Mirrored Memories

This series of poignant images by Texas photographer Tom Hussey captures the confusion an Alzheimer sufferer might endure on a daily basis. The award winning pictures ran as an ad for the pharmaceutical company, Novartis for their ”Reflections” campaign. An Alzheimer’s drug called the Exelon Patch made by Novartis helps patients maintain long-term memories during the early stages of Alzheimer, a horrific disease that gradually strips victims off their more recent memories.

Compelling photographs of Alzheimer’s patients who see only their younger selves in the mirror

Sets of real people aged 40 to 50 years apart were used

A long-retired nurse catches sight of her self in a bathroom mirror but instead of seeing grey hair and wrinkled skin, the reflection of an attractive young lady stares back.

W/W - The Haze

Like a recurring nightmare, the dreaded haze is back again to choke our cities and transform our clear blue skies to a miserable, hazy grey. This happens annually during the dry and hot months.
On Sunday, the Malaysian government declared a state of emergency and ordered all schools in and around the capital, Kuala Lumpur, to stay closed on Monday as air pollution levels reached 16-year-highs. The air pollutant index (API) hit 750 - wayyyyyy above the threshold of 300 for hazardous air quality.

The haze as viewed from my balcony

The billowy haze, which is now an acute problem in South-East Asia, is mainly caused by open burning in Indonesia for land clearing, in addition to other factors like hot and dry weather. Farmers in Indonesia regularly burn scrub and forest to clear land during the dry season for agricultural purposes

Our iconic landmark, The Petronas Twin Towers engulfed by the haze

People are experiencing discomfort like sore throat and itchy eyes, and serious respiratory problems such as chest pains and breathing difficulty. Johor records over 100% increase in the number of asthma cases. Even with the windows and doors closed and the air-conditioner running on max all day, the acrid odour of burning wood from the vents permeates every room.

Pharmacies have run out of face masks

image credit - Buletin Mutiara

Students donning masks during assembly before schools in critical areas were declared closed



Dear Lord, please let it rain soon. Blue skies, I miss you!

Gabriele Galimberti - Delicatessen With Love

Remember Gabriele Galimberti's  Toy Stories, a series of photographs of children around the world with their most prized possessions? Once again, this very talented Italian photographer takes us on yet another exploration - his latest photo series Delicatessen With Love, featuring grandmothers from 58 different countries with their signature dishes. The project was inspired by his own grandma and a dish of her raviolis.

Here are just 10 pics to share. More pics and details including all the 58 recipes @ Galimberti’s website.

MALAYSIA

Thilaga Vadhi, 55 years old – Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Nasi Lemak (coconut rice with vegetables and fried dried anchovies)
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SWEDEN

Brigitta Fransson, 70 years old – Stockholm, Sweden – Inkokt Lax – (poached cold salmon and vegetables)

THAILAND

Boonlom Thongpor, 69 years old – Bangkok, Thailand – Kai Yat Sai (stuffed omelette)

TURKEY

Ayten Okgu , 76 years old -€“ Istanbul, Turkey – Karniyarik (stuffed aubergines with meat and vegetables)

CHINA

Pan Guang Mei, 62 years old – Chongqing, China – Hui Guo Rou (twice-cooked pork with vegetables)

CANADA

Kathy O’€™Donovan, 64 years old – Whitehorse, Canada - Bison under the midnight sun

INDIA

Grace Estibero, 82 years old – Mumbai, India – Chicken vindaloo

UTAH

Melanie Hill , 50 years old – American Fork, Utah -€“ USA – Chocolate Toffee Trifle

SPAIN

Carmina Fernandez, 73 years old – Madrid – Asadura de cordero lecca con arroz (milk-fed lamb offal with rice)

LEBANON

Wadad Achi, 66 years old – Beirut, Lebanon – Mjadara (rice and lentils cream)

W/W - Crabbing

Crabbing over the patio of our wooden water chalet was an awesome experience!

A hotel staff helping Josh to set up the crab net

There are two openings for the crab to enter. Once they get in, they can't find their way out again

A squid is tied to the centre of the net and used as bait

Lowering the net into the water below

Our first catch of the day

A total of seven six (one escaped!) crabs and a hermit crab were caught!

This little guy was different than the rest

There is a service charge of RM30 (USD10) if you want your crabs cooked by the hotel's kitchen staff but we didn't have the heart to eat those little fellas. And so back into the sea they went!

Man Boobs by Drew Friedman

Not exactly the kinda stuff you would share on Father's Day but if you're in need of a smile, scroll down!

Essential diagrams depicting various man boobs by famous cartoonist and illustrator Drew Friedman.

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Take no offense to this, male pallies! We embrace your chesticles...er..moobs cock-eyed, lopsided, wolly and all!

And to whomever qualifies,
Happy Father's Day!

Zev Hoover

He's only 14 but Zev Hoover's surreal self-portraits have taken the internet by storm.

Zev aka Fiddle Oak from Natick, Massachusetts creates these incredible photos with the help of his 17 year old sister, Nellie. The time-consuming process involves capturing the background, shrinking photos of people in similar lighting, Photoshop manipulations and editing the color scheme so that everything matches.

W/W - Avillion Water Chalets

I'm back!!!  Hope I've been missed!

Sharing these photos of our recent vacation with my parents, sister J and her family at the Avillion Village Resort, Port Dickson, a gem of a place.

The Avillion is designed along the concept of a traditional Malay fishing village with a touch of Javanese charm. There are seven finger piers that reach out into the open sea - each of these fingers houses the water chalets that are perched on stilts above shallow waters.

Tumasek Beach - A popular venue for weddings

THE WATER CHALETS

It was super cool having a wooden room above the water.

Being lulled to sleep by the gentle lapping water at night was surreal. 

Loved reading on the Pangkin daybed - a lovely alcove bed/seat next to a window that overlooks the shimmering sea. Perfect too, for daytime lounging.

The window opens up to the Straits of Malacca

Fishing/Crabbing can be done over the patio - pics here

The huge open air bathroom was a real treat! You can see the stars in the sky while you shower! 

KELONG

Kelong - a Malay word to describe a form of offshore platform built predominantly with wood and primarily for fishing, often doubling up as an offshore dwelling. Kelongs were traditionally built by the indigenous Malay fishermen to trap fish. Nets are laid across the stilts to guide the fish into the  centre of the kelong.

Avillion's kelong-styled chalets

A finger pier - there are seven of them

How does a patio over the sea sound?

A ringside seat for a gorgeous sunset

One of the three swimming pools at the resort - a kiddy pool, an adults only pool and the village pool

Peafowls roam about freely in the village. A resident peacock seemed to follow Josh everywhere he went!

My sister J (left) and me

Deck chairs at scenic lookout points like this are all over the lush gardens in the village

Perfect place to curl up with a book, meditate or just do nothing!

But these boys were lost outside their virtual world!

Youth is wasted on the young

Josh, unlike Cousin B and Rodney, loves the outdoors

Cousin B checking out a Malay gong.