my story , my life » Photography

1st Road Trip in New Zealand – Day 1

yeohcm — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 11:08:02 +0000

Road Map

This was my 1st road trip in New Zealand. It started from Christchurch (A), 2 nights in Queenstown (D) and 1 night in Franz Josef (G). We tried to squeeze in as many places as possible in 4 days and i will provide as much information as I could which was requested by some of my visitors.

Preparation: *important

Map of cause NZ’s Map
Book your accommodations
Plan your route, so that you don’t miss any exciting place.
Car
Check your car’s conditions (Oil, Water, Air, registration, WoF (Warrant of Fitness), wipers & etc.)
Prepare your food. (drinks, bread, fruits, junk food & etc.)
Warm clothes
BBQ kits (if you’re planning for BBQ)

As early as 6am, we departed from Christchurch with empty stomach and heading to motorway (highway). Then, we had a light breakfast at the rest area.

That was our main transportation of this trip. Emm….I’m talking about this cute little white car instead of that luxurious campervan. :p

It’s no harm to bring any travel guide book with you in case you plan to change your route.

the view on the way to Lake Tekapo

Panorama View – Click to enlarge

Lake Tekapo(B) – one of the must-visit place

It was spring season. Thus, there were heaps of colorful flowers along Lake Tekapo.

Church of the God Shepherd

Situated on the shores of Lake Tekapo is the Church of the Good Shepherd, which, in 1935, was the first church built in the Mackenzie Basin. The church at Burkes Pass, St Patrick’s built in 1872 was the first church built by pioneers as a joint community effort, by Anglicans Presbyterian and Catholic settlers. Also a joint venture between Presbyterians and Anglicans, St Columba in Fairlie was built in 1879. The church at Lake Tekapo was designed by Christchurch architect R.S.D. Harman, based on sketches by a local artist, Esther Hope. The church is arguably one of the most photographed in New Zealand, and features an altar window that frames stunning views of the lake and mountains. [source]

Lake Tekapo with snow capped mountains as background

After we left Lake Tekapo, we proceed to Salmon Fish Farm somewhere near Twizel. We bought 1Kg of Salmon for our barbecue. It was relatively cheap compared to fish market.

Extremely Fresh Salmon

Then, we continued our journey to Queenstown which took about 4-5 hours.

On our way, we visited AJ Hackett Bungy, The pioneers and inventors of modern day bungy jumping and extreme personal challenges. We didn’t try bungy jumping as we were planning to try something more extreme and more exciting…… stay tuned next post.

This is our accommodation in Queenstown – The Black Sheep Queenstown. The room rate was quite reasonable and situated just two minutes walk from downtown which was extremely convenience. It was quite clean and equipped with various facilities.

Hooray, BBQ Time !! We’ve prepared Chicken wings, sausages, bread, drinks, fresh salmon that we bought and so on. All BBQ facilities were provided by The Black Sheep Queenstown.

After our dinner, we visited down town of Queenstown.

Private Hotel??

Casino, Bar, Pub ……

Vintage Steamship which carrying tourists across Lake Wakatipu to the Walter Peak High Country Farm.

Happening Pub

Along quayside

::::::::To Be Continued::::::::

……stay tuned for my next post…………What’s neXt ?? eXtreme ChallenGe~~~~

2009 Haeundae Sea Festival

yeohcm — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:40:29 +0000

I can’t believe how time flies. I can still clearly recall how much fun we had at the Haeundae Sea Festival last year.

Last Saturday, we went to Haundae Sea Festival again which is held annually at Haeundae [해운대] Beach, Busan.

Sadly, This would be my last opportunity to join a bunch of friends to this exciting festival as I’m leaving Korea very soon.

This year, the number of ‘gang members’ to Sea Festival has increased compared to last year. And, we were more well-prepared with picnic foods such as JapChae [잡채] (Korean fried noodle), Malaysian-style Curry Chicken, sausages, drinks and so on.

Group Photo before making ourselves dirty

As usual, you can only see never ending of parasols when you reach Haeundae Beach.

Pirate Ship ??? @_*

where is the end?

having fun with mum, lovely~

on-duty Life Guard

Kids were having fun

Hey, i suppose you need more Air for the tube.

Cheers~~~~1 2 3

What else ? Oh yes, i know what you are looking for……………………Bikini Girls

:::::: Random Shoots ::::::

Sunbathing~~

Innocent Girl *_*

Oily & Shinning

Nice pose

Cheers~~Say “KimChi~~~~”

3 BIG Hats @_@

Opps, Sleepy Bikini Girl ZzZzzzzz~~~

=.= “Women in Black”

Having fun~~

Last but not least………”Simply snap“

Visit 2009 Haeundae Sea Festival if you happen to be in Busan, the festival ended on 9th August 2009. [More Info]

Happy Summer !!!

:::::The End::::

Manila, Philippines Short Trip

yeohcm — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:24:28 +0000

I’m so lucky as I had another opportunity to travel oversea for presenting my work in international conference before finish my master study. The most important thing is “It was Fully sponsored trip again”~~~

This time the destination was Manila, Philippines. YES! “Maynila” for the Filipinos which is the capital city of the Philippines.

Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

However,too bad I had only 2 days in Manila as i wasted 2 days for transiting in Japan. So, i “googled” around and found some must-visit places in Manila. Let’s see…….oh yah, This is my 1st oversea trip with my babe, D90.

Taken when departed from Japan to Manila

Just after my conference, i visited Philippines Largest Mall, Mall of Asia which is right on Manila Bay in Pasay City, Metro Manila. I like its slogan aptly puts as ” No other Mall comes close“.

The SM Mall of Asia is the largest in the Philippines and is the third largest in the world, at least by floor size, it ranks behind the Golden Resources Mall in China and the West Edmonton Mall in Canada.

What has been FullyBooked ?? You should know what they are selling ?

I jumped on this vehicle to Mall of Asia namely Jeepney. Philippines’ most popular means of public transportation. Extremely Cheap !!!

Just beside the Mall of Asia is a nice Bay walk, San Miguel.

Dating on the bay~~~how nice..

Friendly Filipinos

Just after the rain at Manila Bay

Center of Attraction

Bay + Mall

My dinner. Cheap and Nice.

Saw some funny t-shirts. “FatnessFirst”

“nobalance” LoL

In front of the mall which has a huge bronze globe similar to Universal Studios.

===========Day 2============

Dropped by Rizal Park, was the site of the execution of Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines.

Most important day for Filipino, the Independent Day.

The main tourist site of Manila is Intramuros,(Spanish for ‘within the walls‘).

INTRAMUROS, the old capital of Manila, was built in 1571. It remains a monumental, if ruined, relic of the Spanish period in Philippine history. It is a city within a city, separated from the rest of Manila by its crumbling walls. This ancient capital had well-planned streets, plazas, the Governor’s Palace and churches. However, many buildings were reduced to shambles in World War II.

Old building

The Manila Cathedral is the fifth stone church of Manila.

It was destroyed and rebuilt several times. From the air, it appears as a giant cross.

Fort Santiago

It used to be the seat of the colonial powers of both Spain and the U.S. It was also a dreaded prison under the Spanish regime and the scene of countless military police atrocities during the Japanes occupation. Here, too, Dr. Jose Rizal spent his last hours before his execution on Bagumbayan. (now Rizal Park).

Dr. Jose Rizal, Philippines’ national hero

Intramuros is too huge and i was rushing for time. So, i hired a Calesa.

old cannon

:::My Conversation:::

Me: Hey, i thought we should use the opposite lane.

A: Yes, that rule is for human, but this is Horse !!!!

Me: LOL….. fainted~~~~

I just knew Calera don’t need to follow the rule.

Crowded Chinatown

intercrossing cables

Traffic jammed….Horse knows it well too.

Behind colorful Jeepneys…..By the way, we were on a busy main road.

::::On my way back::::

nicely packed Dinner….it was so Yummy~~~

Departed from Japan back to Korea. Breathtaking view. Might be Fuji Moutain

“Salamat” means Thank you in Tagalog (Filipino)

========The End========

Everything You Need To Know About The Philippines!

My 1st Digital SLR Camera

yeohcm — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 17:20:27 +0000

After several months of surveying on DSLR (Digital Single-Lens Reflex) cameras, asking friends’ opinions, saving $$$ and so on, finally i have made the decision- NIKON D90. Indeed, it was Not an easy decision as there are so many brands and you are buying the whole DSLR system. oh yahh..HUGE investment$$$$$ too~~~ Once you have chosen a brand, you are hardly to jump off the boat to other brand. You would probably need to sell off all your accessories and lenses. -_-|||

Today (09/06/2009 2.30pm Korean Time): The Arrival of D90…..can’t wait to touch it (⊙o⊙)

… Golden Box !!!

Unboxing my babe-D90………

here she is — the world’s first DSLR to capture 720p HD movie footage.

Back-view. Yes, still with protection sheet. ~\(≧▽≦)/~

Bunch of accessories: SDHC card, cleaning kit, extra battery, body protection cloth…………………… ( ^_^ )

.

Nikon D90 Key Features

12.3 megapixel DX-format CMOS sensor
3.0-inch 920,000 pixel (VGA x 3 colors) TFT-LCD
Live View with contrast-detect AF, face detection
Image sensor cleaning (sensor shake)
Illuminated focus points
Movie capture at up to 1280 x 720 (720p) 24 fps with mono sound
IS0 200-3200 range (100-6400 expanded)
4.5 frames per second continuous shooting
Expeed image processing engine
3D tracking AF (11 point)
Short startup time, viewfinder blackout and shutter lag
Slightly improved viewfinder (96% frame coverage)
Extensive in-camera retouching including raw development and straightening
Improved user interface
New optional compact GPS unit (fits on hot shoe)
Vignetting control in-camera
72 thumbnail and calendar view in playback

[resource]

Reviews

Okie….is time to browse through manual and play with it…….. ~\(≧▽≦)/~

:::::the END::::::