…title suggested by Karen for the day when I attempted two different workouts and felt pain from both. Fail dot com dot my -____-”

270809
21-15-9 reps for time of:
Handstand Push Ups
Burpees
Knees-to-elbows
Results: 12:28 / 13:17 (plus 3 reps)
Enjoyed this short & sweet workout. My HSPU’s have improved slightly, I can go deeper now even at the 7th rep whereas previously I would have just done a shallow one after the first 2. Managed to steadily maintain proper form for burpees (high jumps & claps. wOOt!) as well as knees-to-elbows, so even tho my time isn’t very good, was satisfied with the form for this WOD.

Photo courtesy of Pushmore. Knees to elbows.

280809
Five rounds for time of:
15 Kettlebell/Dumbell Thrusters @ 35lbs/25lbs
15 Ring Dips
Result: DNF (Did Not Finish) Barbell @ 50lbs. Did two round within 6:50 but decided to stop as I could feel pain on my left shoulder. I think my previous injury has not fully healed 0.o

Attempted to do last Saturday’s workout of run 3 rounds of 1.6km. Took me about 5 mins plus to do 800 metres before my right knee started acting up again. The knee support didn’t help much. I guess the sensei was right when he said I shouldn’t put so much weight on it for the time being. There goes my participation in the next few running events. FML -______-”

Bleh. Since I couldn’t finish the two above workouts, I picked something which I knew I could complete.
3 rounds for time;
10 Deadlifts @108lbs
10 Chin Ups
Result: 7:08
Thought I was slower than the last time I did this (072209), but it turned out that my time had improved by 33 seconds. Yay!

30082009
Swam 20 laps x 25 metres. Didn’t stop as many times as previously, a sign that my endurance is getting a lil bit better? Or it must’ve been the caffeine high -__-”

Whoa! Its been a week since I last updated the fitness blog. I’m just gonna chuck in all the past week’s workouts into one post as I’m supposed to be finishing up some pictures now instead of blogging >.<

21082009
Swam for 20 laps x 25 metres after a looooong day of shoot. Didn’t realise it would but my right knee actually felt slightly painful even when I was swimming. FML 0.o Need to go check it again soon.

23082009
After a hiatus of more than 6 months, I went climbing. Yes! Headed to Camp 5 with Edm, Andrew, Ping and Ah Boy. I warmed up on the auto belay wall, climbed approx 6 routes there before heading to the leadwall where I cleaned 3 routes and lead 1 easy route. Good times but sore fingers >.< Thereafter we went swimming. Did 10 laps x 25 metres.

24082009
“Cindy”
In 20 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of:
5 Pull Ups
10 Push Ups
15 Squats
Result: 11 rounds + 5 Pull Ups
Did chest to bar for the pull ups. Was initially targeting for 15 rounds, but by the time I reached round 8, I was bloody tired!

25082009
Woke up in the morning and the weather was sooooo damn good that I decided to take the morning off work and went climbing. Seeing that it was my second year anniversary (yes, August 25 is the actual date :D), I told myself I deserved to take a break. Hah! Excuses, excuses.

Headed over to Nanyang Wall in Batu Caves with John-Son and Juan. The weather was awesome but by noontime it got quite hot and I actually turned 3 shades darker. Well, something like 3 shades anyway :p Cleaned 3 routes and lead one super easy route.

John-Son giving Juan a backrub? Nah, he was just applying sunblock for him ;p Talking on the phone while belaying? Luckily you’re not at Camp 5 :p

I’m starting a new fashion fad - “Towel Head Look” >.< Yes, it was THAT hawt! Literally

Headed back to work for a couple of hours before going off to Pushmore for the below workout,
“4500kgs for time.” (actual workout was from 21082009)
Bring a total of 4,500kgs (3,000kgs for women) from ground to overhead.
- You choose the weight and exercise. Kettlebells, dumbells, or barbell, your choice.
- Every rep must start from the ground and finish overhead.
- Example would be to do 188 reps of KB Clean & Jerk @ 24kg(188 X 24kg=4512kgs).
- Record total time, reps and exercise used.
Result: 53:11 (15kg x 223 reps of push press with barbell)
This workout was no joke. It was fun but the high repetitions got to me after the first half. Will definitely do this again in a couple of months time. Perhaps sometime next year ;p The DOMS that I got from this workout lasted ’til today. No joke.

26082009
Weighted Pull Ups
3-3-3-3-3
Result: 12, 16, 16, 17, 18.5kg
Threw myself into this workout even though there was no time element as I headed over about an hour before the noon closing time. The first 3 sets was ok and when I decided to upp it by another kilo, I struggled by the third rep. Took a break before the final set to do the below ab workout. Struggled like a stuck pig with the final weights but managed to complete the last rep with a weird kip.

100 Sit Ups For Time
Result: 3:10

It dawned upon me that it has been two years.

Two years since I said goodbye to the corporate rat race, two years since I leaped into the unchartered (by me anyway) waters of life as a freelancer. Personal sacrifices were made, lifestyle changes happened. Gone were the days where I had the security of a steady pay to cover my expenses, medical coverage to rely on and in rolled the days where I would be editing till the wee hours of the morning, shooting 10 hours straight with heavy gears, feeling absolutely sore after a full day shoot.

And you know what? I have no regrets AT ALL. Sure, like those who run their own businesses, I do have my down days. When those days happens, I mentally slap myself and remind myself that I have what I deem as one of THE best jobs in the world. Seriously.

When I reached my first year of being a full time photographer, I sent out an email to my clients. This time round, I decided to write this blog post for I not only want to thank my clients but basically everyone!

To my family who despite being far away, are supportive (and I hope proud :D) of what I do. To my close friends who have become my family away from home. To those who check out my blog and leave your kind words (or constructive criticism!), thank you for making my virtual world less lonely ;) To my clients who have given me the opportunity of being part of their big day and the honour of capturing their most intimate moments, you don’t know just how happy I am to be part of it all.

I know this sounds totally cliche (but since its my blog, I’m allowed to be ;p) but seriously, it is thanks to everyone’s endless support and God’s grace that I am blessed to be doing what I am doing now. I’ve had the opportunity to meet (and shoot!) so many wonderful people in the past two years and sometimes it seems like I’ve got THE best clients in the world.

I’m way far from being the best photographer in the industry (work in progress!), but one thing’s for sure. I love what I do with a passion. You know how it is when you feel like you’re about to burst with joy and you wanna hug someone and share the happiness? Well, sometimes when there’s no one around, I actually say ‘Thank you’ out loud. And I would be smiling to myself when I say that. Call me crazy but that’s how you make me feel and I feel so lucky at times that I’m afraid that all this is just a dream.

I used to think that only fools would believe that dreams come true. I’m glad I was that fool, for this, what I’m doing now, is a dream come true for me.

Thank you for sharing the journey with me. Here’s to many more awesome years ahead!

With Mucho Love & Appreciation,
The Cheesy / Corny / Crazy Photographer

Family holiday + Cool teenager + Crazy photographer = The makings of an awesome portrait session ;)

Imagine what a pleasant surprise I had when Ati sent me an email enquiring about my photography services. I mean, of course photographers would receive enquiries everyday, but this was different as it was from Bahrain. Yes, as in Middle East Bahrain. Thanks to the wonders of google, Ati found my blogsite online and contacted me right before his annual family trip to Kuala Lumpur. This trip was their 7th time in Malaysia (if I’m not mistaken ;p) and it being his last year of high school, Ati decided to have a portrait session done. Something along the lines of senior year portraits.

On the day of the shoot, I headed over to the Grand Millenium hotel where they were staying and started off the session cracking jokes with Ati. He was way cool throughout the session and perfectly at ease when I would suggest poses for the session. I think he would’ve gone into an intricate yoga pose if I had suggested it! Love it when my clients are game for anything!

Ati, I had tons of fun during the portrait session and I’m ecstatic that you liked the pictures! Hope you and your family enjoyed your trip to KL this time round. Now don’t go home telling your friends that all Malaysian photographers are crazy k? Most of them are quite normal. I think you were just ‘unfortunate’ enough to meet one who was absolutely off the wall :p Hehe…take care and all the best with your studies!

Had the pleasure of working together with uber talented Adam Ong recently on Raymond and Chia Wee’s wedding. We covered the tea ceremony at Palace of the Golden Horses in Seri Kembangan and their dinner reception at KL Tower on the day that there were massive roadblocks in Kuala Lumpur due to some protests.

It was a memorable day for me, not only because of how fun Raymond and Chia Wee’s celebrations were, but because it was the first time my journey to a wedding venue was akin to the Amazing Race. After driving around looking for loopholes into KL City, I ended up taking the train to town and walking to the venue from the Pasar Seni LRT Station. Thanks to Adam for picking me up near KL Tower otherwise I would’ve fainted before I reached the tower (what with nearly 10kg of gear in my backpack 0_o).

That adventure aside, I enjoyed the day. Right from the morning festivities where Chia Wee’s friends had fun ‘torturing’ Raymond and his friends with the games before they could reach the bride to the end of the night, where the newlyweds had rowdy toasts of happiness with their family and friends.

Raymond and Chia Wee, thank you so much for having us be part of the celebrations. It was evident you two had fun that night! Hope you enjoyed your trip back in KL, catching up with family and friends. Take care in Dubai and do keep in touch :)

I don’t often do black & white shots, but I think its befitting for the below two shots ;)

Spot Adam in the tea ceremony pic! Adam, thanks again for calling me up to assist you. It was an absolute pleasure!

The newlyweds receive gifts in the form of jewellery from their elders during the tea ceremony




View from the banquet hall in KL Tower. Yes, it was a hazy day ;p






Congratulations again you two! :)

On Sunday afternoon, I actually headed to the park and did approximately 4km jog on the upper loop. Had the knee guard on but I think I overcompensated with my left leg as there was slight pain on my hip area even after I finished running. Went to see the sensei and he recommended a break from working out for a couple of days.

This morning, I decided to go for a workout at Pushmore after a weeklong hiatus. Work’s been pretty hectic as I’ve been catching up with editing that I missed out on doing when I was away in KK. It was nice to take some time off work and go for a workout but maaaan, it’s gonna take me awhile to gain back the lost mass and strength. Didn’t do today’s WOD as my knee’s still a bit wonky.

For time 5 - 10 -15 - 20 - 15 - 10 - 5 reps of
Pull Ups
Handstand Push Ups
Ring Dips
Result: 33:43 (RD’s done with red band)
Yes, I took a looooong time finishing this workout. It annoys the $3it out of me that the body takes such a long time to regain strength when you can easily lose it just by not working out consistently. Alas, thats’ how it works. So, today will mark the start of it all again. Yes, I’m overdramatic I know :p

Nadia’s portrait session was absolutely last minute. She had seen her sister Devy’s portraits with Herman from a couple of days ago and decided she wanted to get hers done as well. It was only when I was having dinner with my sister and Devy that I found out the session was confirmed. As I had only 2 days left in KK, that night was the only time I had left to squeeze in a session for Nadia and initially I was a bit hesitant to say yes as it was already night. Then I thought, oh what the heck, since I’ve never done a night shoot before, this can be the first.

So after dinner, we picked Nadia up and headed to town for a fun filled, laughter infused portrait session :) But of course, you won’t be seeing any laughing shots in this set, since it was a night shoot, we decided to go for something a tad bit more demure, dark (both literally and figuratively :p) and a bit more ‘posey’. Err…is that even a word?

Nadia, I’m glad you enjoyed the session. It was fun shooting you cos you are just up for anything, so that is waaaay cool! Thanks for working it out even with onlookers all around town. You rock! And thanks to my sister Aishah, whom I shall now refer to as ‘The Light Source’ for helping me out with my lighting. Yay for free labor! ;)

When Peter and Aneeta met up with me and said that they wanted me to shoot their wedding, I was ecstatic! Then I found out I was already booked for another wedding :( After finding out that I was actually going to be in Kota Kinabalu at the same time as their honeymoon there, Peter and Aneeta decided to have a post wedding shoot instead.

That got me really excited as after meeting up with them, I was already thinking to myself how great it would be to shoot this lovely couple :) And this would be the first time I would be shooting a couple’s post wedding session. Imagine that, a portrait session just two days after their wedding! What an honour!

So it was on the second day of their honeymoon that we met up and went around KK town and the beach (definitely!) for their portrait session. Here are some of my favourite shots from the day :) Enjoy!

Meet Peter and Aneeta, I think they both look deliciously here. Nom nom.

Yes, its evident Peter finds his new bride yummy too. Absolutely.



It’s nose rub time!


That’s Aneeta’s wedding dress. Love the laced sleeves & details!

These two are ridiculously cute together. I like!

The next two diptychs are similar in style, but I couldn’t decide so I posted up both of them ;)

Peter and Aneeta, thank you for spending the afternoon with me :) You two were an absolute joy to shoot and the love that you have for each other is evident in the pictures taken that day. Despite the slight haze which blocked out what could’ve been a lovely sunset, you two rocked the session - big time! I wish you two many years of happiness and mutual love for each other. Hope you had a memorable honeymoon in Kota Kinabalu!

Speak no evil, see no evil and hear no evil ;p Thanks to one of Magellan Sutera Resort’s concierge for the shot!

I shot Devy and Herman’s wedding back earlier this year so it was a pleasant surprise when she contacted me again to have casual portraits done of her and Herman. They picked me up from town and we started off the shoot at what used to be the old post office next to HSBC in KK. Its actually a spot where A LOT of KK photographers have gone to shoot, but for me it was the first time ;)

As expected, I had loads of fun shooting these two! Herman was a tad bit self-conscious at the start of the session, but after awhile, he was on fire! Devy was so easy to shoot and she had no qualms about anything I asked them to do :) I like!

So happy! I like!




Devy rockin’ it with the cats eyes!

Devy and Herman, I had a bomb shooting you two :D Can’t wait to shoot your family session the next round!
Take care and thanks again for the seafood dinner in Foh Sang. Yums ;) (Pic credit: innocent bystander, didn’t get his name. Eeks. Sorry!)

In 15 minutes, do as many rounds as possible of:
10 Medicine Ball Cleans
10 Pull Ups
Results: 5 rounds (10 + 5)
Strict pull ups >.<

100 Sit Ups
Results: 4:21