Australian Barbecue: OCF Style

Had an awesome BBQ at uncle Mickey and Aunty Keat's last Saturday. Here are the beef sausages and chicken wings on the pit.

Some potato salads with spring onions and nuts.

Marinated chicken drummets and chicken ribs waiting to be cooked.

Fried vermicelli

The chicken wings are a little charred, but its better to ensure its more cooked than raw.

Starving teenagers digging into the food.

The usual cheesy group photo, with the Pictionary board game in the foreground.

Mango pudding for dessert

...along with some fruits to end a great night.

Had any barbecues lately yourself? ;)

Being ordinary

Most of the time, I write grand articles on my experiences in Melbourne, and sometimes, an occasional 'gear review would give me some fame on the internet (aka. 777 views in the last 24 hours - how wonderful is that?). Unfortunately, most of these articles are technically complicated, such that the layperson will not understand nor appreciate what I am writing about.

Some of these laypersons do matter to me very much. Occasionally my parents, uncles / aunties and cousins would visit my blog, in order to see how I'm doing. In this instance, I use pictures more than words to convey what I'd like to tell them, aka. this blog is my digital diary.

In these circumstances, all of my images are quite ordinary. Perhaps the composition, sharpness and contrast etc. isn't great, but its my own personal story that I'm trying to convey, not those of others. (This is still an issue I'm trying to grapple with internally, so to speak).

Regretably due to the relative 'public' status of my blog, I can't convey too much information, lest I get into trouble. No doubt, some of my views about certain issues (mostly religious or political) has had people grabbing me by the throat and trying to brainwash me. I seriously dislike this.

Perhaps thats why in my public life, I 'hide' behind my camera, letting my eyes roam, and selective record scenes that may mean something to me.

The consequence of recording pictures is that I am often so engrossed in it that I forget to build relationships with others, because any good photographer needs that too.

Sometimes I wish if I could be invisible (for good reasons), silently roaming around Melbourne, recording what I see without others becoming suspicious of me. Of course, most of my friends have become oblivious to me, but with others whom are not familiar with me, it could be a bit more challenging.

Heaven forbid, some folks even think I'm stuck up because I don't even talk to them. This is true to some extent, and I'm trying to change this fact.

I need to constantly remind myself who am I, and what is my identity. Its seems that more people regard me as a photographer rather than being a friend. Yep, I've gotta change that.

Anyway, yesterday was Malaysia day (16 September), but sadly no one gives a damn about it. At this point in time, total integration between West and East Malaysia still leaves something to be desired. I have met many friends from Kuala Lumpur who are yet to visit Sarawak or Sabah even once and see what we have to offer. It's a shame considering quite a number of my Kuching friends have visited Kuala Lumpur several (or many) times. Quite ironic, isn't it?

A [bittersweet] Homecoming

As you may have noticed, I have returned to Melbourne, and what better way to celebrate this occasion than having dinner at my neighbour's with a bunch of friends.


My neighbour's aunts were celebrating their birthdays, so it was a pretty joyous occasion.


One of my housemates is also returning to Hong Kong, so I'm glad that he's given a decent farewell.


No, thats not his farewell present, but he helped to unwrap some fine china for the birthday girls.


You will notice a slight colour shift as I switched the flash to manual mode for more consistent exposures. It is thus advisable to switch the white balance to flash white balance.


Everyone paying attention as we introduce ourselves around the dinner table.


The ''compulsory'' group photo at the end of the dinner.


OCF Carlton had a welcoming night in conjunction with the start of Semester 2 for most universities in Melbourne. For starters, we had a pizza buffet [no, I'm not kidding :)] which is a little different compared to the pot luck that we usually have.


Though not everyone has returned from holidays, it was good nonetheless to catch up with them.


Before this event, I quickly handmade a flash diffuser, because the timber ceiling in the back hall would make bounce flash pretty much impossible in these circumstances. Though the lighting from the flash is more ''harsh'', I'm pretty satisfied with the results. This will have to do till I get a Gary Fong in the future.



After dinner, comes singspiration...


which is followed by a short message from our president detailing how our OCF center works.


There was a lucky draw for movie tickets with a catch = its only for students :)


Most, if not all of the bible study groups had fun introduction sessions.


This is my bible study group for this semester. Fortunately there are alot of familiar faces, so it should be relatively easy for me to get along with them.


Preparing some tea for supper in the kitchen...


Once again my housemate comes forward to receive a farewell gift from the OCF committee.


me and my housemates in july 09


A few more group photos...


...& that's it. To all Australian university under / postgraduates, welcome to semester 2, 2009!

On a more serious note, it is somewhat disheartening to know how things can change in such a short span of time. These changes have somewhat dampened my optimism of returning to Melbourne, which is regrettable. Hopefully, I will be able to brush these issues aside, and concentrate on what I want [and need] to do this semester.

cheers..