Lauren loves flowers

I went out for a walk with my daughter Lauren yesterday around Bukit Sekilau. We had a lovely time and she was so good!

Bukit Sekilau Field

As I look out my bedroom window in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, I am presented with a decent view of the playing field.

In the (very early) mornings, women come to listen to meditative music whilst doing their pre-dawn stretches and exercises. As the first light of day emerges from the horizon, more people come out to walk around the field, do some light jogging or look at the birds in the trees.

The field is empty during the day time from lunch until 5pm as the sun is just too hot. I used to take my daughter Lauren out for walks under the shady trees on the field when she was a few months old up until around 2 years.

From 5pm until dusk, numerous children flood the field playing football with all their youthful energy. Some can't take the humidity and end up sitting on the grass watching as the others run around.

I walk around the field at 6pm most evenings as this is the time which is best for taking photographs. The sun is setting low in the sky and the glow is golden. It creates beautiful scenes and images.

Here is the field in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan:

Federer defeats Djokovic at French Open as both players return to usual selves

Roger Federer, the greatest player in history, rolled back the years to produce a vintage display of tennis to destroy Novak Djokovic's perfect start to the year.

The Swiss master did it in style with terrific groundstrokes and a solid backhand throughout, the one place that has in the past, broken down under pressure.

At Roland Garros yesterday, Federer's backhand was on song as he hit winners, slice shots which caused Djokovic all sorts of problems, and forced errors from the usually clean Serbian's racquet.

Federer wrapped it up in 4 sets after surviving a Djokovic comeback in the 3rd and 4th sets, breaking Djokovic as the Serbian served to take the match to a 5th set at 5-4.

Federer served well throughout the contest and returned Djokovic's serves with precision and depth. 

At the end of the contest, which finished at 9:37pm local time in rapidly fading light, Federer gestured that he is the true number one. It sure felt great!

Check out these video clips from youtube:

The first clip in this video must be the point of the championship, a wonderful Federer backhand winner!

Here is match point for Roger Federer as he aces Djokovic, accompanied by a fitting piece of music...

Aerial View of Kuantan

When we stayed at the Zenith Hotel back in January of this year, I woke up early to capture a terrific sunrise. I also explored the hotel for a while and found this great view of a section of Kuantan, taken from the 9th floor:

The only difference now is the yellow walls of East Coast Mall, which are being painted a very light brown. Lauren always remarks how she misses the 'yellow' East Coast Mall!

Kuil Sri Mariamman hindu temple, Kuantan

There is a hindu temple in Kuantan opposite HTAA hospital. The Kuil Sri Mariamman temple sits on the junction of the highway to Gambang, on the edge of Kuantan main town. One sunny afternoon I decided to stop in for a quick visit, as it's one of the places in Kuantan I hadn't yet been to.

After taking these initial pictures I noticed a couple of pairs of shoes on the rack outside. Someone was there. I removed my sports shoes and placed them neatly on the middle shelf. When I entered through a small gap in the gate, everywhere was silent apart from the faint rippling of bells hanging around the temple, as they moved in the breeze. Birds flew around and lodged into corners of the ceiling. Surrounded by statues of hindu mythological creatures, I felt a little apprehensive about exploring further, but I overcame the feeling. There was no sign of anyone around. You only fear what you don't understand. I realised I'd done lots of research into hinduism, and I was basically standing in one of their holiest of places.

Replacing a trifle of anxiety with peace, I switched on the camera and began looking for interesting images and angles of the Kuil Sri Mariamman temple.

Moving from the main worship area, I began walking around the perimeter of the Kuil Sri Mariamman temple, within the walls. I noticed some accommodation at the rear of the temple affixed to the temple grounds, so I guessed some people would be in there. Soon, an Indian man came out and made his way through the front gate. I remarked to him how beautiful the temple was. Then he was gone.

While I was snapping away, the sun began to emerge slowly from behind a large white cloud. The sun's rays beamed forward in all directions. The following picture became my lasting impression of the Kuil Sri Mariamman temple:

There was no guide, no activity going on at the Kuil Sri Mariamman temple in Kuantan on that day. But for a photographer, our keen eye is the real guide and I managed to pick up some lovely images as I explored the temple.