the days have begun ...

That's the view from my Crowne Plaza hotel room - perhaps on the side no one wants. You get that feel of being in captivity.

I got to Dublin for my MBA residential this morning, arriving at the airport at 10.30 local time (1 hour behind Switzerland). The sky is a gray and despite coming to the end of July, it's hardly 20 deg Celcius. Some believe it'd improve comes weekend .. let see.

The registration seems to suggest possibly 100 people will be participating, of which 5 from Switzerland .. me, and four others. On you mark, get set ... GO! Target Monday, big presentation!

Various photos from recent trip

A promotion girl at the World Cup party in Bukit Bintang

Air Asia plane getting ready to take off at LCCT

Air Asia plane close-up

Spectacular view of Hong Kong from within its airport

Need to renew your passport in Switzerland ?? Here is the answer

Hello The One,

Thank you for your email.

You have 2 possibilities of having your passport renewed, you come to the Embassy and fill up the application form (signed and thumbprinted), attach 2 passport size pictures with navy blue background (3.5 x 5 cm), bring your current passport and Malaysian IC, as well as your Swiss Permit. Additionally you have to bring the copy of the payment from your bank. Payment of 50 British pounds must be paid to:

Malaysian High Commission
HSBC Bank
19 Grosvenor Place
Hyde Park Corner
London SW1X7HT
UK
IBAN: GB 51 MIDL 40031711144979
BIC: MIDLGB 2106 N
Sort Code: 40-03-17
Account No. 11144979

We will forward your application to London and it will take about 3 weeks till your new passport gets processed and sent back to the Embassy.

Your other option would be to fly to London and have your passport renewed there, if you come in the morning, it will be ready by the afternoon.

Should you decide to have it done here, please call me up so I can set up an appointment for you.

If you have further queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.


kind regards,

Eva
Ms. E. Bernhard
Consular Section
Embassy of Malaysia
Jungfraustrasse 1
3005 Bern, Switzerland
Tel. 031 350 47 00/ 031 350 47 10 (direct)
Fax 031 350 47 02

Touching down in KK

Touching down in KK
Originally uploaded by arylana

What a hectic one week. In 7 days, I took 9 different flights !! Zurich - Amsterdam - Hong Kong - Wuhan - Beijing - KL - KK - KL - Amsterdam - Zurich.

Despite the short business trip I decided to still go to KK for a while to check on the progress of the renovation of my 1Borneo apartment - turned out to be a disaster! The cabinet and wardrobe looked like used units, the whole place a garbage dump site and no interior defects fixed. Both the site supervisor and my contractor got screwed hard - thoroughly deserved.

sepang 2005

sepang 2005
Originally uploaded by arylana

...

want taste of home in Zurich??

No problem .. try this place - http://www.tiffins.ch
I heard it's own by a Malaysian dude. You can't find anything closer to what you get at home than what are served here. One of cooks is Malaysian - Aboy.

Flaunt it baby

Flaunt it baby
Originally uploaded by arylana

I'd always been wanting to visit the South of France - Cannes, Nice, St Tropez. Finally, it came through with cheap flights from Swiss.

The visit was literally an "eye opener". Bare boobs were just everywhere - all shapes, sizes and colours. I wouldn't be surprised if any half blind man regained his vision upon visiting the place.

Petronas Twin Tower, KL

Petronas Twin Tower, KL
Originally uploaded by arylana

I never really realised how beautiful the Twin Tower is until tonight when I walk passed it going back to Prince Hotel from the Pelita Nasi Kandar restaurant on Jalan Ampang -- a long walk simply because I couldn't get any taxi at 10 PM.

Look at it .. just amazing how it sparkles in darkness of the sky (simply taken with by "crapberry")

sitting on the edge

sitting on the edge
Originally uploaded by arylana

It's another hot day in Switzerland ... and so humid too, the most humid since I came here in 2006. 5 minutes in sun, and you are drenched. Everyone was out, enjoying the two, three months before it turns into a gloomy, gray world again.

This photo was taken across the Sex shop in Baden (sorry, don't remembar the "platz" name, only that there is a big sey shop there :)).

lost in moscow ?? read my back

lost in moscow ?? read my back
Originally uploaded by arylana

Once I got the opportunity to visit Moscow for a small database implementation in our newly set up office there. Prior leaving I wasn't quite sure what to expect; may be a run down, old city with traces of of the former communist ideology at every corner? Not at all. I got booked at a huge mega hotel, with three quarter of the floor filled with gambling machines and tables (a super casino). To enter everyone had to be scanned just like in airports. I don't remember. Surprisingly, I saw a number of Malaysian government officers (or could also be politicians) entering the premises. How did I know they are the government guys / politicians ... the little pin badge on the coat lah.. what lah! want to go to Casino hide lah the badge. Some more got malaysian flag on it.

With some free times after office hours and it was hot summer time, I got some opportunities to go around the city. This picture is a special one, of a girl with a map printed on the back of her blouse. Useful? Not sure. Sexy? Certainly :)

Zurich Street Parade 2008

Zurich Street Parade 2008
Originally uploaded by arylana

August is party time in Zurich. The street parade that takes place every year features so called love trucks taking tonnes of (mostly) great looking girls and man across the main street of the city. Loud music everywhere, stages feature sexy dancers, people donning all sort of colourful costumes and not to forget those who prefer no to wear nothing at all, or very little I should say.

For a photographer, it's a great place to be at if you manage to get a good spot. The colours, the characters, fun atmosphere, some crazy girls .. great photos!.

the pole queen

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stroboscopic day - may 2010

stroboscopic day - may 2010
Originally uploaded by arylana

After been dreaming about it, I got my first chance of experiencing studio photography - organised by a group called the Swiss Strobist (http://swiss-strobist.ch/), led by a German-fluent British dude. I was quite fortunate to see the invitation early enough and immediately signed up. There were only 12 seats.

The session took place in a small village outskirt of Berne, miles away .. even the walk from the bus stop. The studio was run a lady (with a tattoo on her arm .. not sure why I remember this crystal clear) in an office building that seems to also host some apartments (?? strange). For the first time I got to know how easy studio photography is .. piece of cake .. and delicious. Although we wanted more only three models (unpaid :) or rather very little) were available - 3 ladies, and a boy; in the photo here is Julia (check out her other pictures from the below, as well as the others).

The model profiles:
Julia: http://www.model-kartei.de/sedcard/modell/55868/
Laura: http://www.model-kartei.de/sedcard/modell/155100/
Erika: http://www.model-kartei.de/sedcard/modell/66446/
Dominik: http://www.facebook.com/dominik.naegeli

More pictures are available here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/shreky/sets/72157623908260035/