MotoGP and me

Valentino Rossi, right, and another MotoGP rider speed past the Malaysian National Flag on the Sepang Circuit during a free practice round.

250cc make their way round turn 2 of the Sepang Circuit MotoGP racers head towards turn 2 of Sepang Circuit

Casey Stoner, current world championValentino Rossi of Italy speeds past on his Yamaha.

About a week ago, i was assigned on a very very last minute basis to cover the MotoGP Grand Prix race in Sepang Circuit over in Kuala Lumpur.

I got the go-ahead from the organisers that my media accreditation was approved at such short notice at 10pm on the night before i was scheduled to leave.

That was the least of my worries, however.

I was more concerned about the dynamics of covering a race. Yes, granted that I actually have an interest in motor sports and do watch the MotoGP quite often and am able to tell you who the riders are but shooting it is a totally different ball game.

There were so many questions.

- where can i shoot from?

- which turn is the best to shoot from?

- at which lap should i start trudging back to the finish-line?

- will there be access?

- what about covering the pit area and paddock?

- what are the rules?

etc etc and etc.

Too many questions and too little time. It was vital that i got that info down as this was a very quick shooting situation. If you miss it, it's gone forever. Unlike the game of tennis or golf or soccer for that matter. These things happen slowly and in a fixed compound.

Roslan and me waiting at the media center Tengku Badris Bahar and I, old pals at the circuit sham of EPA knows what he's doing!

Thank God for good friends i have in the media, namely Vincent Thian, the AP Photographer based in KL ( who was away in Yangon and didn't make it back on time_hence me going over to shoot the GP) and Roslan Rahman from AFP, based in Singapore. Roslan has always been a great pal and buddy of mine. He was going over to cover the race as well, so we travelled together and he gave me tips on where to be at what point of the race.

The rest was up to me.

Shooting is never a problem.

that's me editing in the camera while a MotoGP rider speeds past me

If you know your techiniques enough and understand when to apply what photography rules and when to break them, all you need to do is react according to the situation, as it presents itself to you. But it does help in all situations to have good friends that you trust that are gracious enough to give you a head start.

Thanks Roslan and Vincent and Terence - who started me on this whole GP thing and supporting me by taking care of the Nate when he had the chicken pox while i was away.

best,

mayo

The Airbus A380

the airbus A380 is seen at Gate 31

The much awaited departure of the Airbus A380 Singapore Airlines Plane to Sydney finally happened early this morning. We, the media had to gather at the airport by 0530hrs so that we can shoot the activities in the gate holding room. Lucky for some like Gillian, my pal at AP, she got to fly and will be doing a story from the plane itself.

staff of Singapore Airlines stand under an aerobridge to send off the A380

Richard Quest from CNN's Business Traveller was doing his thing!

It actually wasn't that painful waking up in the wee hours of the morning to gather at another media circus. I was shocked however, when i found the hairs on my right arm standing as the staff from Singapore Airlines started cheering and clapping at the time of take off. Something has to be said about me being secretly patriotic. This has only happened twice in my life. National day at the old Kallang Stadium when everyone stands at attention and sings the national anthem and well, this A380 event at the Changi International Airport this morning.

Things i'm learning about myself. sheesh.

Check Bill Please

It's one of those things where you read happens to other people but never really thought it'd happen to you; until it does.

Whilst in Malaysia, i received a call from DBS Credit Cards department. A very polite lady started asking me if I had made any transactions over in the United States recently and I thought well , yeah, a couple of months ago. Suddenly fears that my card was left open in KL could have contributed somehow to this "mix-up". Not.

Apparently a successful transaction using my credit card number was made for USD$1 a week ago at Macy's South. And recently another transaction was tried a couple of days ago but to no avail. The security number given was wrong so i was safe.

I've never been more greatful to receive calls from credit card companies before.

Curious, i asked how the company knew to call me and they said that they had suspicions on this certain company that has been making transactions and therefore called to check.

Thank god for these people who cared to call cause I don't think i would have cared to check.

So make sure you check your bills thoroughly as we sometimes take it the system for granted.

It's not full proof.

Hi multiply

Because i'm not busy enough and need to add another site upkeeping to my list of things to do.

http://mayewong.multiply.com/

Spot the Nate

So i was told by Abi and Terence while i was away (again) on coverage of the MotoGP race in KL. We still don't know what it is but i have my suspicions that it might be the Chicken Pox. That makes me very worried cause i've never had it and November is going to be a very very important month for work. Plus i don't think i will be able to handle the pox as well as Nate is doing so right now. One look and you'd think he's fine and normal. I think if I had the pox, it'll be the kitchen gloves and all.

Let's see what the doctor has to say tomorrow when we take him for another check-up.

In the mean time, this is getting tiring.

It's one thing after another, month after month.

Selamat Hari Raya

catching wind of things

Every year, we are so lucky to be invited over to Ishak's home for Hari Raya celebrations. I look forward to the catching up with all other photographers from the past, present and future over some fantastic food, most of it cooked by Sally, Shak's wife. Nate had a good time and seemed very determined to catch the wind from a standing fan (childrens' logic). He was very shy with Ishak most times as well and never really had a chance to warm up.

still in hospital

nate's suffering from some bactiral infection and has some inflammation in his body. He's pretty ok right now, just lethargic most times but still has bursts of energy. He had been suffering from fever since monday and it didn't seem to be getting any better. see http://nate-to-date.blogspot.com/2007/10/sick-babee.html for updates on what we thought he might be suffering from as he didn't seem to have any other symptoms that came with the fever. But on Wed night, nate started crying and it wasn't an "attention-seeking" cry. It was actually very distressing and he showed no interest in anything. He was in the words of Dr. Tan, "listless". For someone as hyper-active as nate, being "listless" is kinda scary. So we decided to ward him and give him Anti-biotics through the needle as well as hydrate him. (i'm kinda secretly happy about the hydrating part because there is no way anyone can get Nate to drink any water).

We did everything in one shot. Blood test, medication etc.

Today we found out that he has got some sort of bacteria infection in his system and inflamation (we think in the throat). Which explains the shortness of breadth on wed night as well.

He'll have to stay in for another day, to get fully medicated.

He's made friends with the other kids here and has a permanent friend attached to him, which we call "Skinny".

He's sleeping next to me as i type this in the highlights from my computer screen and Terence has just arrived so i'm gonna log off and update again tomorrow.

In the mean time, enjoy nate in a dress, because i'm sure like me, you guys will prolly not be able to help yourselves and burst out laughing. He actually looks pretty.

photo montage

in light of what's happening in Burma i decided to invest in another read.

I realised that the cover picture was very captivating (in more ways than one) and thought that a photographer would have to be so lucky to get a shot like that. until i read the photo credits at the back of the book at 4am this morning ( i'm not normally awake at 4am ) and it said:

Jacket images: Front: image of Aung San Suu Kyi, copyright Magnum, cage, copyright Getty Images.

at first glance i thought... hey nice picture_ has to be magnum_ of course. But then i noticed the word cage, which i thought was some part of a name of a photographer or something.

they merged these two images together making her look like she was fenced up

sigh

after the realisation, i felt so cheated and am trying very hard not to let the idea of a photo-montage cheapen the contents of the book for me.

So far it looks good.

simple

life has been pretty hectic of late.

Been practically living out of my suitcase for a while now, but its nice to just sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and continue a game of scrabble with my hubby without having to worry about rushing from one point to another.

Rocher : experience that golden moment

my hubby and I were having a conversation about Ferrero Rocher chocolates and how they've been around for a long time. So much so that it's form its own little culture. That's it. the Ferrero Rocher chocolate culture. I never was a fan of that safe tasting chocolate ball. I don't hate it, i just don't feel anything for it. I do however, seem to have a handfull of comments about it. We've realised that this chocolate has been around. And terence thinks that it's a pretty successful marketing experiment cause it's something that people would think of instantly when they need a convenient gift. It's classy looking in times of desperation, with its over-done packaging, and they come in several sized boxes as well. And yes, affordable without being too cheap. Slightly better than the Van Houten ones too.

Maybe its this whole convenience that makes me feel a little un-excited by it. It's exactly that.

To me, it's become the "yi si" chocolate. I buy it out of obligation because i need to give you something at your house warming, or birth of your first child, or because its the only thing i can find at home from someone else who came by the last time. It's almost like a briney spears case study. The marketing and packaging is fantastic but the real quality of the product is really just bad.

WIKIPEDIA even has this listed : In Hong Kong and Israel, Ferrero Rocher is a popular gift during the holidays, especially during Chinese New Year. Chinese culture associates the gold of the packaging with good fortune and wealth.

rainbow connection

my favourite shot of the nate

when the husband is bored

he does things like that. 10 points for creativity and 100 points for the Kitch in this.