Top 10 Photos of 2016

2016 was another good year for photography with a number of great shots to choose from. 70% of my photos in the top 10 were taken with my iphone 5s as I made the transition from carrying around my bulky DSLR to using the convenience of the iphone. The iphone camera produces best results outdoors in the natural light and a few of my top 10 were taken in those precise conditions.

#10

We stayed at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel Kuantan in October and had a great time there. The children went for a dip in the pool and I naturally looked for photograph opportunities. The abstract image I came up with is a view of falling water. There was a little waterfall at the pool so I walked behind it, took some videos and pictures, and was delighted to come up with this highly artistic shot! (iphone)

#9

I love being at the beach. Sometimes it is a simple image that can endure long in the memory, like this birds eye view of seashells taken at Batu Hitam, Kuantan. (DSLR)

#8

It was indoors with artificial lighting, which is not my preference for good iphone photography, but it is the content and not the quality that gets this one into the Top 10. My wife and her four sisters are the subject for this shot that I captured crouching down and to the right of centre. Sometimes a change from the regular angle makes a difference. We were in Kuching attending our cousin's wedding on this occasion. (iphone)

#7

Welcome to Pavilion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! As you can see from this viewpoint I shot, it was all decked out in lavish Christmas decorative elements when we went there in December 2016. The two-tier carousel was provided by Swarovski and contained a world-first 3 million crystals, embedded in the floor, horses and everywhere. We queued for a long time and were grateful that we did because it was a great ride! (DSLR)

#6

One of my favourite photos of the year! My two girls with their favourite aunty. Aunty Urai determined to do a photoshoot with them before she went back to Kuching, and we took a load of really lovely photos. For some reason, I am drawn to this one above the others. I just think it's very cute! (iphone)

#5

The only tussle with in-flight photography is ensuring the camera focuses on the outside landscape and not on the plane window. Once it does that properly, you are good to shoot some fantastic images. This picture is part of the Kuala Lumpur landscape just minutes after take-off from KLIA during our short hop back to Kuantan. (iphone)

#4

I love this atmospheric shot which is full of texture. It takes me right back to the moment it was shot! There was a storm brewing up and the humid heat had turned into a cooler breeze with spots of rain. I like the fact that there are people walking on the beach, sandwiched in between the fierce storm clouds and the plants in the foreground. I literally spent about 10 minutes out on the beach snapping photos of the weather system before I had to take cover. (iphone)

#3

The sunrise on our 6:30am flight from Kuantan to KLIA. It is thrilling watching the sunrise and sunset on an airplane. You get a whole different view to the one from the ground. On this particular morning, there was a splendid mixture of grey, silver and white wispy clouds punctured by the blazing yellows, oranges and reds of the rising sun. It was just a 30-minute hop but I spent near enough the whole half hour snapping pictures out the window. (iphone)

#2

This lady has featured prominently in almost all of my yearly Top 10 photos. It's easy to see why. Florina is a natural model and the camera loves her. More perfect settings at the beach half an hour down the road from Kuantan. Storm clouds beginning to whip up, lots of natural light, and slightly cooler-than-usual temperatures. Florina and I wanted to make the most of these favourable conditions and I took a couple of dozen pictures and videos in a 10-minute spell. There were a lot of good results but this one was as close to perfect as I have ever taken with my iphone. Thanks to my sister Florina for her flash and eager modelling skills! (iphone)

#1

So my top photo of 2016 is this magnificent family photo (Malaysian side) we took at the Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching near the end of 2016. Since we all live in various parts of Malaysia, it is always a highlight when we are all together once or twice a year. We had booked 3 rooms to accommodate us all, but upon check-in, we learned that the hotel had overbooked and didn't have enough rooms for us all, so out of the goodness of their hearts, they gave us the one and only PENTHOUSE in the entire hotel! You can imagine, we ran around in a state of joyful panic exploring every inch of the two-floor suite we were given! Taking a family photo in the grand living room was at the top of our list and this was taken right before we attended the wedding ceremony of our cousin. It is not the sharpest due to the low light, but it sure is our overwhelming favourite!

That's a wrap for 2016. Looking forward for more photography adventures in 2017!

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan, Malaysia - Our Stay

We received a message from a friend that Mr. Quek, the owner of Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, would like to offer us a free night's stay in return for a bit of help in spreading the news of his new hotel. 

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel is located mid-way down Jalan Air Putih 2 opposite the abandoned Delima Residences project, in Kuantan.

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Mr. Quek and his wife, a friendly and helpful couple, bought the property, a large single-storey house and completed the renovations in 6 months. Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel opened its doors on Monday 26th September, so we were amongst the first stream of guests to stay.

We were invited to stay in the Family Loft Suite, the only room of its kind, and one of seven rooms in total at the hotel.

King size bed in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

A staircase leads to another level in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Leah sits on the queen size bed upstairs in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan. The window opens onto a balcony

Looking down to the main room from the upstairs bed area in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

The glass doors beside the bed open to a small garden area in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

The bathroom of the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

A panoramic image of the shower complete with two shower heads and choice of cool or hot water in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Refreshments in the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

We loved the Family Loft Suite. The girls especially loved the comfortable beds and going up and down the stairs to the upper floor. 

The Family Loft Suite is rented out for RM278 per night and in our opinion, is well worth the money if you would like to sample it for yourself. We had a very comfortable night's sleep and it was very difficult to get out of the nice warm shower. One thing I loved was sitting on the toilet seat and not feeling freezing cold! The bathroom is not air conditioned like the main room, so the warm steam lingers a while after showering too.

View of the pool from the upper floor balcony of the Family Loft Suite, Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

The other rooms are located close by around the property

The Laman Suite at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Especially for couples, the Laman Suite boasts an outdoor bathtub, the surrounding wall ensuring privacy

The Laman Suite shower with an open-air cubicle

A kids pool with water fountains and sitting area are also on the premises of Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel. Lauren went for a swim in the late afternoon.

Kids Pool at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

The water fountains are a feature of the kids pool at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Sitting area and kids pool at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Of course, this is a small boutique hotel, so you will have to either bring your own food or go out to eat for meal times. We ordered some KFC delivery for dinner, and the next morning, Mr. Quek was kind enough to buy breakfast and eat with us by the pool. 

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel at night. Main entrance.

We love LSBH - Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel! Used a 30 second shutter speed and my iphone flashlight to capture this image

Entrance to the reception at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan is a no smoking hotel

Look out for the sign board by the side of the road on your way to Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Family picture in our Family Loft Suite at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Family picture in our Family Loft Suite at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Finally, a thank you to Mr. Quek and family for looking after us and providing us with a lovely room to spend the night at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel, Kuantan

Find the hotel on facebook at: 

Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel facebook page

And here is a video I shot of our Family Loft Suite:

England Trip November 2015

After more than 9 years in Kuantan, we went back to England in November 2015. It was a double family holiday as we spent part of our time with my English family in Leicester and Nottingham, and part of our time with Fie's Malaysian family (who also flew over) in London.

I prepared for our England trip by fearing the worst regarding the 'weather' and 'food' - my imagination about them was 'dismal' and 'bland' respectively. As it turned out, we all loved the freezing cold weather as it was such a welcome contrast to the incessant heat we are accustomed to in Malaysia. There were times in England where I was outside and shivering, yet I learned to savour the experience. We also enjoyed the food, particularly the famous fish and chips, as well as the chocolate! Yes, the supermarkets were full of amazing chocolate at incredible prices!

We visited Leicester, Nottingham, Manchester, Bolton, Dagenham and London and met family, old friends and church friends. I went to Wembley, Old Trafford and the O2 Arena where I watched Rafael Nadal and Stan Wawrinka play tennis. I entered the Mormon temple in London and twice travelled on an Airbus A380 - the first such experience in my life.

Our Malaysia Airlines Airbus A380 - the largest commercial aircraft in the world. It is an absolute beauty and an absolute beast! We enjoyed two beautifully smooth 13-hour flights on the A380 and would definitely fly on it again.

On board Malaysia Airlines' Airbus A380

Boarding the Airbus A380 at KLIA:

Takeoff on the Airbus A380!

Landing at London Heathrow:

Here I am back at my childhood home in Leicester, England

Met up with some of my old Leicester friends

Autumn at the park

A cold morning in Glenfield, Leicester:

Got together with my brother and sister and did some photo re-enactments. That was really fun!

It was great spending time with my English family after so long being away

No trip to England is complete without real fish and chips! It was so filling and was easily enough for two people

I was thrilled to return to the Ellis Park astroturf pitches to have a kick around with my brother. I spent countless hours in my childhood playing football here. It's a very nostalgic place for me!

And here's Gaz retrieving the football after one of my awful attempts at goal:

Photo at Bradgate Park in Leicester

Sitting on the rocks at Bradgate Park with my Leah

At Wollaton Hall, the residence that featured as Batman's house in the movie

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was going to the O2 Arena for the World Tour Finals. We got tickets to watch Rafael Nadal vs Stan Wawrinka and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Before we entered the stadium we bumped into the leading tennis umpire, Mohamed Lahyani by chance, and he was kind enough to pose for a photo with us!

A true photograph to treasure! Here we are with leading tennis umpire, Mohamed Lahyani, outside the O2 Arena in London

My wife and I hold the Malaysia flag at Old Trafford, home of Manchester United FC

The second portion of our trip was spent in Dagenham where we visited some of the main sights around London.

Seeing the sights in London

Visited Buckingham Palace

Stopped for a photo with two policemen in London. They were very happy to indulge us!

Visiting Westminster Abbey with Fie's family

Resting in St. James' Park with my wife and sisters

Another special moment was seeing Jae Jae the tiger at ZSL London Zoo

It was a great holiday and we did so many things and visited lots of places. We flew back on the Airbus A380 once more, a long 13-hour flight, followed by a quick 30-minute hop form KLIA to Kuantan.

Look at the size of those Airbus A380 engines!

Watching the beautiful sunset over Egypt on the Airbus A380 while flying back to Kuala Lumpur from London Heathrow