Shop For Free

People with credit cards are not necessarily rich folks. I fall in this category, the not being rich and owns a credit card and for those who may not know or by now have scrunch up their noses and exclaim, “eh eksen siak!” , there’s always a credit limit. Kalau ko pikir nak enjoy katak lepas tu bayar dikit2, ko pikir Bank tu bapak ko punyer. Interest rate dia muntahkedarah but at least ada 30 days grace period, kalau ko bayar on time then no charges ar. Bagus untuk consumer berhemah macam aku.

So hari itu, masa aku tengah main angin kat opis, tetiba datang satu idea yang amat bernas pada saat dan ketika aku hampir² mengorok dengan kuatnya. Aku tak pernah redeem rewards sejak aku pakai kad benda alah ni, selalunya aku redeem Starhub nye, rebate bill bulan kemudiannya. So aku check, banyak jugak points yang aku ada and aku memang boleh redeem vouchers tapi yang paling teruja is the Cash Rebate. Kawan boleh tukar CitiDollars to real credit sebelum atau sesudah bershopping maka cakaplah kawan ada 10000 CitiDollars dan setiap 2000CitiDollars=$10 (sekadar example, bukan rate sebenar) so kawan ada $50 untuk belanja.

Hatta, lunchtime shopping kat H&M sudah beres hutangnya. This is one of the perks of holding a credit card pada aku lah. Yang lagi satu tak kan kau nak bawak duit ribu² kalau nak pergi shopping kan, lagipun lagi stail dari korek² wallet.

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Bermudas cuma $17.90, aku beli sampai dua!! wahaha
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Kena redeem within 3 days of purchase

Haere Mai Pt 28 … Black Beach

Travelling is like a drug, you get addicted to it and the more you travel, the more often you have the urge to do it again. The only impediment for me is the cost of travel that is chalking up and the exchange rates for certain countries getting stronger against the Singapore dollar. Budget and low cost flights are like god’s gift to the thrifty middle class travellers like myself. We want to experience the world on a budget of course, getting the best perks at the best price.

So from East Coast Park, I’ve upgraded to KareKare Beach, the black beach of Auckland. The sand was a glistening black, shimmering in the sun’s ray. Yes, they look like diamantes on the ground but when you grasp them, alas they are just ordinary soft sand. The low tide reveals the shoreline to be a good 200m away from the tide, with small crustaceans peeking through the damp sand gasping for air and scurrying away amidst the presence of humans.

The whole scenery was just breathtaking and the chill air proved to be quite potent causing yours truly to pee 5 times till I almost shrivel due to dehydration. This is somewhere I need to make a repeat trip.

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low tide, though the chrashing was damn fierce still
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this whole area will be filled with sea water when it’s high tide
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footprints on the black sand, see those spots, those are shimmers from the sunrays..got it on pic!!
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Try echo-ing..awesome
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the shorline….when the waves came tiding in…like hell you got to run!!
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atoll in the mid of the shore
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this is a scientific reserve, as stated, stay away bitch!
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tourist shot #1
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tourist shot #2
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this shrub, blooms among the tall grasses…something significant

Moving Forward

Today will be another milestone for AEQMAL HUAT PHOTOGRAPHY; I’ll be creating my own personal namecard. Hopefully, this will get the word around and more freelance jobs going my way. Insyaallah.

I know, you’ve seen so many versions of the ‘logo’ and I’ve yet to find the ultimate one to use but yesterday while I was finalizing the 3.tiga.studios namecard, (yes, we’re making one for 3.tiga.studios too!!), I’ve decided to go back to basic yet add a little zing to it. Basic typography and no ornate designs or complicated background. It’s a representation of myself and what I deliver; clean basic photos, nothing too intricate, noting too extravagant.

You may like or loathe this design but I feel this design epitomize the essence of AEQMAL HUAT PHOTOGRAPHY. :)

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Dearth

dearth (dûrth). n. 1. A scarce supply; a lack: “the dearth of uncensored, firsthand information about the war” (Richard Zoglin). 2. Shortage of food; famine.

Ok, you could use a simpler word but no…you had to show off but thanks to you, now I know this word exists. :P

Haere Mai Pt 27…KareKare Beach

Before Lord of The Rings, New Zealand was Hollywood’s favourite destination for shoots due to its natural habitat and undeveloped or commercialized areas. KareKare Beach was the location for The Piano and Abg was eager to get us here. Although I’ve yet to watch the movie which was a few decades ago but I envisioned the beach to be unrealistically beautiful. To get to KareKare Beach was a bitch, literally with meandering roads and footpaths and uneven surfaces, truly hanya pacuan empat roda yang boleh menguasai perjalanan ke KareKare Beach. I deliberately mentioned pacuan empat roda because I know we are accustomed to English words that we may forget what is the malay translation for it. Pacuan empat roda is four wheel drive, now you know and now thank Teacher pls.

We need to head southwest from Auckland City towards Piha to reach KareKare Beach and  the roads are dangerous due to the terrains, it’s like driving to Cameron Highlands only more steep and sudden rise or drop of height. Finally after what seems like hours and now out of telecommunication range which means I’m unable to get any 3G and do my annoying check ins on FB, we’ve reached. Sorry, we have arrived but have yet to reach our destination.

We need to walk 1km to the beach through Pohutukawa Glade Walk, 10 mins but 30mins for tourists like us. The sun was roasting us yet the sea breeze was slapping us silly on our faces. The temperature, chilly like hell, still single digit ok.

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On the prairie, the shallow marshes
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please read all the info, safety and security warning and evacuation notices
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the bridge to lone kauri road with Seng as the model
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the ardent photographer Seng shooting the stream
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elsewhere, this signboard would have been vandalized, maybe not yet..
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please rely on self gut and own sixth sense to reach your destination
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look for the black bitch beach

I wasnt panting, it’s the chill and the wind howling