. I kind of like this place for its live music and the showmanship of the grinder girls (which simply means...girls using grinders against the armor plate they wore)

Pacung

Nice place to eat with a commanding view of the valley below. The food is served as a buffet package. Halal food as evident by the steady flow of local muslim tourists.




Kecak Dance

A famous traditional dance performed during sunset, it depicts the stories adapted from Ramayana. After the kecak dance, a man performs the Sanghyang Jaran dance. Riding a wooden horse, and under trance, he charges through a pile of burning coconuts shells.




Barong Dance

Another entertaining cultural performance. This dance is performed in the morning around 9am. The Barong dance depicts an ancient folk tale which includes a scene where a group of men, evidently under trance, try to puncture their bodies with Keris, an ancient Malay weapon.

Rice Terrace

Here there is a cafe overlooking the rice terrace. Open air concept with the splendid breeze blowing while you sip on your coffee. Priceless

....to be continued