Editor’s Note – January 2016


[Editor’s Note]
2015 was a rather forgettable year as there was so much gloom and doom perpetually hanging over the nation that it could be felt everywhere from the high-class restaurants to the coffeeshops. Well there was certainly a change in lifestyle for many citizens with many having to be more frugal with their spending and researching online before buying a product or engaging a service.
That’s actually where the power of digital media comes into play as it accessible anywhere (with a data/ internet connection), any time, and on various devices including PCs, tablets and smartphones. Unfortunately, this also spells the end for traditional media such as radio stations and magazines (such as FHM globally, Capital and Red FM in Malaysia) whose readership/ listernership has been falling significantly over the past decade.
I’ve always regarded the start of a new year as a new beginning – a chance to start afresh, to learn from the mistakes of the past year, and move forward. Hopefully the country does too as we can’t remain mired in the horrible situation of late. Anyway enough about this depressing topic.
I noticed over the past few days that many of my readers have been searching for Valentine’s Day menus and promotions at restaurants in the Klang Valley. I guess it’s always wise to plan ahead even though Valentine’s Day is six (6) weeks away and so to assist you I’ve contacted a number of the prominent hotels and restaurants in KL/ PJ to get their Valentine’s Day promotions and I’ll even try to do some reviews if there’s sufficient time. Rest assured that the list will be up soon to ease your search.
Anyway January started with a bang for me with a New Year’s Eve countdown party at Ruyi & Lyn in Bangsar Shopping Centre together with some close friends, some new friends and two (2) of my MHB bloggers namely Nicole Fu who’s back from her honeymoon, and Ashley Mah who’s back from her studies in New Zealand. Somehow the older I get the more I want to spend memorable moments with close friends and family instead of with thousands of strangers at some super crowded place like KLCC or Zouk Club.
With me was the new Fujifilm X-T10 which I’m currently reviewing and no – this post is NOT an advertorial. For those of you who know me well you’d know that I do like photography so when a good camera comes my way I always feel compelled to share my opinions on it with my bloggers, friends and readers. 
Now as I’m still pretty new with the camera, most of the shots below were taken using the “Advanced SR Auto” mode which I must say is pretty intuitive; correctly reads the situation most of the time, then changes the camera’s settings to best suit it. Girls will like it for its “Portrait” mode which gives soft overall tone and beautiful skin tones, as well as the “Portrait Enhancer” mode which gives a soft skin effect.
So apart from me being excited that it was New Year’s Eve and all, I was also very excited to try out the camera in a club setting. Yes us boys and our toys…
 
The cute DJ Queena on the decks at Ruyi & Lyn’s NYE countdown party
With MHB’s Nicole Fu and my friend Frennee
Love the bokeh/ background defocus effect in this pic.
Soon it was midnight and time for champagne!
Former runway models June Yap and Brigette Yu (L-R)

                                  
 

Love how the camera captures the ambient light
  
Then on New Year’s Day I headed over for a somewhat more quite night with some single malt whisky and special cocktails at HYDE @ 53M with May Yee whom I’ve known for 19 years. She’s one of the few girls I know who has the confidence to go out bare faced! HYDE @ 53M is a speakeasy bar located in Uptown Damansara and they have no signage so you’ve got to look out for the unit number.
 

I shot this pic with the camera’s built in flash at really close range and usually it’s pretty harsh but this turned out pretty even! Very impressed!
The next day was the highlight of my weekend – Soren and Lavinne’s wedding dinner at Marini’s on 57 which I dubbed the ” Wedding of the Year”.
 
Violinist Dennis Lau provided the tunes for the wedding march

Some of the gorgeous gusts included Miss Universe Malaysia 2013 Carey Ng. Amber Chia and Dato Jimmy Choo were also in attendance along with a lot of other high-profile people.
She’s just so gorgeous!
Congratulations to the bride and groom!
Steph and myself with the newly-weds!

With celebrity DJ Leng Yein

The very romantic dinner setting
 

I’ll be using the Fujifilm X-T10 throughout January so look out for more photos taken with the camera.
More info at http://www.fujifilm.com/products/digital_cameras/x/fujifilm_x_t10/