Sarawak pineapple.

When I saw the Sarawak pineapple that Wuan bought from the fruit shop last weekend, I asked her to let me take a few shots of it before she cut it up. It has been a long time since I trained the Nikon D60 with the AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G on anything interesting. The Speedlight SB-600 was attached with the flash bounced off the ceiling. Despite appearing overly ripe, the pineapple was sour without any hint of sweetness. I was disappointed, especially after hearing about how sweet Sarawak pineapples could be. Nevertheless, my appetite for shooting was satiated, for the moment.

Weather-beaten lamp post at Gurney Drive.

This is one of the few remaining concrete lamp posts at Gurney Drive. It certainly has seen better days. Years of neglect and exposure to the harsh elements have peeled away the surface and exposed the reinforcement bars. I still remember how they lit up the promenade in the evenings. Sadly, unchecked erosion of the beach had toppled the others a long time ago. It is a matter of time before the sea claims this and the rest of the surviving ones as well.

11 Gurney Drive, Penang.

Wuan and I were on our way back to the hotel after a slow stroll along the quieter end of Gurney Drive. It was almost noon. Tall Casuarina tree shaded us from the midday sun. We stopped outside 11 Gurney Drive to rest a little. I looked up. The sight of the skyscraper fascinated me. It was like a neverending flight of stairs leading all the way to heaven and beyond.

Fresh barhi dates.

The Sharon persimmons and the barhi dates are my two favourite exotic fruits; exotic because they are imported and not available all year round. Currently, the barhi dates are widely available due to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. One kilogram costs RM28 at roadside fruit stalls but can fetch up to RM50 in upmarket fruit shops.

Fresh barhi dates.

The first time I had a bite of these fresh yellow dates last year, I took an instant liking to them. They were sweet and crunchy. I later found out that they are called barhi dates and are imported from the Middle East. These delicious dates are available only during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Although they are expensive, I prefer them over dried dates which are a tad too sweet for my liking.

Shadow of carved jade dragon ship.

Sun rays coming through the window and door early in the morning can cast some unusual shadows. One morning, I woke up in time to catch this shadow of the carved jade dragon ship that was standing on top of the television set. I should wake up early more often to see what other interesting shadows the sun casts at different times of the year.

Weaved rattan canes.

These are weaved rattan canes of an Ikea chair. The shallow depth of field caused bokeh in the foreground and background with a very narrow range in between that is in focus. When I look at this image, I am reminded of the many instances in my life when I was unsure of what I should be doing. The past is a blur, the present unfulfilling and the future uncertain. Having gone through these phases, I also understand that nothing stays the same forever. As sure as the sun sets at dusk, it shall rise again at dawn.

The change from paying for the drinks at Jalan Sayur.

Coins are one of those things that we cannot live with yet cannot live without. They weigh down our pockets. They fall out when we do not want them to. They are those little things that get wedged in sofas and car seats. They are also those little things that remind me of a time when I could have gotten a delicious bowl of Hokkien mee from the cigar-chomping hawker at the Caunter Hall – Jalan Terengganu roundabout in Penang with a mere 30 sen.

Red lanterns to herald in the Year of the Tiger 2010 at Ikea.

When the shopping malls are all decked out in red, you can be sure that Chinese New Year is just around the corner. I especially like the simplicity of Ikea’s decor. The red paper lanterns that hung down from the ceiling were as auspicious for the occasion as they could be. They have already put me in a festive mood. I cannot wait for the celebration to begin. My gut feeling is telling me that this year will be different. Five more days to find out if that is true.

Out of focus fairy lights at The Gardens Mall.

Sometimes, doing things out of the ordinary may result in some pleasant surprises. Wuan and I were shooting the Christmas decor at The Gardens Mall. I was fiddling with the manual focus on my Canon Powershot A610 pointed at the fairy lights on one of the Christmas trees. As I moved the focusing distance forward and backward, I discovered that I could create some fancy effects of the lights. The photo above is one of them.