Operation© Big Surprise Clue #7/34 The Ship

The second key to the puzzles is actually to know how to arrange these set of clues. There is only one correct way to do that and is somewhat simple in nature.

These pictures were taken at the ship in Batu Feringghi. As I recall, this was the first time I took Babe into that massive replica of a ship! Too bad can't go in there.

Funny enough, Eden doens't really give you that feeling of being in a boat. Nor, would I want to have Babe even step into a boat.


Okay, this is actually gonna take a long time to finish all the clues. Ah well, that is what you get for trying to prolong some thing and create that suspense!

Grampians Summit Timelapse

30 minutes at Grampians National Park Summit using a mini tripod.

Feugo by Bond

Operation© Big Surprise Clue #6

Clue #6 was taken partially in my study room and partially at the Ship in Batu Feringghi.

Well, more to come on the ship. Missing home and family sometimes, but I guess that is what we are abroad for.

Great Ocean Road Adventure #3/6 Twelve rocks and sunset

Thy light fades into grey. Thy rays race into the dusk and take all thy warmth from a land barren and broken.
So, next stop on our epic adventure is the Twelve Apostles! Aptly named the twelve rocks. We raced across the highway as the daylight burnt away.
We got there in time to savour the final radiance of the dusking sun.
Here, I was trying to do some high dynamic range pictures. This shot came out well.
Where as this one looks quite fake.
Nonetheless, it was a spectecular sunset. The beach, the cliff, the wind and the clouds.
We were not alone. Our fifty added to the other fifty people that were already. Turns out this is quite the tourist spot. Note the heavy tripods and the ND filters!
Who could argue. The only thing was the clouds, which gave some nice effects, but just made life a wee bit harder.
This one's a HDR of the above.
Although HDR would make things look more realistic, this low exposure setting gives it a more cool feel, the same feeling when you are wearing your black shades.
Another HDR lazily done. Would have done more not for my Heat and Mass Transport 2 test tomorrow!!
The thought of having a holiday right now... not so good.
Don't be fooled, the winds are massive and the temperature will test your endurance. Just wait till sunrise!

Operation© Big Surprise Clue #5

I enjoy taking pictures. So what do you do after you fill up your hard drive with so many pictures?

You make a Big Surprise for you Babe!

So, apart from the clues, there are actually 3 keys to solve for the final puzzle. The first key is actually to arrange all the broken up pictures according to the 36 clues.

So here is clue number 5.

This was taken in front of the Merlion in Singapore, near the marina where the Las Vegas Sands is scheduled to open their casino there.

It was always BBs dream to get to the Merlion. Most of us are lucky to be able to go anywhere we want. Well, after I get a job or some cash, we'll be going round the world!

Great Ocean Road Trip! Album #2/6 Picking Bush's Berries!

Part two of my trip along the Great Ocean Road, Victoria.
For our next stop, we decided to visit a berry farm. These berry farms are situated in the middle of nowhere.
Even so, these majestic looking pets were happy to see 50 visitors, laden with cameras!
The owner of the farm gave us some insight on where and how to pick berries.
From this angle, he looks a lil bit like George Bush!
Anyway, raspberries were in season. All we had to to was pay an entry fee of 5AUD and we could pick all the berries we wanted!
I am a real big fan of raspberries! But all you can eat for AUD5 was my kinda buffet! Only thing was the fact that this was a farm, not a supermarket, where the produce have been treated with noxious gases to preserve them.
Don't they look scrumptious? If you should, aim for the darker ones, they are sweet. Just look out for worms and insects, else you will have extra protein in your dessert!
The orchard also had apples. In fact, there were whole loads of apples. One thing I guess is apples are kinda difficult to eat, so the owners make more cash by just letting them drop to the ground.
See what I mean?
Anyway, these are how berries look like on the plant itself. The flashy red hue stands out greatly from the leaves.
Like fish in the sea, photoholics get busy to pluck and eat!
Scarecrows were there too. These are quite fancy but i doubt they keep the birds away.
After about 30 minutes and a punnet later, this was my catch of the day!
See what I mean bout the scarecrows not having any effect. Okay, you may argue that these are not crows.
But the sight of two sparrows playing about the farm and feasting on the berries was too hard for my 300mm to resist. As I got my lens out, the two males were fighting over this territory.
Flowers where not in short supply as well. Luckily my trusty macro lens allowed me to capture every detail here.
These were the strawberry farms. Notice how low they go to?
All the while, the skies were filled with clouds, signaling a storm.
As we left, the sight of this scarecrow caught my attention. Those porcelain eyes have seen more sunsets than I have.
Before we left, Da Wei just had to bring out his 300mm for a group photo. Only problem was that his camera was 30m away from the group!
Man with a camera in the bush.
So, canons typically have a shutter timer of 10 seconds. So you run!!
Next stop, 12 Apostles!

Operation© Big Surprise Clue #4

In divising this big surprise, I actually made a big mistake. How do you put together a big puzzle that you cut into tiny bit back together again?

Well, what I did was number every one of them!

To make sure that Babe does not finish the puzzle so easily, I numbered it in a way that only I could understand! heheheh.. so cruel.. but wouldn't want my surprise to just go to waste. The problem is, the numbers work only to a certain extent. Most of the puzzle can then only be solved by remembering where and when we took those pictures!

I guess making that nice feeling last is everything. Its like keeping her at the point of suspense until I get home.

Clue number 4 was taken inside Sunway Pyramid just as it was about to close.

Operation© Big Surprise Clue #3

So, every small thumbnail has actually been cut into their sizes.

What nicer way to solve a puzzle than to remember everything that happened in the last holidays we were together. Luckily for Babe, she has photographic memory, better than my goldfish memory.

Clue number 3 were some shots we took at Queensbay Mall on Christmas Eve 2009. We were flying kites there cause I was so enthralled when I saw the sea of kites hovering above.

At first, Babe was really feeling frustrated. Then I can clearly remember the lil kid excitement when the kite took off!

Great Ocean Road Trip! Album #1/6 On The Road

Some say the Great Ocean Road is the best scenic road in the world. Follow me as I take you on a journey of the Great Ocean Road adventure in extreme weather!

On the 11th of April 2010, 8 cars set off with 40 people from the Melbourne University Law building. Little did they know...

Yes, that is mud. The drive to the Great Ocean Road took 3 hours as we watch city turn to suburb and suburb turn to bushland.
Toilet break was in the alpine forest! The Australian definition of an eco friendly rest stop is a cess pit covered with porcelain. Too bad no pics of that. You would probably have better days not looking anyway.
The trees easily towered 50 feet! What you don't see is the muddy path. After the break, we began our own episode of lost.
Tailing KL's car. Surprisingly, Australian roads even in the outback is really well kept and built. No bumps or humps and one can easily go 110kmph next to someone's house!
The parked convoy waiting for the last guy as usual.
It helps to know that when you are in the outback or the highlands, there is no 3G coverage and all you iPhones loose all GPS capability. Note, reading maps can be really helpful. I take comfort in the fact that 3Gs has a built in compass!!
When in doubt, shoot!
Da Wei's car, the red Holden!
Finally, we get moving. So, part one of extreme weather. We drove right into an afternoon fog.
With 8 cars in convey, it was important that we keep a distance and keep close at the same time.
Notice how thick the fog was. This telephone pole made a good subject, standing out in the eerie mist.
Niah and his video re creation of the Blair witch project,
They journey continued.
For a long time. I waited. Patiently. No sign of civilisation. No sign of humans. Where are we? Australia...
There was no end to this fog. We might very well be in another dimension. Our journey continues...