The controversial replica Christ the Redeemer statue, under construction in Portuguese Settlement Melaka

The controversial replica statue of Christ the Redeemer is built recently by the residents of Portuguese Settlement Melaka hoping to complete the construction before Christmas. As it is built without local city council, Melaka Historic City Council (MBMB)’s approval, the construction has been put on hold and has been given a notice to tear down the statue.

Since Portuguese Settlement Melaka is only miles away from where I stay, I dropped by to capture a shot of the headless statue as memory. Let’s hope the issue can be resolved peacefully, and hopefully before Christmas.

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The golden rose on the Coffee Jar’s menu (iPhonegraphy)

Coffee Jar (呷珈琲) is one of the cafes in Melaka I’ve visited many times for its coffee and cheese cake. The coffee, the ambient, the vibe, and most importantly the two owners and also lovely couple, Ivan and Joe Yee are the many reasons I love to visit the cafe.

On one of my recent visit there, I found something beautiful. Each time we drink at the cafe, the owner will serve a glass of water. One of the many glasses, there is this one, when light on the ceiling beams on it, it reflects and creates a golden rose on the surface beneath it. I just happened to be served with that particular glass, and found the golden rose.

If you happen to visit Coffee Jar, try your luck and look for the glass which creates golden rose.

Found some other shots in my phone taken at other visits to Coffee Jar. Find out its business hour and location at their Facebook page.

A cup of latte at the Coffee Jar (iPhonegraphy)

Leica M5 film camera of Tatsuya, a Japanese photographer we met at the Coffee Jar (iPhonegraphy)

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Marina Barrage in the late afternoon (iPhonegraphy)

Mid of October, during my visit to Singapore for meeting with clients for upcoming wedding assignment, we had a chance to visit to Marina Barrage for the first time.

Henry, my childhood friend traveled together and we then met up with our good friend, Koh Yiaw who works in Singapore. He was generous to bring us around in Singapore.

After meeting up with my clients, we told Koh Yiaw that we had not been to Marina Barrage and Gardens by the Bay, although we had been to Singapore for so many times.

The afternoon in Singapore was warm and windy, a fine day for outdoor activities. While waiting for the Big Trees of the Gardens by the Bay to light up in the evening, we drove to Marina Barrage which is next to the it within 5-10 minutes walking distance, to spend the afternoon before the sun set.

The Marina Barrage is a dam built across the mouth of Marina Channel, to help alleviating floods of same areas and supplying water. On top of that, the facility is further utilized by providing a rooftop park for recreational activities.

Koh Yiaw showed us around the dam and brought us to the rooftop park. There were people there hanging out with friends, picnic, kite-surfing, exercising, drone flying, and some even lying on the grass for sun-bathing.

Henry (left) and Koh Yiaw enjoying sunset at the rooftop park of Marina Barrage (iPhonegraphy)

Later afternoon, as sun was going to set, the crowd started to come in, with groups of tourists, prewedding shooting couples, landscape and cityscape photographers, evening yoga lovers and so on. It was the best time to have the view of sunset over Singapore city with Marina Bay Sands in silhouette.

We could see Big Trees of Gardens by the Bay, the gigantic artificial trees were lighted up after the sun set. We then left Marina Barrage and headed for the Big Trees before the sky turned completely dark.

Big Trees of Gardens by the Bay with Marina Bay Sands in scene (iPhonegraphy

The parking of Gardens by the Bay was full and cars were queuing for parking spaces. We did a quick stop to get close to the Big Trees near the ticketing counters, to experience how gigantic the lighted trees. Before the sky went dark, photographing the lighted trees with the colorful sky as backdrop can be interesting and spiced up the mood of the photographs.

Thank you Koh Yiaw again for spending half the day with us showing the two interesting places of Singapore, and also brought us for wonderful meals and coffee.

If you would love to visit the two places, just Google Map and search for Marina Barrage or Gardens by the Bay. The places are reachable with public transport including MRT.

They are next to each other and the admission is free for Marina Barrage and ticket is required on certain areas of Gardens by the Bay. Visit of the outdoor gardens and the Big Trees is however free.

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Klebang desert (also known as Padang Pasir Klebang in Bahasa) in Melaka (iPhonegraphy)

One of recent and new tourist spots in Melaka is the sand dune in Klebang. It is not far to Dataran 1Malaysia Klebang, the beach of Klebang. Ironically being a Malaccan, I came across this place 4 years ago from a non-Malaccan friend who came to visit to Melaka and told me about this place.

Back then, even many locals didn’t know about this place. And now, in every morning and evening, many locals and tourists are here to visit the sand dune and take photos as if they were in the Gobi or Sahara. Thus the place is also known as ‘the desert’. To reach the desert, it takes a 30 to 45 minutes walk to the desert from the barriers, which stop the cars to enter the desert for safety purposes.

So months back in April, I started evening walk for two weeks to prepare for my backpacking journey to India and Nepal in May. I walked to the desert on every evening, explored not only the sand dune, but the area nearby. During the week of my walk, I captured some photos with the only camera I had with me, my mobile phone.

Sharing some shots taken with iPhone and post-processed with iOS apps.

GPS location to the parking of the Klebang Desert :
2.210343, 102.191614

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Chinese New Year 2017 Melaka 马六甲农历新年2017 (iPhonegraphy)

古城老街故人来，春风暖夜笑颜开。

祝大家新年快乐，身体健康，家庭和睦，福慧时增!

Seem to have waken up in the 80s and enjoy the Chinese New Year atmosphere here, with Sarsi and Fanta intoxication.

Wishing everyone a Happy Chinese New Year! May this coming new year be filled with joy, love, peace & wisdom for everyone!

iPhonegraphy at Lorong Jambatan, Kampung Pantai Melaka during Chinese New Year 2017.

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Surprise fireworks of the play, 《小戲節》 from UniPlay Space (單細胞小劇團), on 2017 New Year’s Eve at Seng Cheong Society Youth Section Malacca (晨钟励志社)

Recommended by a good friend, I dropped by and enjoyed a wonderful play, 《小戲節》 from UniPlay Space (單細胞小劇團), on the new year eve at Seng Cheong Society Youth Section Malacca (晨钟励志社) a historical building in Melaka. Three little stories related to our social issues with three different setup on sites of the building, which encouraged us to walk from scene to scene for each play. And at the end of the play, there was a surprise fireworks to celebrate 2017 New Year.

Feel free please to visit UniPlay Space’s Facebook page for their next performance. Thank you again for bringing such amazing performance in Melaka.

Happy New YEEar! May all be happy, be peace, be harmony

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Supermoon before dawn over the Flyover Bandar Hilir of Jalan Syed Abdul Aziz Melaka

Closer look of the supermoon, which appeared for 5 minutes as the weather was cloudy and rainy whole day in Melaka

Kenn and I was looking forward to see the supermoon here in Melaka but the weather was not promising. The sky was blanketed by dark clouds since last night. Right before 7:00am just now, there was a window in the sky which the supermoon shone through for 5 minutes. It was luck and we got to see it just before sunrise.

This would be the closest full moon to earth since year 1948, and the next even closer to earth will be on 2034. See you again in 18 years!

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Uncle Lim, the second generation of Long Fatt Teochew Porridge (隆发潮州粥) family business, on the last day of its business

First hands-on Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera and last day of Long Fatt Teochew Porridge (隆发潮州粥).

Many old industries are losing their ground against the tides of time, including the family-owned Long Fatt Teochew Porridge, being one of the few authentic Teochew Porridge restaurants in Melaka. Due to old age and tiredness, the family decided to cease the business.I could remember, my grandma used to bring me to Long Fatt when I was little boy. As soon as we stepped in, we could hear songbirds’ chirping from the bird cages hanging over the porridge shop.

Grandma and I would normally have Asam fish, boiled salted vegetable, braised eggs, crispy fried anchovies, and much more variety of traditional Teochew dishes to choose from and served with porridge. It was a yummy experience.

Today marks the last day of Long Fatt’s business operation. Having the latest Canon EOS 5D Mark IV (loan unit from Canon Malaysia for review) which holds on the powerful legacy of the 5D line, my friends and I decided to visit and have our lunch at Long Fatt on its last day and at the same time capture some memories of this traditional food for the generations to come.

We went to Long Fatt yesterday actually just before 2:00pm and everything was sold out. Elderly Uncle Lim, the second generation of this family business, and probably on his 80s who stood behind the food counter told us politely to come again on today.

And so this morning, we anticipated the restaurant to be flooded with supporters and dishes would probably sold out too quickly. We went to the shop when it just opened for business on 11:00am today. The crowd was already there, full house!

Uncle Lim was far more busier today than usual, we chose a table next to uncle so that I could setup the camera on a GorillaPod flexible tripod and connected it with my iPhone via Wi-Fi. 5D mark IV indeed comes with Wi-Fi connectivity and can be remotely controlled with our smart phone to snap photos.

Instead of standing in front of Uncle Lim during his busy hour, I could sit on and waited for the right moment and clicked on the smart phone screen to capture the shots of desire, without disrupting uncle.

Alternatively, we could capture the shots by click on the screen. For the first time, Canon brings a touchscreen to the 5D series. On the live view mode, we could focus and capture with a single touch. I personally always love this feature ever since I had a chance to try out the Olympus OMD cameras which have similar functionality.

Now I could compose my shots with the correct exposure using the live view mode, then click-and-snap instantly to capture some details of the food and shop.

We were glad to be able to make it here, and had one good meal on this last day of September. With a camera in hand most importantly, some shots were captured and cementing the memory forever.

Thank you again for serving many of us including our grandparents, such delicious Teochew’s porridge for almost eight decades, since 1930s. Farewell Long Fatt, one of our favorite Teochew Porridge. It was about much more than food, but a rich taste of nostalgia and memories.

Below are images shot today at Long Fatt Teochew Porridge and other places on yesterday, in RAW format with Canon EOS 5D Mark IV with Canon EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens, went through basic RAW post-processing with Lightroom. Let the photos tell its image quality. One thing noticeable, 5D Mark IV shows significant improvement in dynamic range to the 5D line.

PS : We would also like to thank Miss Chia from Canon Malaysia for loaning the Canon EOS 5D Mark IV unit and EF 24-70mm f/4L IS USM lens. Can we have this unit?

Hands-on the latest Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera on the last day of Long Fatt Teochew Porridge (iPhonegraphy)

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16th September is a very spEEcial day. Happy birthday Malaysia and Happy Malaysia Day!

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At the Jus Tembikai Dara stall, Pasar Ramadan Melaka Baru (left : Shufy)

If you ever drop by Pasar Ramadan (Ramadan market) in Melaka Baru, look for this nice young man Shufy at the Jus Tembikai Dara (watermelon juice) stall which sells fresh watermelon juice.

Shufy was my colleague when doing part time waiting his study result. He was smart and hardworking person with entrepreneurial personality. It has been few years since he started this watermelon juice business during the month of Ramadan with his friends.

So please drop by and get juice from him before the Pasar Ramadan ends on eve of Hari Raya. Say hi to him and send regards from CJ, you might get extra juice for your purchase.

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One of the dance performances by the students at the school hall during Pay Fong High School 103th Anniversary Evening Performance

After a lovely prewedding portrait with a couple from KL, I managed to drop by Pay Fong High School Melaka for its 103th Anniversary Celebration in the evening. There were performances going on at its school hall, celebrating the school’s 103th birthday.

Although I was not a Pay Fong’s student and I visited the school’s functions and event especially the cultural ones. There were singing, choir, band, dancing, orchestra, poetry, diabolo (扯铃), Chinese cross talk (相声), martial art performance and 24 Festival Drums performances during the evening.

I came straight after a shoot so had my gears with me. While enjoying the show, I walked around in the hall and took some shots of the performance. Please enjoy the photos taken below, and also the videos of the evening performance too created by our videography friend, Benny Liu from BL Imaging.

103 is a great age to be! Congratulation to Pay Fong High School and best wishes for the school’s continuing success and producing the finest students.

The post Pay Fong High School 103th Anniversary Evening Performance 马六甲培风中学103周年校庆文娱晚会 appeared first on juesatta (CJ Photography).

First visit to the latest cafe in Melaka, The Coffee JAR (呷珈琲)

There is a new cafe in town recommended by a friend, Yalu. Specializing in espresso drinks, it has a unique name, The Coffee JAR or ‘呷珈琲’ in Chinese. They roast their own beans and make nice espresso-based coffee.

When I was doing 360 panorama shots at Stadthuys, inspired after Mark Zuckerberg shared a 360 spherical panorama shot as a new feature for Facebook, I passed by this shop nearby, just at Lorong Hang Jebat next to the parking of Hard Rock Cafe.

Yalu was there too. After talking to the nice couple owners, I was told that they just had their grand opening a day before.

I ordered a cup of latte, loved it.

Second visit to The Coffee JAR with Fred, Ah Ee, Chow Gui and Bear

Week after that, Fred invited us for a coffee. Then I suggested this new place to him and with Ah Ee, Chow Gui and Bear, we went to The Coffee JAR.

There were some Chinese oldies played at the cafe the with a classic player – cassette. It was in good condition and yes, with many cassettes available from their collection.

This reminded us of the good old days when having a cassette player was considered a luxury to many. That was time when we didn’t have those players like what we have now as stylish CD or MP3 players. Friends after the 90s might not know the use of a pencil to a cassette

Again, we enjoyed nice coffee over the classical songs over the afternoon.

Hopefully we can make a third visit soon

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Homemade Sarawak Laksa in Melaka (top right : Fred’s mom)

After celebrated the wedding of Fred & Renee back in May, they then invited to their house for a dinner as an appreciation dinner in helping of their wedding.

Just a bit about Fred. He is from Kuching (which also known as the Cat City), the capital city of Sarawak state. He then came to Melaka and did his uni degree in MMU Melaka. That was when he fell in love with Renee, a sweet Malaccan girl.

After graduated Fred remains in Melaka and works as engineer in Melaka. Fred is also a enthusiastic photographer, we knew him during a photography gathering about six years back. As we continue to grow in our passion in photography, taking part in activities together, we then became good friends, and were chosen to be his groomsmen on his wedding.

Early this month after his wedding, Fred invited us to his house for dinner. A dinner we always wished for – with Sarawak Laksa. Originally from Kuching!

Fred’s mom moved from Kuching to Melaka early this year. She brought packets of original Sarawak Laksa paste from Kuching and keeping them fresh in fridge.

We were so lucky. When we reached Fred’s house, we could smell the scent of spices from the laksa Fred’s mom had cooked. It made us mouth-watery. The ingredients were already on the table with the laksa soup ready in the pot. Fred then taught us how to mix and prepare bowls of laksa.

Needless to say, the Fred’s mama’s Sarawak Laksa was really good, different from our Nyonya Laksa or the Penang Laksa we had before, but was tasty. What makes it unique is the paste, belacan definitely plays a big role in it. Fred told me that the paste only produced by a few companies in Sarawak. Its ingredients thus remain a myth.

Thank you Fred & Renee again for inviting us! And we would like to give a big hug and big thank you to Fred’s mom for her hard work in preparing the yummy laksa for us. Would definitely love to eat again

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Sharing by Cristjen Lai at Plat Kitchen (top left : Cristjen)

After an event shoot at A’Famosa Resort Malacca early this month, we made a quick drive back to Plat Kitchen in town. There was a sharing session by Cristjen Lai, a travel-artist who born in England and travels around the globe.

I first saw Cristjen’s work was the exhibition of his works at The Baboon House 2-3 years back. His drawing of portraits which emphasize the eyes of subjects really captured my attention. Now we had a chance to attend his talk.

There were also Max the travel-musician from Melaka and Silvia from Italy, these two artists sharing their travel experiences after Cristjen’s. We were late after covering the event, and yet managed to cut into the last session by Silvia, joining our friends Brendon and Avex who were already there.

Even though we missed the sharing by Cristjen and Max, we later on had a quick chat with him. We were told about his background, that he had been traveling and staying in Melaka for about a year already. He will be leaving Melaka soon to other places in the end of month. That was why he decided to do a sharing with fellow Malaccans before he leaves.

We talked about his decision of life too. He was a top student and gave out his medicine degree study to pursue his dream in art and travel around the globe, despite there was objection from the family. The reason of it – passion. He took the path where his heart told him to, doing what he really loves to.

Additionally, there are a couple of projects which are going on, initiated by Cristjen. One of them is to encourage children to draw, and hold exhibition for them. Truly inspiring and encouraging!

Big thanks to Plat Kitchen for hosting the sharing session. And thank you again Cristjen for sharing your experience and inspiration with us, we wish you all the best in your future journey.

Follow Cristjen’s Facebook to see some on his beautiful drawing.

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The Daily Fix Cafe in Jonker Street Melaka (bottom center : Murphy)

After having the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter from Mac City last month, I can now transfer photos straight from my camera to iPhone or iPad tablet, process them then post directly from iOS.

Last month, after a portrait session at our studio, my good friend Murphy invited me to his newly found favorite spot for coffee, The Daily Fix Cafe. It’s also one of my favorite cafes in Melaka.

I had the Camera Adapter with me to the cafe with Murphy, and my camera too. So I did some captures at the cafe, which is always my thing to jalan-jalan and photograph. Right now, it’s even better! I could transfer the images to my iPad immediately, did some post-processing with Snapseed, a great and free photo editing app from Google. Then share the photo to my Facebook or Instagram directly, while the coffee is still warm.

Here’s a collage of images taken at the cafe. Try the pandan pancakes, their specialty when you are there, and add on ice-cream to it

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