Christmas Performance at East Coast Mall

We were doing a spot of Christmas shopping at East Coast Mall and happened upon this Christmas performance at the Ground Floor. So we stopped to watch and of course, the children were glued to it. There were plenty of Christmas songs, colourful costumes, and the appearance of Santa Claus.

Christmas card to all my blog friends and readers

Wishing you all joy in this holy season

Kuantan Dancing Association's 22nd Anniversary Dinner & Dance

We attended the Kuantan Dancing Association's 22nd Anniversary Dinner and Dance which was held at Mexica Garden Seafood Restaurant in Kuantan on the night of 14th December, 2013.

We were fortunate enough that Lauren's Mandarin teacher paid for our seats as she knows Lauren loves dancing. Teacher Ng was also performing on the night and it was good fun all round.

The lighting, fast movements and smoke all combined to make it difficult to capture great photos. Here are some of my favourite shots I captured:

Teacher Ng, Lauren's Mandarin teacher

The crowd watch excitedly as two young dancers grace the floor

Top marks to this lady for getting into the most awkward position of the night!

Top 20 Photos of 2013 Selection Troubles

While preparing for the Top 20 Photos of 2013 blog hop, I've been having some trouble whittling down my group of 84 images. I've now got it down to 54 and I've realised an important element in doing that.

Take for example this photo:

It's a nice-looking photo with good composition, great colour and sharp and clear. But there is no story behind it. It's just a cluster of flowers I spotted while walking. There is nothing particularly unique about it, and while it would grace my nature blog, it has unfortunately been cut from the Top 20 Photos of 2013.

Here's another example:

I actually really like this photo, it was the very first butterfly I snapped at the Butterfly Park. However, I have other similar photos to this and I prefer another one. So in an effort to keep a good variety in my Top 20 Photos of 2013, this one has been given the chop.

One more example:

This is a monochrome shot of the KTM Headquarters in KL. The architecture is nice and all, but again, I don't really have any story to tell about it. And if there is no story to tell, no personal meaning or significance to the photo, then it's probably just a random shot which is not going to enhance my collection of the Top 20 Photos of 2013.

I'm still going through my shortlisted photos, all 54 of them, and asking myself the same question about each one: Is there a story behind it?

Sign up to participate in the Top 20 Photos of 2013 right here

Select and share your best photos of 2013

It's the time of year where we look back and remember the great places we've been, things we've accomplished and plan ahead for the future.

It's also time when I select my favourite photos of the year. They come in all types: portraits, scenery, food, nature, abstract. I usually determine my very best photos by the degree of difficulty to shoot them and the personal significance of them.

I thought it would be great to share my favourite photos with all of my blog readers, as I have done in previous years (see right side-bar for my Top Tens). But I'd also love to see YOUR best photos of the year too.

Running from Jan 1st to Jan 20th right here on *The Kuantan Blog*, I'll be hosting a blog hop entitled "Top 20 Photos of 2013" and it's open for everyone to join!

If you have a blog/website and would like to share your best photos with more people, simply take a minute to join this blog hop by visiting the page at the top of the blog. Here's the link: 

Top 20 Photos of 2013 blog hop

This is my first time hosting an event and I'd love to get more bloggers involved!