Albany 01

Lunch

At a distillery 

Beach

Feet in the sand

Wild roos

The host

His home

Really lucky to have housemates from south of Western Australia this year. During the easter break, a few of us went down to Albany to visit Stephen! The 5 hours journey down south was pretty interesting with 7 people in the car with different taste in music. I had to listen to Linkin Park for a good one hour. Stephen took us to the beach, a whiskey distillery, the natural bridge and viewpoints. I fell in love with Albany. Albany is such a beautiful town, rich with history. 

Nikon FM2 and NikonF90x

I spend a good amount of time and energy the past few days going through all my high school memorabilia. What do you do with your medals and trophies from when you were 13-14-15-16? Do you still keep them? I found my old high school diaries and goodness!! They were so cringeful! How was it possible that i was 'in-love' at 15 years old!! And reading letters my first boyfriend gave me was...horrible, only because we are friends now and to see him that way again was GROSS! I did a whole detox and threw them all out. Making way for new things and new memories :)

The one thing i noticed most when i was cleaning out my room was - i had so many (printed) photos (that i took over the years) all over my room. I never realised how much i was into photography. I wasn't really into like real photography where people take account in their lighting, iso and etc, but more into moments. All my photos were the typical Kodak moment. I don't know what happened along the way, i stopped taking photos. 

But so glad i decided to get back into it and start shooting. In the midst of cleaning, i was also thinking about my getting next camera. I have been reading photo blog from Singapore, she is using a Nikon Fm-10. She takes awesome travel photos of ALL the places i want to visit in Asia. Cambodia, Krabi, Vietnam just to name a few. Such a wonderful camera, takes honest, grainy and sharp photos. Of course, i did my research and couldnt help but think... I have seen this camera before! 

I found my dad and asked him...

Daddy, what happen to all your old slr camera? 

Its in the top cupboard in my room

*runs to get it*

Lo and behold!

New found love: Nikon FM2

My dad has the Nikon FM2 . The moment i saw it in his camera bag, my eyes has hearts in them. <3 <3 <3 <3 Manual only semi pro SLR film camera! I didnt know he had this camera!! I love the thrill of trying to figure out ISOs to take certain pictures and making sure i have enough light. Its a pretty sturdy camera and can definitely be used as a paper weight but i wont of course! My dad still has film in the camera from god knows how many years ago, i am pretty keen on finishing the roll and seeing what my dad took years ago.

Nikon F90x

My dad still has the manual for this camera dated 2001, i was 11 years old! This is the camera i remember seeing him use and taking pictures of the family especially me. I spend a lot of my younger years with my dad following him traveling all over Asia. I can easily say before i was 12, i have been to all South East Asia countries - except Brunei, East Timor and the Philippines. Dad was based in Bangkok, Thailand for a few years and work always had him travelling. I have pictures of me on/with elephants/tigers/snakes/monkeys, running around temples, eating, running across fields and me sulking because i was either told off to stop running around or i was hot. Sadly, i was too young to appreciate all the travels, which is why i want to re visit these places again. When i opened the camera bag, a wave of nostalgia came over me... I was a lucky kid. 

I am going to get films, batteries and start using these cameras out! 

Organised Mess

Bukit Damansara

Been trying to organise my room ever since i got back and failing miserably. For starters, I have so many clothes that my cupboard (mind you...my dad designed the cupboard for his two daughters to share) is FULL. Some are brand new, worn once or just forgotten. I have officially put myself on a NO-SHOPPING ban for a month. Besides clothes, i have so many books and random trinkets around my room which makes up the clutter!

New rules for myself:

1. I am not allowed to bring Magazines in my room.
2. I am only allowed to buy 5 books or less from Big Bad Wolf 2014
3. Every month i will donate/give away clothes. For every clothes i buy, i have to get rid of 3 clothes.
4. Every week i have declutter my desk including drawers. (Its amazing how much junk i just stuff in my desk drawers!)
5. I will alternate ALL my necklaces and wear them daily.
6. I will use ALL my Make up and not keep them for good days.

I have an excessive amount of things in my room. I am on a mission to declutter and make my room as minimal as possible. As much as i say i am not sentimental, i have to stop being sentimental and just throw things out!

Wish me luck!

Always

#DW47

My Favourite Spot in Curtin University

My Pertie (Perth Bestie)

Its been a good overwhelming past few days for me. I have been so blessed with good opportunities that it seems freaking unbelievable! I was so worried that i was going to hate coming back home but so far, everything has been in place for me, except the one thing i really want, but you don't always get what you want. 

The three pictures above are my foundation in Perth. The house i lived in, the reason why i was there and the person who went through the journey with me. It is so weird moving back to my room in KL and not have this feeling that i have to go back to Uni in a few weeks time. Its funny how when i first came to Perth, i disliked it. I couldn't wait to finish my course, go back to KL and start working. I was so used to KL's hectic lifestyle that i didn't know how to appreciate Perth's laid back lifestyle. Now, i love it and want a future there. Pertie says its karma for us for complaining early on how much we hated it and now we have to go back. But I believe there is always a reason to why things happen. #imissperth #sadface #missdonmore

Camera: LC-A+, film: Kodak 400

Bang Bang Geng @ Publika KL

Rory

The thing about film photography is you will never know what you will get. I did a rookie move by forgetting to decompress my film when i was winding it and the film tore! This was my precious LCA+ film where i designed my shots and pictures of my last week in Perth. I was so heartbroken and upset at myself for forgetting such a crucial move! I tried consoling myself by saying i am still learning about the camera, mistakes happen! After going to two film shops that couldn't process the film and calling up film shops asking if they can process torn film, finally - Bang Bang Geng in Publika said they could!!!!

So much sadness in a picture

The minute i stepped in the shop, i was in photography/film awe! It was every film photographer's dream. I explained to the shopkeeper which i think was the owner and he was optimistic about processing the torn film, he said, "yeah can be done, no problem!"

When will it be done? -> cue impatience Khaira who wants her photos asap.

In a couple of days, I will send you a text

Which he did a few days later, this added service where they text you to tell you, your photo is ready for pick-up won me over.

This afternoon I went to pick up my film, all excited to see my new photos! When I arrived to the shop, I asked owner - Can my film be processed?? Was it okay to process with the torn film?? He shook his head! The picture above, Chelsea's boyfriend Rory was only one exposure that was processed and the rest of my film were blank which means that i didn't take any photos or the shutter on my camera is faulty (i hope not!) In the midst of explaining to me what could have happened, i think he saw my face fell and the sadness. He only let me pay for the processing fee which was RM8 and even gave me a film to test out my camera. HOW KIND OF HIM!!! I am definitely going back to him to do all film processing! I was so overwhelmed by his kindness that i didn't get upset that i lost my car in the car park. I always get lost in Publika's car parking!! This is not the first or second or the third time. :( 

Bang Bang Geng @ Publika

Check out their website here and article written about them here by Tongue in Chic. 

Camera: LC-A+, film: Lomography Color Negative 400