No tripod? No problem!

I've been meeting up with several friends in KL over the last few days. Eating overpriced nasi lemak (at least RM 7) and other hawker dishes at supposedly authentic, franchised cafes has made me a little disillusioned.

Nonetheless, after meeting a friend today for dinner, I decided to conduct some night shooting on my own. With the Olympus E-3, I needed to lug around my tripod, or risk the possibility of very noisy images at ISO 1600 and above. With my new rig, a pair of steady hands (despite the lack of Image Stabilization), and proper control of exposure in manual mode, the above issues can be avoided, although you will not be able to shoot very long exposure images (eg. light trails).

Lots of businesses open late here other than cafes and restaurants, which can be a pretty reassuring thing if you need some medicine late at night.

I reckon the cafes here are a little too clean and clinical. Although most of them try to distinguish their menus, you ultimately return to some similar dishes, such as the durian pancake you can see on the far left. Its not bad though. I reckon it will be some time before this dessert makes its way to Kuching.

Some families can spend their entire lives eating out instead of a decent home cooked meal. Yes, we're all busy, who isn't? I find those who claim they don't have time to cook a very sloppy excuse, because in Melbourne, I can prepare my own home cooked meal in 20 mins without being fussed about stirfrying or cleaning up numerous plates.

Each section has its own hawker center which sell their food at a relatively cheaper price margin. The Hokkien noodles here aren't bad.

The shop house architecture in Malaysia hasn't change for eons, and they will continue to be available well into the new millenium. Not everyone would prefer setting up a business in a large shopping mall where you could be paying RM 15k for a small lot in the corner.

Ironically, snatch thefts are pretty rampant here despite the availability of neighborhood patrols. Make sure you look back, left and right while walking through these lanes. Not many are willing to come to your aid if your belongings get snatched.

To some shots, getting attention from the streets is essential, hence the appearance of multi coloured neon lights and fancy signboards.

Do beware of shooting sport cars with darkly tinted windows. It was only after I moved on that I noticed there were a pair of eyes staring at me from the driver's seat.

The local petrol station seems pretty desolate.

Bridal houses are in abundance in this area. Each of them have their own unique 'stories' even though they look pretty regular on the outside.

It is unfortunate that some of the bridal houses produce images which look as lifeless as these mannequins.

This budget restaurant is pretty popular. You can feed at least 6 average sized Malaysian stomachs here for at least RM 100. The food arrives pretty fast too. Just don't expect lush interior decor and quiet waiters pouring wine into your glasses.

Well, this is my new turf. It can be pretty cold and unwelcoming if you don't have any friends around, but thats life in the big city isn't it?

Cheers.