Dead Town, Astrophotography Heaven

The photo above was taken on 08.05.2016 at approximately 12.15am. It was just right after Sarawak State's election, the night the result was announced. I didn't have the intention to go out of the house to get some shots, but upon seeing many stars I decided to take out the camera. The Milky Way wasn't obvious at first. I took several shots of the night sky at random directions and found it. It was right in front of my parents' house. 

While capturing the Milky Way photos, many things came to my mind. I know people who don't do Astrophotography would wonder about my Instagram post which I tried to relate to the political scene in a 'Dead Town'. Sri Aman or formerly known as Simanggang was dubbed the Dead Town ever since my childhood for a reason. Despite being governed by the same old ruling political party for decades, not much seem to change. The town itself barely expands since I was a kid, life is moving at a slow pace and pretty relax. Still very much a suburban area with little light pollutions. 

Those who are into Astrophotography know one needs to be away from the city lights as far as possible if you intend to see the Milky Way. I never have to go that far to get the shot because there's not much light pollutions around the town. I can just take the shot from the parking space at my parents'. This is an indication the town is not that developed, yet. Human can claim they have done a lot to bring development into this sleepy town but the stars in the galaxy don't lie. The Milky Way and the stars tell you the truth. 

For as long as we still can enjoy the ever mesmerising starry night sky in Sri Aman from our own backyard, you know the town isn't going through much transformation. Don't be easily swayed by the promises made at every election, words are cheap. So here's my suggestion to the locals, since the only thing that attracts outsiders flocking this Dead Town is the Benak, why not turn it into a heaven for Astrophotographers too. I'm sure you are smart enough to figure out effective ways to promote this outdoor hobby and generate income for the town through tourism. At least people don't have to travel all the way up to Bario or Mount Kinabalu to capture the stunning Milky Way. Never underestimate the beauty of night landscape, explore the Instagram and its Astrophotography communities, you'll know why people love to travel to a few Northern countries just for the sake of witnessing Aurora Borealis with their own eyes. Norway, for instance, turns it into tourism opportunity not only for the locals but also for stargazers and astrophotographers from around the globe. 

Perhaps it's best to not wake this town up from its current state, or do we have to? Either way, is it good?  I don't know, time will tell. For the time being, I think I can live with the fact I still can enjoy looking at the Milky Way from the comfort of my parents' home. Whatever it is, I hope the newly formed State's government will run this state with transparency and fulfill all your promises within these five years. Otherwise it is just another failed attempt to impress.

Disconnected

Okay, this is my first blog of the year. I used to write once a month in 2015, but that is not the case for 2016. It was a goal back then. I have decided to do it at a slower pace this year due to work and my own health. As you know I had a major surgery four months ago, so I need to learn to prioritise and minimise my movement. 

Despite having physical limitation, I always try not to think too much about it. I will tell myself to give the best in whatever I do. In 2015, I was assigned to coach students for divisional inter-school athletics games. This year instead of being a coach, I was given the task to be a judge. Not everyone would enjoy this job as we would have to carry out our duties in unpredictable weather. It was sunny most of the days. Suffering sunburn was a sure thing. 

This year we had to stay at a remote residential area where there was no mobile network coverage. Batang Ai Dam to be exact. I was literally disconnected from the rest of the world, from sunset to sunrise. No internet, no television to watch. Every night my colleagues and I would gather at a place sharing food, chit-chatting and making jokes just to kill time. 

The experience itself taught us to really enjoy each other's company instead of staring at the phones or 'phubbing'. I guess not being glued to the smartphone once in awhile has its own benefits. I slept early and I paid more attention when people were talking. Those silly jokes, laughters and long conversations were truly unforgettable. Besides, living at remote area also means there is not much light pollution. So, I took the opportunity to do stars time lapse and astrophotography. If I have to do this again in the future, I bet I will not have much hesitation as I did before. 

The Orion's Belt Time Lapse

Konsert ERA Sayang Sarawak 2015

To show their heartfelt gratitude, ERA FM Sarawak had recently held its first ever concert for their loyal listeners at Padang Merdeka Kuching on the 12th of December, 2015. The Konsert ERA Sayang Sarawak (KESS) was mainly sponsored by Emeron and supported by Technology College Sarawak. ERA had lined up some eclectic artistes from both local and international to perform for their radio station supporters. Among them were Afgan, Akim & The Majistret, Black, Stacy, Altimet, Lawa Nie Gang, Deasy Natalina, Mal Imran, iR Radzi, Nana Sheme, Wanie Kayrie and Nadhar.

Press conference and a Meet-and-Greet session for the fans were held before the concert at Merdeka Palace Hotel & Suite. The artistes who came to the press conference gave an insight to what their fans could expect from their performance later that night and updates on their singing career. Fans who won special passes for the Meet & Greet had their posters and CDs' signed. They also had the privilege to take photos with their favourite artistes.

The concert kicked off by the famous trio JoHaRa (Johan, Haniff, Ray) from the Sarapan Pagi ERA FM JoHaRa Pagi ERA segment. They were famous for their spontaneous and humorous punch lines that could evoke laughter or amusement amidst their listeners. Apart from that, those who attended the concert had the chance to win some interesting prizes which were given away in between performances.

On average each artiste perform three songs except Afgan. Afgan sang five of his smash hits and one of them was his latest single, Knock Me Out. He also sang a duet with Wani Kayrie in Kamu Yang Kutunggu. Wani did a great job trying to deliver the song like Dato' Rossa despite her age which was only 15! She is a force to reckon in the music industry in our region especially, the future seems bright for this young lady with a superb vocal. Others were equally entertaining throughout the night with each of them successfully delivering their own hits and energetic performance. The concert came to an end at about one o'clock in the morning with Afgan as its last singer. Crowds stayed till the wee hours because they were excited to see the Indonesian international artiste performed live. It was a golden opportunity for many of his Sarawakian fans since it would be costly to attend his concert even in Kuala Lumpur. We are forever indebted to ERA FM as they managed to get him to perform in Kuching not just once, but twice.

Kudos to ERA FM Sarawak for pulling off a huge yet successful concert. Having 15,000 people came for the show was an indication ERA radio station has a lot of listeners in Sarawak alone. Hopefully this is a great beginning to many more fun concerts that will be held in our state by ERA FM. It would be awesome if this becomes an annual event for the radio station to celebrate its fantastic and fruitful year with their much cherished listeners. ERA FM sure knows how to spoil their supporters! Lastly, thank you so much ERA FM Sarawak for inviting and trusting us to cover this marvellous event.

For more photos of KESS 2015, kindly click on this link:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10207062351530019.1073741868.1017558774&type=1&l=cc296eccac

To watch the recap of KESS 2015, click on Youtube video below or click on this link:

https://youtu.be/d6pZrrAtlJQ