The first flight carrying returning Haj pilgrims landed safely in Brunei around 8.20pm tonight. I think its a challenge to photograph hectic situations and people on the move but I'm slowly getting the feel of it.

..happy to be home, may God bless their pilgrimage to the Holy Lands..

..some even brought back the fashion of Saudi Arabia.. including the musky aroma of arabian Oud, those kind of fragrances can linger in your nose for days..

.."ok you can pick me up now.. I'm here already"

On other note, had lunch with my colleagues at Misato Japanese restaurant at Shakirin Complex, Kiulap. The place and the food wasn't bad, price quite reasonable. The service was kinda slow but it was peak hours ya! Sushi lovers, this place is worth a visit. Wasabi challenge anyone?

Hari Raya Aidil Adha or Eid ul-Adha is celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate Prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Ismael for God. Those who can afford to do so sacrifice the best domestic animals (sheep, camels, cows and goats) as a symbol of Abraham's sacrifice. The meat is then distributed among the family, friends, relatives and the poor and hungry.

Today, such ritual was held for our establishment, so I thought I'd cover the event to share the environment with readers.

..waiting for 'the moment'...

.. the guests...and the happy faces, got meat to make soup tulang tonight..or lamb soup?!

some of the event highlights...and 'the moment'..

..and now the weather. Cumulonimbus clouds are towering high up to the edge of the stratosphere, so we're expecting heavy rain and thunderstorm...

..back to the event,  captured some of the moods of those who attended the feast. Perhaps the cool and cloudy afternoon was just a perfect time for a little nap. Yawn!

..and the butcher has done his job.. signing off!

One thing about photography is that I tend to make new friends. In fact photography reunited me with my ex-PGGMB classmate since kindergarten Zadm. So on my first group photography outing today, I met him for the first time since 1995. Our meeting point was Coffee Bean in Gadong, also in attendance was Bruneian and AnakBrunei. I took the photos in RAW format and did some post-processing, although I'm yet to learn more on this. Also my entry this time is a bit 'thumbnaily'! Dunno if you guys like this format

Below are some trial shots using Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III USM lens (thanks Zadm, nice doing business with you!)

..also Zadm was kind enough to let me try out some macro shots with his Kenko extension tubes... yes macro photography is really really fun, it's like bringing out the details that we often overlooked!   

..after a shot of caffeine, we made our move to a blue-green small 'lake' along Jalan Sungai Akar where David Cheok, G-`FeRro and another shutterbug joined us. Really, there are lots of landscapes in Brunei we tend to ignore!

..just a short walk from the 'lake', a ground works site, or probably a cement or concrete slab factory? Whatever the place was, it offers plenty of interesting subjects for photography, in fact some of the workers were more than happy to pose.

Our last stop.. hmm.. this is where I realised that in photography, not only you need a camera, lens, tripod, etc. but you also need hiking shoes. David took us for a little rockhill climbing session at Subok area to get a magnificient view of Bandar Seri Begawan and it's surroundings. I'm not really a 'climby' person but let's put aside the acrophobia for the sake of getting good photos, and yes.. it was worth the time and sweat!

Lastly, I hope it's not to late to wish you all Happy New Year 2007. May this year brings happiness, prosperity, blessings and all the wonderful things in life, not to forget more photos!

I think I've been posting landscapes lately while my fellow photo bloggers posted varieties of wonderful themes from portraits to nature. Perhaps I need more outing (or new lens? ) and I'm looking forward to go out with the guys soon. Anyway wishing you all Eid al Adha and may God bless us all.

It was our last day of work for the year 2006, I arrived at 8.10am yet there were less than 10 cars at the car park. I guess more than 50% of the personnel population went on leave including 2 from our section. And the heavy rain in the afternoon was just a perfect weather for a hot chocolate.

Internet is still unstable today, I believe its one of the effect of the Taiwan earthquake yesterday. Talking about natural disasters, also flood and torrential rain in Malaysia and so much for the tsunami scare along Kuala Belait's coastline. I guess it's time to prepare some sort of a contingency plan now.

Thirsty? Drop by Gadong's Pasar Malam or Night Market! Not to mention the wide varieties of food, the Night Market offers a wide range of hot or cold drinks. From freshly extracted sugar cane juice, coconut milk, varieties of syrups to the Asian version of tea latte called Teh Tarik. Hydrate all you can!

BruNet connection is terribly slow today, I don't know if you guys experienced the same. I just hope I can successfully post this. Anyway more photos of architectural touch in Brunei.. featuring The Empire Hotel and The Mall.