Cotton Silk Tree in Merdeka Square, Kuching

On my recent trip home to Kuching (again, yes I am traveling home more and more often these days, why not, mum would love me to visit more frequently), the popular cotton silk tree found directly in front of Merdeka Palace Hotel in Padang Merdeka blossomed and scattered cotton like deposits all over the surrounding area. If only Kuching was not scorching hot that particular weekend, it would have been like we had snow for a while. The tree only blossoms once in two to three years, and I have had the chance to witness this special event during my secondary years in St Thomas School, which was situated nearby. We even had the "snow" blown into the school compound by the wind.

Unfortunately during my visit to the tree with my camera, there was no wind to simulate the "snowing" effect. Nonetheless the tree itself is quite a magnificent view to feast your eyes upon.

The tree is over a century old, reaching 27.4 meters tall, and rumor has it that it is worth more than RM1 Million (about 235,000 USD).

Here is a bowl of Laksa to celebrate the luck that I had to be home during the same time the cotton silk tree blossomed!

Sarawak Laksa, Chong Choon Cafe, Padungan, Kuching

Do you guys have similar tree at your place? Do share your stories! I certainly have not come across similar cotton silk tree elsewhere in Malaysia, this could be the only one. 

Check Out The New Mirrorless Bag From Ming Thein!

Not too long ago, Ming Thein released his Ultimate Daybag (in coloboration with premium camera bag manufacturer, Frankie Falcon) which I have written about here (click). While that original version of MT x FF bag was great in many ways, large and spacious to fit many, many items efficiently into it. However to me, a photography enthusiast who use small mirrorless cameras, I did not find the need to carry that many items with me when I go out for my shutter therapy sessions. Like many other minimalist shooters out there, I carry one small mirrorless body and perhaps 2 to 3 small lenses, and a smaller bag customized for smaller system would make more sense. Recognizing the need for a smaller bag for the growing mirrorless shooting crowd, here comes the new Mirrorless Bag from Ming Thein!

I fully understand my partnership with Ming Thein, so this is not exactly a review, and should not be viewed as one. I just happened to have the bag with me and I thought why not I share my own thoughts after using it for a day or two.

Food Adventures in Kuching

My hometown, Kuching is located at the heart of Borneo Island, which is separated from the rest of Peninsular Malaysia by the South China Sea. It is only natural that the food found here would be different from the usual encounters in West Malaysia. Typically people rave about Penang and Ipoh food but when asked if they have tried Sarawakian food, many of my friends have not even explored the beautiful Kuching, which is only about an hour and a half flight time away from Kuala Lumpur. Therefore, in this particular short trip back to my hometown, I had one goal, to eat as much as I can and to share photographs of glorious Kuching food with you beautiful readers!

I was travelling together with Jason Lioh (once a popular food blogger known as Jasonmumbles) a friend hailing from Malacca, and this was his first proper "food trip" to Kuching. Joining us was Jian, a super famous comic blogger who has successfully published two books. Jian was our driver and guide throughout the whole trip.

Kolo Mee

Kim Joo at Carpenter Street. 

Packing A Short Trip Into Lowepro Campus+ Backpack

One of the perks of not being tied to a camera company anymore, was the freedom to move around and get invited to product launches from other manufacturers. When an invite came for Lowepro's 50 Years Celebration and launch of their new bags, it was liberating to be able to say yes and attend. It was indeed a surreal experience for me, since the roles have been swapped: that I no longer am the host and organizer of the media and consumers events and finally can participate as a guest. In this case, I went to the Lowepro event as a blogger and photographer.

Lowepro Campus+ backpack easily packs in all my travel essentials for my short trip home to Kuching soon!

It Has Retro-Classic Design And Can Even Charge Your Phone And Smart Devices

When I first saw it on display at a local store, I was instantly enamored by the Leica-esque design. The silver retro design was just screaming for attention. I actually walked out of the store because I did not want to end up buying an item that I may not have that much need for, but then I just could not stop thinking about it! So I bought one for myself, you know, sometimes we can have nice things too. Perhaps, once in a while, it is prudent to reward ourselves with something that we truly want, but not desperately need.