So here we are, living the last few hours of year 2008. The year is coming to a close, as we relinquish the binding contraints of anything that has happened in this year and embrace the new year with arms wide open. This year is definitely one of the quickest, and yet one of the most memorable years I’ve ever experienced. Here’s a rough sketch of what happened throughout this year:
January: I picked up serious reading. The 5th anniversary of the Columbia Space Shuttle Disaster.
February: We mourned the death of Lydia Sum. I released my third theme. I got my braces done.
March: Collected my A levels results. I wrote a CSS tutorial. I visited my aunt’s gorgeous split-level home.
April: My blog ran around naked without any CSS on. I started learning driving. I released by fourth theme.
May: I captured lightning for the first time on my camera. I passed my driving test. I finally got a dSLR!
June: I went to Genting Highlands. I released by fifth and sixth theme.
July: This blog turned four!
August: I embraced university life. Beijing Olympics fake fireworks = meh.
September: Nothing beats misty Sunday morning on campus. Tysern and CheeSiang invaded Singapore!
October: My birthday! Plurk-ville mourned the death of a to-be-wed Plurker, Hazel. I lost my phone, and bought a new one!
November: Obama wins the US Presidential Election. An owl paid me a visit.
December: I released my seventh theme. I headed to Orchard Road for night shots. World economy nearly collapsed. Oil price dipped to a 5-year low ($36?!) I went to Genting Highlands again.
Statistics (that might not interest you)
In 2008, I’ve taken a total of 10,490 photos weighing a total of 34GB. At this rate, I’m going to run out of space by the third quarter of 2009! It’s time that I transfer some stuff over to my portable HD.
In 2008, I’ve written 105 posts, averaging around a post every three days. I am too lazy to count the number of comments left since I’ll have to exclude mine as well, but a conservative guess will be around 500 comments. Not exactly a lot (Perezhilton gets 100+ comments for EACH post, and he has multiple posts a day, haha!), but I’m happy with it.
In 2008, I’ve released a total of four WordPress themes (for my personal use, I’m sorry…) speaking about the little perfectionist inside me! The final theme in 2008 is teddY-risatioNâ„¢ Eta.
Resolutions?
People have been writing a lot about their New Year resolutions. I don’t really jump on the annual bandwagon because I believe that we can make changes at anytime, anywhere as long as we can make it. But of course it’s good that you nail down some goals that you’ll like to achieve in the coming year. For me, it’ll be changing to become a better person – I’ve changed, I’m not the old me, but there are still flaws about myself. I don’t forcibly change myself to conform others, but I change myself for the betterment of myself and others around me.
I pray that there will be peace. It kills me inside to see that it’s always the innocent civilians that are the major casualties of skirmishes, conflicts and wars. The recent bombing of Palestine is a raw example of how Israel doesn’t understand that peace is not achieved through mutual hurting – it requires understanding and patience. An eye for an eye? Bullocks.
I pray that oil prices will stay low. It’s a stupid wish but oil prices reached a record 5-year low of $36 dollars a few days ago, and now it’s hitting the $40 mark. Darn.
Anyway, may everyone have a great year ahead, and all the best for your endeavours in everything! Take care, and have fun, folks!
Top 10 Photos of 2008
Sue posted her top 10 photos of the year, and she encouraged other bloggers to do so as well. For me, 2008 is indeed a fruitful year and believe me, I had a really tough time choosing 10 photos. All the photos are clickable and will be displayed in Lightbox when clicked. In no particular order:
#1 – A sun-drenched morning
A sun-drenched morning.
EXIF: f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO 125, 60mm. Taken on 30th August, 2008.
I woke up early on a Saturday morning, exploring the empty campus as the sun rises. Arriving outside the empty academic complex, I stumbled upon a bed of flowers in the midst of being tended by the faithful gardener. The sun was just right above the canopy, so the flowers just starting bathing in the morning sun.
#2 – Waiting for that special moment
Waiting for that special moment - SPLASH!
EXIF: f/3.5, 1/2500 sec, ISO 400, 18mm. Taken on 6th September 2008.
I was returning from Chongx’s room when I decided to drop by ADM for a quick photoshoot. With the blazing sun right above me, I have the perfect lighting for fast shutter speed shooting! All I did was just to squat beside the fountains, and wait for the magical moment of a strong blast of wind out of nowhere. And the moment came – Splash! A gust of wind blew across the pool, giving a generous spray of water.
#3 – Flying Coaster through barrel roll
Flying Coaster through barrel roll
EXIF: f/5.6, 1/160 sec, ISO 200, 300mm. Taken on 10th December 2008.
They have a flying roller coaster named Flying Coaster (how creative :roll: ) installed at the other end of the Genting Highlands theme park, and you’ll have to pay around 12MYR to get your ass on that little steel monster. The photo is taken from inside the First World Plaza using telephoto lens – I love the compressed distance between foreground and background objects!
#4 – Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I told you we shouldn
EXIF: f/8, 1/500 sec, ISO 100, 230mm. Taken on 10th December 2008.
I managed to capture the facial expressions of the riders at the instant where they were dropped from a height of 185 feet. The looks on their faces are just priceless.
#5 – Happy together
Happy together.
EXIF: f/3.5, 1/25 sec, ISO 400, 18mm. Taken on 4th August 2008.
The Xomura outing to Clark Quay that marked the end of our orientation and the start of our friendship. I will never, ever forget you guys! I’m not in the photo, so don’t bother to find my face :razz: I was the one taking this photo, hah!
#6 – Walkway @ The Gardens, Midvalley
Walkway @ The Gardens, Midvalley.
EXIF: f/8, 1/60 sec, ISO 100, 18mm. Taken on 12th July 2008.
The connecting walkway between The Gardens and Midvalley Megamall. I love the glassy facade, and how they make good use of natural sunlight instead of artificial lighting.
#7 – Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island
Sentosa Island
EXIF: f/11, 1/250 sec, ISO 100, 70mm. Taken on 27th December 2008.
Siloso Beach is one of the more popular beaches among tourists and locals alike. Nothing beats sunbathing underneath a great weather and in a smashing, fun atmosphere!
#8 – Lookout Point
Lookout Point
EXIF: f/8, 20 sec, ISO 100, 18mm. Taken on 16th December 2008.
Tysern brought my to Lookout Point – the view of downtown Kuala Lumpur at night is extremely gorgeous and breath-taking, but the food there isn’t that wonderful afterall. Lookout Point is less than a 45-minute drive away from downtown, accessible via the Middle Ring Road (for exact directions, be hardworking and Google for it, hahah).
#9 – My plushies collection
My plushies collection!
EXIF: f/8, 1/2 sec, ISO 400, 26mm. Taken on 30th July 2008.
I started collecting plushies since I was a kid. Gifts from my friends, parents, grandparents and relatives further added to my small collection. Now they barely fit into a fairly large cupboard, but one thing for sure – I’m never going to throw them away.
#10 – DIY Orange Juice
DIY Orange Juice.
EXIF: f/3.5, 1/15 sec, ISO 400, 18mm. Taken on 23rd June 2008.
I visited my cousin and stayed with her family for half a month, in Penang. One afternoon they said they’re going to have orange juice and I thought, oh, they’re going to pour it out from the boxes. I was surprised that they actually mean making orange juice yourself, 100% natural. Yummy. Two oranges make approximately 200~300ml of juice.
Final words?
Happy new year! :D
yep i really like the view at look out point. hehe :)
Check out KNizam’s latest blog post » Dah Bayar Zakat For 2008 Ke ?
happy new year bro ! wishing you all the best for the new year….
waaah! i want plushies like you do! thats a lot! i want that many too! hahaha.
p.s: can i have the turtle, please? hehe.
Check out abdusfauzi’s latest blog post » Helping A Convert and Batting Balls
omgomg nice pics!!
waaaaaaaat! you have so many plushies! Haha I have them too, loads of winnies and snoopys =D
lovelove orange pic the most.. probably cuz ive seen the rest on ur blog before =D
btw, happy new year teddy! Have a great year ahead =D
Check out sue’s latest blog post » How my life has been in 2008
nice photos…
happy 2009! =)
Check out Kun’s latest blog post » Happy 2009 everybody!
hey yo ted,i didn’t know you had that many plushies lol,anyway happy new year! (although its kinda late,haha) have a great year ahead =)
@KNizam: Yea, the view there is absolutely gorgeous – it took my breath away when I was there for the first time! And it’s surprising that it’s not very far away from town, and is pretty much accessible. It’s a little dangerous to drive up there at night though, all thanks to the lack of illumination along the windy uphill road (which is rather poorly maintained).
@|1f34|-|1r3: Happy new year to you too! Have an amazing year ahead! All the best for your future endeavours in life (and the blogosphere!)
@abdusfauzi: Yea it’s quite a lot, and they become big burdens when it’s time for spring cleaning! It’s impossible to wash all of them in a single load – believe me, they get really, really heavy after being soaked in water. And they tend to collect dust too, all thanks to something very simple and maddeningly hard to eradicate – static electricity. The turtle belongs to my brother! Haha! I think the turtles are still for sale – just check out the small stalls at the top floor of Midvalley Megamall ;)
@sue: Thank you so mcuh! The last time I counted, I have around 36 of them. I have only one Winnie and two Snoopies in spacesuits (thanks to the McDonald’s campaign many many eons back). There are only two photos that were not featured on the blog hitherto – the orange photo and the Sentosa beach one. Haha! Happy new year Sue!
@Kun: Thanks for your compliments! Happy new year!
@kenny: Elos coussie! You didn’t know we had so many plushies? They’re all tucked in a cabinet in our sleeping room… you stayed at our house for a week and I forgot to tell you about them… happy new year!
Out with the old and in with the new – Happy New Year 2009!
The flowers in your photo “A sun-drenched morning” kinda looks like the flowers I have at home. I really love those flowers ^^ Any idea what it’s called?
And your plushies collection is <3! I used to have sooo many plushies from all my relatives during birthday parties as well, and I ended up donating them to charity since I didn’t play with them anymore. But right now I’m recollecting plushies all over again XD
Check out Aki’s latest blog post » Happy New Year!
@Aki: Happy new year to you too! I’m really bad at flowers – besides the commonly known ones like bougainvillea and false heather, I do not know much about the rest, which unfortunately includes the sun-drenched pink flower :) I love to shoot this particular type of flower because they’re really rich in colour.
It’s nice that you’re donating your old plushies to people who needed them more than you do, but when it comes to this I guess I’m a little selfish :P these plushies have great sentimental value to me and I probably won’t be giving them away. But if I do receive more plushies in the future, I will consider donating them since I am running out of space to keep them, heh!
happy new year coussie…may 2009 brings forth much goodness for all to enjoy! cheers ;)
The economy crash that occurred in December 2008 is definitely not a pretty thing to remember, but very important to remember for this year, for sure! Thanks for bringing us through your version of last year. The photos are absolutely gorgeous (dibs on the pink flowers). May 2009 bring more happiness to you and your family.
(By the by, you know who this is, right? I used to go by a two-letter pseudonym! Heh!)
@Maria G.: Hey there! It’s nice to know that you are back with a smashing new website! What an amazing way to start 2009. The economic disaster leaves a really bad taste in the mouth for 2008, but I believe that the disaster will teach everyone an important lesson – don’t take the money for granted, and be more vigilant and do more ‘homework’ before investing in any kind of stock/equity. It’s a great lesson learned the hard way.
May you have a great year ahead! I can’t wait to see more updates on your new site. It is just wonderfully designed, and looks like you can’t run away from the curse of colourful parrots :razz: they’re so lovely!
p/s: Yes I know who you are – from your Twitter account (I think I replied to your previous tweet). Teehee.
That’s lots of plushies! O.O Maybe you can pass them down to your kids next time haha…Happy New Year!
@med: Happy 2009 to you! May you have a great year ahead… and have fun with your aikido training (is it aikido?).
@Wendy: Yeap – the last time I counted, there are around 36 of them. I think by the time my kids were born there are more technologically-advanced toys around, but I guess a comfy plushie from the old days won’t do any harm :)
A late Happy New Year ! I liked your photos – especially #1
and the great plushies collection! Hope 2009 is a great year
for you ! Peace !
Your new year post is the best! *thumb up*
Others are too boring.. Haha.. maybe because there are few pictures that light up my eyes. LOL
Check out Saffa’s latest blog post » Been There, Done That (Jerai Expedition)
Hye there, thanks for dropping by.
Good luck about the mini cooper. Sure u will get it one day :))
Of all your pictures here, my fav is THE LOOK OUT POINT!
It’s amazingly astonished.
Happy New Year and good luck in 2009!
Check out Arina’s latest blog post » Hehe,
gay! (: i really liked the bun you gave me (: and i found out where you got it from already! it makes me happy! whee
Check out Chongx’s latest blog post » Happy New Year
Happy new year Teddy!!! It’s always fantastic to start a new year, feels like you can begin fresh all over again. I’ve been waiting for 2009 for the last few months and boy am I ever glad it’s finally here.
OMG… I can’t believe you took 10,000+ photos!! Beats me by far!! I try to keep a minimum of at least 30 in a month… but I think this year I overdid it with my Panama, plus Japan trip. I’m hoping I’ll catch up to you next year!!!
Heheh, you must have been so excited to begin driving this year. What is the general age that you have to be before you get your drivers? I got mine when I was 17 so it still surprises me when people my age doesn’t have a license yet.
Oh I do hope that the oil price does stay low too… my new car is such a wicked gas guzzler… I’m trying to crop down the days I have to leave the house now.
I hope that 2009 will find you with great and wonderful health, and that you will meet many more great people who will bring light and joy to your life. Maybe in 2009 we will meet!! Heheh
Cheers, happy belated New Year!
Check out Destiny’s latest blog post » 2009 Resolutions
@Destiny: Wow, we posted comments at the same time on the same post – what a coincidence! I love new year too – it feels like there’s a renewal of hope and lots of optimism that we hold for the 360+ days to come. I hope that everyone will stay happy and cheerful as they are on the first day of 2009 for the rest of the year.
2008 is one of the fastest year I’ve ever experienced in my life – I spent half of it at home, enjoying the freedom of the 6-month post-college break. Then I entered university, and started writing a new chapter of my life. I met a lot of great people and held on to a lot of opportunities (in the past, I was a sucker when it comes to treasuring chances). Heheh.
I was equally shocked that I took more than 10k photos! The photos on my camera has exceeded 9999 photos and it looped back to 0001. Wow. I didn’t even take that much photo with my old digital camera! But believe me, more than 75% of the photos I’ve taken are either blurred, out of focus or have the lens cap on :D
It’ll be some time before I can drive my family car again because I’m currently away from home. The legal age of driving in Malaysia is 17 – I think it’s roughly the same worldwide. However, I got my license only when I turned 19 because I was studying overseas and didn’t have time to learn. I only got my license during the 6-month break.
My family car, a four-wheel drive, is a notorious petrol guzzler too! My parents have just finished paying the installments for the car and they’re considering switching back to a sedan. However, if the oil prices stay low, that means there’s a lot of pessimism in the market and which means more retrenchment. It’s sad that many people are affected by the economic downturn that gave 2008 a rather sour and painful ending.
All the best for your future endeavours in life for 2009 and many more years to come! Take care!
@Bob: Happy 2009 to you as well! It’s not too late to wish someone a happy new year since we’re still in the first week of 2009, hehe. May 2009 be a fruitful year for you too!
@Saffa: Awww thanks for the compliments! Others have a different way of welcoming new year and some express themselves better with words than photos, haha. Happy 2009!
@Arina: You’re welcome. If I’m rich in the future I will definitely get a Mini Cooper – it’s my dream car. If it wasn’t my friend who brought my up there, I wouldn’t have been able to take the wonderful photo. Heh. Happy new year!
@Chongx: You’re welcome! What are friends for? I got it from Action City, and they sell a lot more different kinds over there! I was so stupid that I missed the other price tag stuck onto the box when I gave it to you… my bad! Teehee. Happy new year! Sorry to hear about the torturous and nightmarish cheerleading training, but it’ll be all history in 10 days. Good luck!
The picture of The Gardens was just too awesome! :P I never bring my camera when I’m out shopping, so I would never end up with cool shots like these. LOL!
Happy New Year!!
Check out Ivy’s latest blog post » Thank You Apple!
@Ivy: Thank you ;) I rarely bring my camera out when I go shopping unless I really feel like it – my dSLR is a little big and bulky so carrying it around the place is a little inconvenient. In addition, some security guards outrageously see dSLRs are a ‘security risk’ – which means a lot of inconvenience, especially when my lens cap wasn’t on the camera.
Happy new year Ivy! Have a great year ahead!
Put your great photos aside,I’m glad that you finally squeezed your own orange juice. Boxed juices are just super processed…
Check out LogicYuan’s latest blog post » The moment I arrived in Penang
Happy new year Teddy… and wow I thought I took a lot of pictures! If I don’t have my camera with me when i go out, I feel so empty inside. LOL.
Check out Katy’s latest blog post » STICKY: The Fab Chronicles
@LogicYuan: Yea, they taste so artificial don’t they? Two big fat juicy oranges just gave me around 200ml of juice – I wonder how many oranges do they need to make a packet of ’100% natural’ orange juice. By the way, do you know that in the US, a product can claim that it’s ’100% natural’ by just having 5% of the actual ingredient? What a scam.
@Katy: Happy new year Katy! My rule of thumb is to bring my camera with me whenever I go (except for places like going to the market and etc) because I would not want to miss any possible photographing opportunity. Heheh!