After covering a dozen of weddings in many different places, he finally gets to add his hometown to the list. A good friend since the university days, Sze Yin invited him and wife to her wedding on the the Mid-Autumn Festival to be more than just guests – photographer for him, bride’s jiemei for her. It was truly an honor to say the least.
With the charming Mien Wee, both of them made a very lovely couple. The wedding was a simple yet fun affair. A lunch party with a small company of close friends and family in the Crystal Inn was filled with plenty of warmth and love. Less is more. His type of wedding.
A very Happy Birthday to Sze Yin whose birthday falls on tomorrow!
The usual drill. Highlights of the day below. Facebook. Slideshow.
A week after their solemnization, Gordon and Jocelyn had their transnational customary wedding across the border (actually, just between Woodlands and JB only lah). The joy of taking pictures for your good friend’s wedding – you watched and joined the actual fun without getting sabo-ed like the rest of the groom’s entourage. Also got to meet up with many familiar faces from Temasek Hall during the lunch.
Heartiest congratulations to Gordon and Jocelyn!
Bridal makeup by thelittlebrush.
Check out some highlights. More on facebook and slideshow.
On the same day after they visited the zoo, the four of them left for Cameron Highlands at night via a long-haul Konsortium bus from Golden Mile Tower. The overnight journey from Singapore took more than 10 hours. The SGD58 one-way ticket did not match the condition of the bus itself. In other words, avoid Konsortium bus at all costs if possible. They had no choice because all other bus services was tied to hotel bookings.
After checking in at Rosa Pasadena Hotel (3-star, RM128 for twin sharing per room per night) at Brinchang, he booked a local tour from the hotel lobby. At RM25 per person, the tour covered destinations including Rose Garden, Butterfly Farm, Boh Tea Plantation farm, Honey Bee Farm, Strawberry Farm and a Chinese Temple. Departed at 1.30 pm from hotel lobby in a van with 6 other travelers (2 Filipinos, 1 Malaysian and 3 Dutch), the trip ended at around 7pm. Dinner was steamboat at the OK Tuck Restaurant which was highly recommended by the locals. Verdict: not bad lah.
The second day in Cameron Highlands was mostly spent walking around in Tanah Rata (RM8 taxi ride from Brinchang), a major hub whereas it seats several hotels, parks and comercial center. They had a fantastic lunch at T-Cafe (check out their Strawberry Fruity Scone and Mango Lassi!). Back in Brinchang, they discovered Strawberry Moment which sells all things strawberries! Besides dried strawberries, strawberry jam, strawberry chocolate and strawberry tea, Mum bought a whole piece of strawberry strudel for supper back in the hotel. 
Dinner was yet again steamboat, but in another recommended place called You Hoo Restaurant which was equally good if not better than the previous one. Anyway, in a cool place like Cameron Highlands, nothing really can beat a steamboat dinner, especially with family members.
Some pictures to share, as always.
Auntie. Christmas.
Uncles. Newspapers.
And assorted dim sums. That pretty summed up their breakfast at Tho Yuen Restaurant (92 Lebuh Campbell). Like most of the other eateries they’ve been to, they found their way here through Lonely Planet Guide’s recommendation. No angmohs or youngsters seen. Probably just got into bed after a night of wild party.
Wife had just recovered from stomach upset. Porridge suited her better than those greasy oily (yummy) dim sums. As much as he missed the dim sums in Ipoh, this one was not too bad either.
Roaming around the small lanes in Georgetown appreciating dilapidated buildings on Christmas Day did not seem appealing. Instead they decided to take a public bus to Kek Lok Si Temple.
Reaching the largest Buddhist temple in Malaysia was no easy feat. They had to snake through a maze of souvenir stalls, past turtle and fish ponds in order to reach the entrance. Perhaps they might revisit this place again once the 16 bronze columns supporting a roof over the colossus 120-feet high bronze status of Kuan Yin (Goddess of Mercy) is completed.
A poor man’s wide angle scene at the hilltop area.
The workers taking break at the base of the giant statue.
Their next destination was supposed to be the Penang Hill, but the 30-minute funicular railway ride ticket had sold out by the time they reached at 2pm. 7pm tickets were available, but obviously without much of a demand.
Returning to the city by bus, they proceeded to Komtar Tower, Penang’s tallest building, standing at 65 storeys, 232m tall. At the cost of RM15 per person (inclusive of drink, well..), they took the lift to reach the highest level of the building. Located in the heart of Georgetown, they were able to scrutinize the whole city lying bare naked, 360 degrees from that highest floor.
Wall-E? No thanks.
A multi exposure taken from the tower of the city with his Holga. Hardly an exaggeration of the cityscape. Busy is an understatement.
From there on, they repeated Day 1 routine. Back to Gurney Drive again for dinner (different food, minus the photography, because he was too hungry), did some shopping in Gurney Plaza (just her), caught Twilight in Golden Screen Cinema until midnight before they called it a day and got slapped with an additional RM10 for taxi fare.
