Published August 2008
Germany's historical wine industry has long been synonymous with one particular variety. Quite simply, the Riesling. Known throughout the world for their superior whites while neighbouring countries sit pretty on their old world red wine laurels, the German Riesling is a wine that truly shines.
Nicknamed "the Rhine wine" for it's origins in the Rhine region, the Riesling is a grape variety that flourishes in a colder climate and is usually enjoyed while young, although that is not always the rule of thumb. A good Riesling will have a highly fragrant bouquet and a clean, crisp flavour with varying levels of apples, apricots, and other fruits. In short, a pleasant aroma balanced with a honeyed, fruity flavour.
One such German Riesling producer is the Gunderloch estate. Widely acknowledged as Germany's best, Gunderloch wines have clearly set the standard in terms of outstanding German wines. Celebrated award winning winemaker Fritz Hasselbach was in Kota Kinabalu recently to introduce and to guide wine enthusiasts through the Gunderloch range of Riesling.
Held at Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa's Peppino Restaurant, guests were feted to a repertoire of some of Gunderloch's best. Touted as the people responsible for the high calibre of Gunderloch wines, Hasselbach and his wife Agnes Hasselbach-Usinger currently manage the Gunderloch estate, Agnes being the direct descendant of Carl Gunderloch, the founder of Gunderloch wines. Carl Gunderloch was a banker who formed the Gunderloch estate in 1890. Today, Fritz and Agnes man the helm with the help of their children Friedrich, Kathrin, Johannes and Stefanie.
Said Hasselbach, "Our wines have a worldwide reputation. They are easy to drink, light on alcohol and go wonderfully with different types of food. Our grapes are produced in cool climates but we also have a little hot weather so that provides the soil with a nice balance. The family estate produces 10,000 cases of wines that are shipped to 38 countries around the world. Riesling goes well in this tropic climate and our wines range from 8.5% to 10% in alcohol. In Germany there is no strict classification of standard based on vineyard or chateau. It is based on the sweetness level of grapes. So the sweeter the grapes, the higher the standard of wine."
Also deserving of mention was the venue for this Winemaker's dinner. Peppino Restaurant has undergone a refreshing facelift. An update of soft peppermint greens paired with light olive tones and classic black lines. Luxurious leather chairs are balanced off with comfortable white linens. The overall theme is one of understated elegance and this is accentuated with the floor to ceiling glass wine storage facility which gives a new meaning to the term 'wine rack'. In summation, a perfect setting for bon vivant epicureans and those who are simply in search of some great food.
The menu and accompanying wines :
- Pan-fried goose liver with warm goat cheese croutons on diced red apples
NACKENHEIM ROTHENBERH RIESLING AUSLESE GOLDSAPSEL
- Strawberry sorbet
- Pappardelle with sea scallops and prawn ragout scented with lemongrass
GUNDERLOCH ESTATE QbA TROCKEN
- Seared red snapper fillet on diced braised beetroot
GUNDERLOCH RIESLING KANINETT JEAN BAPTISTE
- Angus beef fillet topped with wild mushrooms and Taleggio
NACKENHEIM ROTHENBERG SPATLESE
- Cheesecake flavoured with passion fruit
NACKENHEIM ROTHENBERG AUSLESE
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Rasa Malaysia
Published June 2008
Method:
Combine the all purpose flour, rice flour, beaten egg, salt, and water in a mixing bowl and mix well. Strain the batter, transfer it into a big bowl and set aside.
Fill a sauce pan that is deep enough for the mould with oil enough to cover the mould.
To serve, use chopsticks to fill the case with the filling, and then top with shredded omelet, chopped scallions, red chilies, shallots crisps, and garlic chili sauce.
To order the Pie Tee moulds or other products mentioned above, kindly email rasamalaysia@gmail.com to inquire further. Visit Bee Yinn atwww.rasamalaysia.com
To say that Malaysian cuisine is heavily peppered with evidence of our multicultural diversity and history, would be to simplify things somewhat. If Malay, Chinese and Indian culinary genius are stalwart examples of the true Malaysian dining experience it should not be forgotten that Peranakan cooking deserves equal status and mention as well.
Peranakan is the term reserved for descendants of Chinese migrants who settled in and around the Straits of Melaka, namely in Melaka proper, Penang and Singapore. These early Chinese pioneers married into the local Malay population, bringing with them their own culture and of course, condiments. The pairing of these two races (and more importantly ingredients) is what we now know to be Peranakan. Dishes such as the fiery laksa, otak-otak fish cakes and the pungently famous (or famously pungent, depends which way you look at it) cincalok are now staples on any self-respecting Malaysian menu.
Peranakan food is better known under the term Nyonya, which incidentally was the title one would use when referring to a Peranakan woman of prominence in society while men were known as Baba.
Peranakan food is better known under the term Nyonya, which incidentally was the title one would use when referring to a Peranakan woman of prominence in society while men were known as Baba.
Low Bee Yinn, champion food blogger and owner of the overwhelmingly popular site Rasa Malaysia, is a proud Malaysian and a staunch supporter of her Peranakan roots. Based in California, Bee Yinn decided that she wanted to introduce Nyonya dishes to the rest of the world and a first step in the right direction was to start selling Pie Tee moulds online.
* What motivated you to focus on highlighting the art of Nyonya cuisine?
I come from a Nyonya heritage, my late grandmother was a Nyonya so Nyonya cuisine is what I grew up eating. I personally think that Nyonya cuisine is probably one of the most underrated in the world, and sadly, it's fast disappearing. I wanted to focus on promoting the beauty of Nyonya food and hope to preserve and revive its legacy.
* You currently offer Pie Tee for sale worldwide. That's a very original idea.
I published a post and recipe about kuih Pie Tee on Rasa Malaysia in late 2006 and have since received numerous emails about the mould and its availability. I thought it might be a good experiment to introduce the art of making kuih Pie Tee to the world. Plus, I feel that if there is one food that would define Malaysian food in the international culinary world, kuih Pie Tee might be it as it's uniquely Malaysian. Unlike nasi lemak which is the de-facto national dish of Malaysia that might appeal only to certain people, I feel that kuih Pie Tee has more of a "mass market" appeal, especially to foreigners due to its beautiful aesthetics, pleasing and clean flavours.
* How has the response been so far?
The response has been overwhelmingly positive. I have received orders from Australia, Europe, North America, and even Uganda in Africa. Surprisingly, most people who ordered the Pie Tee moulds are not Malaysians but foreigners who are very keen to expand their culinary repertoire. I am just so happy that I am able to introduce this Nyonya delicacy to the world.
* Will you branch out to offer other types of Nyonya food?
Of course I will. I plan to expand the offerings to include other Nyonya and Malaysian cooking utensils and tools such as Kuih Kapit (love letters) moulds, Kuih Bahulu moulds, Kuih Bangkit moulds, a special wooden mould that makes a Nyonya dessert called "Bee Tai Bak," and cendol moulds to name a few.
* Would you consider putting a book together regarding Nyonya cuisine in an effort to increase awareness to the rest of the world? Given your writing and photography skills it should be a cinch for you.
I would love to have a cookbook about Nyonya food and Malaysian food, especially the food that I grew up with - my family recipes I'd learned from my late grandmother and my late mother. My mother recently passed away in early May and that motivates me even more to have a cookbook to document all the recipes and to share them with the world. I am currently talking to a publisher so hopefully it will work out.
* What else should we know about your business?
I personally don't run the operations of this business because I simply don't have time, so it's great that I have my niece Low J-Yee (who is funding herself through college) running this. Other than cooking utensils and tools, we also plan to offer and introduce the world to Malaysian curry pastes, Bak Kut Teh herbs, and our very own coffee. My dream is that one day, Malaysian food will be as popular as Thai food internationally.
* Rasa Malaysia...
Is more than a personal food blog; it's the window to the culinary wonders of Malaysian cuisine - its colours, flavours, methods, techniques, cultures, and traditions. Through Rasa Malaysia, I hope to educate and intrigue the world with what we offer and hopefully it will lead to the growth of culinary tourism. I hope Tourism Malaysia will continue to invest in this area and Rasa Malaysia will continue to play the small role in shaping this up.
A STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MAKING NYONYA KUIH PIE TEE
(Makes 70-80 cases)
(Makes 70-80 cases)
Ingredients:
Batter for the cases/shells:
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 egg (beaten)
1 1/4 water
Oil for deep-frying
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup rice flour
1 egg (beaten)
1 1/4 water
Oil for deep-frying
Fillings & Toppings:
2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs. jicama/yam bean (shredded)
1 carrot (shredded)
10 French beans (chopped)
4 oz. shrimp (shelled, deveined, and cut into smaller pieces)
4 garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
2/3 cup water
Toppings:2 tablespoons oil
2 lbs. jicama/yam bean (shredded)
1 carrot (shredded)
10 French beans (chopped)
4 oz. shrimp (shelled, deveined, and cut into smaller pieces)
4 garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon powder
2/3 cup water
1 plain omelet (shredded)
Fried shallot crisps
Scallions (chopped)
2 red chilies (chopped)
Garlic chili sauce or Sri Racha (optional)
Fried shallot crisps
Scallions (chopped)
2 red chilies (chopped)
Garlic chili sauce or Sri Racha (optional)
Method:
Combine the all purpose flour, rice flour, beaten egg, salt, and water in a mixing bowl and mix well. Strain the batter, transfer it into a big bowl and set aside.
Fill a sauce pan that is deep enough for the mould with oil enough to cover the mould.
Heat up the oil.
Then dip the mould into the heated oil until it's just hot.
Take out the mould and then dip it into the batter.
Coat the mould until it's up to the 90-95% level and make sure it's well covered on the side and the bottom
(the mould shouldn't be too hot and it shouldn't sizzle when it's dipped in the batter).
Let excess batter drip off, then plunge the mould into the hot oil.
To separate the batter from the mould, jiggle the mould up and down to loosen it. The case should off with a light shake.
Once it's off, deep fry in the oil until it turns light to golden brown.
Transfer it out onto a plate with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Store in an airtight container.
For the filling, stir fry the minced garlic and prawns until fragrant. Add jicama, carrot and french beans, and do a quick stir. Add the seasoning and water. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes using medium heat. Dish out and set aside.
To separate the batter from the mould, jiggle the mould up and down to loosen it. The case should off with a light shake.
Once it's off, deep fry in the oil until it turns light to golden brown.
Transfer it out onto a plate with paper towels to soak up the excess oil.
Store in an airtight container.
For the filling, stir fry the minced garlic and prawns until fragrant. Add jicama, carrot and french beans, and do a quick stir. Add the seasoning and water. Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes using medium heat. Dish out and set aside.
To serve, use chopsticks to fill the case with the filling, and then top with shredded omelet, chopped scallions, red chilies, shallots crisps, and garlic chili sauce.
To order the Pie Tee moulds or other products mentioned above, kindly email rasamalaysia@gmail.com to inquire further. Visit Bee Yinn atwww.rasamalaysia.com
The Talented Mister Jam
Published May 2088
Nury Vittachi is a name I have recently become familiar with, having come across it on Malaysian literati Sharon Bakar's blog. A click of the mouse brought me to his overwhelmingly popular website where he expounds on anything and everything that tickles his funny bone. A pioneer in Hong Kong's lit scene, Vittachi has 90,000 books currently in print and is easily considered to be one of the region's best selling authors for his Feng Shui Detective series and numerous children's books, all of which have been very well received.
Satire dripped jabs on most things Asian was clearly something that readers responded to as Vittachi made his mark in the South China Morning Post with his columns Lai See and Spice Trader from 1987 to 1997. Vittachi then began Travellers' Tales - a weekly column in The Far Eastern Economic Review. He is also featured regularly in eight other publications around Asia. Vittachi is actively involved in the Western Australian Premier's Australia-Asia Literary Award and is chairing the panel of what is considered to be one of the richest literature awards, possibly on par in terms of prestige with the Booker and Pulitzer prizes respectively.
Born in Sri Lanka, Vittachi's family fled when the book that his father, Tarzie, had written about the civil war between the Sinhalese and Tamils caused them to receive death threats. "Emergency 58" exposed the truth about the real goings-on within the country at that time and Tarzie was awarded theRamon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts in recognition of his efforts.
Nuryana Samjam Perera de Lacey Vittachi, or Mr. Jam as he likes to be known when he visits schools, is clearly a unique individual indeed. And if his popularity is anything to go by, that's a good thing.
From what I've read you've had quite an interesting life. Could you tell us more about you and your family? Do you feel that what you've experienced from an early age has contributed towards your chosen path of being a writer?
When I was born in Sri Lanka in 1958, war broke out. I don’t think the two incidents are connected. But who knows?
In the early 1960s, we had to leave Sri Lanka in a hurry, encouraged by men with guns, because of something my father wrote. I thought this was way cool.
In the early 1960s, we had to leave Sri Lanka in a hurry, encouraged by men with guns, because of something my father wrote. I thought this was way cool.
We first went to Malaysia and then to the UK. In my 20s I came back to Asia. These days I live in Hong Kong and I have three children, or four if you count my wife.
You have some truly humorous takes on life in Asia. What inspires you?
In Asia, you don’t have to make up jokes. You just follow the news and write it down.
My ideas come from a nodule in my brain, lower right hand side, towards the back. If I grow the nail of my little finger long enough, and stick it in my ear, I can just about give it a scratch. That's what I do when I have writers' block.
People often ask if I am ever serious about anything. Well, I would like to put it on record that I'm serious about everything. My mind is always full of Big Questions of Life, such as "Why do men have nipples?" and "Why don't rocks have nipples?" and "Which came first? The egg or the bacon?"
People often ask if I am ever serious about anything. Well, I would like to put it on record that I'm serious about everything. My mind is always full of Big Questions of Life, such as "Why do men have nipples?" and "Why don't rocks have nipples?" and "Which came first? The egg or the bacon?"
You're the man behind the Feng Shui Detective series. Now that's something different yet still very Asian. How did you come up with the idea for it?
Most of the people on this planet learn English from textbooks. They teach us that English speakers greet each other with “How do you do.”
It’s not true, is it? No one ever says that. It’s just a huge great lie. A conspiracy on the part of text book makers and English speakers.
They say that English speakers use idioms such as “The proof is in the pudding” but they don’t.
When I first went to the UK I was a kid. I went around saying “How do you do.”
Everyone replied, “‘ow do I do wot?”
The actual greeting used in London is wotcha. Everyone just says “wotcha” to each other. The reply is “Hey!” I asked people what wotcha meant. No one could tell me. No one knew. No one had ever been asked that question before.
Anyway, in the Feng Shui Detective books, I deal with the theme that east and west think they can communicate but actually they don’t understand each other most of the time. Yet if they learn to work together, they can actually solve problems and achieve great things.
The books are about Mr Wong, from China, and his assistant Joyce, who has British-Australian parentage.
Mr Wong can’t understand Joyce at all, which baffles him because they are both speaking English, aren’t they?
Eventually he works out that the English word for Yes is “whatever”.
And he works out that the English word for No is “yeah right”.
And then there's the children's books that you've written too. I've always imagined writing for children to actually be quite challenging. How do you engage them?
Perceptive question – yes, writing for children is very difficult. I have only succeeded because I spend hours/ days/ weeks in residence in schools talking to children and telling them stories and watching their reactions.
Lucky for me, there’s little competition in this field. Writing books for children has never been seen as a good way of earning money in Asia, so few people do it.
Some of your favourite authors? Books that we absolutely have to read?
Some authors are literary. That means the critics love them and give them prizes. But readers hate them.
Other books are popular. That means readers buy them in large numbers. But critics hate them.
My aim as a writer is to be accessible enough to be popular and lyrical enough to be literary. It’s not a compromise, but a “sweet spot” in the middle.
My favourite authors are people who succeed in hitting this spot exactly on target. The best two authors who do this regularly are David Lodge (my favourite book from him is “Paradise News”) and Joanne Harris (my favourite from her is “Blackberry Wine”). Both have had huge numbers of bestsellers.
You clearly enjoy a wide fan base with readers from all over the world. What would be some of the most important tips you could share with budding writers?
Don’t try to make a living as a writer. Go and do a proper job. No, seriously. Be a reporter or a teacher or a broadcaster. Write for fun in your spare time instead. Writing literature is a terrible career, especially here in Asia. Unless you have a rich family member who is going to support you while you write, you need to get a job that supplies you with your daily bowl of rice, and then you need to do your writing on the side.
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write. You definitely should.
Asian culture will be the world’s leading source of entertainment – books, movies, music and other arts -- within 20 years.
Asian culture will be the world’s leading source of entertainment – books, movies, music and other arts -- within 20 years.
Decisions on what is successful in the entertainment business are made by consumers, not business people. Already more than 60 per cent of the world’s consumers are Asian, and that proportion is set to grow. The takeover is inevitable and unstoppable.
But make sure you have a secure position from which you can take advantage of this change.
I understand that you use your humorous writing to deliver sometimes serious thoughts and opinions. How were you able to fine tune this - juggling the ability to get your message across in a manner that would still be found funny?
To me, it’s important to be funny, but it’s also important to be moral.
I sometimes give people classes in how to be funny. Here are five tips I use.
Read the newspapers with a wry smile and cut out anything that makes your eyebrows move upwards.
Scribble feedback comments on news items and emails and magazine articles so on – it builds your ability to produce quick-fire rapid comebacks.
Practice being deadpan, which makes your jokes funnier, but takes a while to master.
Master the art of humorous, ironic understatement: “There are a number of people who believe that the total nuclear destruction of the world may actually be a bad thing.”
Be off-the-wall, absurd and outrageous.
In your opinion, what would be your most underrated talent?
I’m a priest in disguise. I do a lot of sermonizing and moralizing, even in murder mystery books.
Murder stories all have one plot. Chaos enters the world. The hero has to chase it out again. That’s it. It’s very moral.
The moral element is very important to me. For all of human society, people have lived their lives around stories that educated their hearts at the deepest levels – whether it was the Bible or the Bhagavad Gita or the Koran or whatever. These days people have lost this grounding. Yet the books and films that are most popular tend to be the ones with deep moral values – so there is still a hunger for this.
Here’s an anecdote from the next Feng Shui Detective book that demonstrates how a story can deliver a moral truth:
**
In the days of the supremacy of the southern kingdom, a man with an iron hammer told the people of north Yunnan that he was stronger than any of their village leaders.
He approached a village made of wood and smashed it with his hammer.
He approached a village made of bronze and smashed it with his hammer.
He approached a village made of stone and smashed it with his hammer.
Soon, everyone worshipped the man with the hammer.
But not the hermit who lived in a small bamboo grove.
“Knock down my home, and I will worship you too,” said the hermit.
The man swung his hammer at the bamboo grove. But the rods of bamboo bent with the blow and then sprang upright again. Many times, the man with the hammer swung at the bamboo grove. But he could do it no harm.
Blade of Grass, weakness is a type of strength. When an oxcart passes through a village, everyone sees it coming and gets out of the way. But when a blind man is crossing the road, the oxcart driver has to stop.
**
Nury Vittachi is...
Going to shut up now.
A Genuine Formula
Published April 2008
Louis Pang has every reason to be ecstatic.
In the last six months since I spoke to him about his work he has witnessed the fruits of his labors by way of a Wedding & Portrait Photographers International award in Las Vegas; winning a second place Award of Excellence in the Non-Wedding Photojournalism category for his shot simply titled "Torchbearer". And this is on top of four Accolades of Excellence in the same competition. For a photographer who seriously began his delve into this industry a mere two years ago, these are some outstanding accomplishments indeed. Having the opportunity to photograph an elaborate Indian wedding in Rajasthan gave Louis the ability to really flex his artistic muscles and the results were pure art.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU.
Yes a lot has happened in 6 months. We won the international award, thats the biggest news. We have just received the award and it's at home. It's a crystal trophy and it's heavy. And just holding it brings back so many memories of the first time I saw the award online a few months ago. I told myself I would love to be able to have the chance to win it and we took steps towards it. Each time I'd go for a shoot I'd think to myself that maybe I'd be lucky enough to shoot the winning photograph. But like many other things in life, if you don't give it a try you'll never know the outcome.
We just got the proper competition results a few days ago. I read through the whole list and we are the only photographers fromAsia to have won anything. It was an amazing feeling. And the other winning photographers are pretty much the who's who of this industry; people that I have read about in magazines who are like my idols. And to be able to see my name mentioned together with theirs means a great deal.
I would like to say that it was a fluke win but that would be unfair to the other winners. So I've learned to accept it with a cheerful heart, with celebration, with thanksgiving to my family and a few close friends who have helped us along the way. The journey wasn't easy but we were lucky to have people around us who cared about us.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR WIN?
Yes I'm the one that pressed the shutter release and took that picture. My hands, my eyes, my camera, my lens. But I could also think of a thousand other reasons why I could have ended up not taking that picture. Had I not learned about being responsible, about modesty, integrity and love, I wouldn't have ended up taking that shot. There were a thousand different variations leading up to that moment. Had I hung around the wrong friends growing up, learned the wrong lessons and ethics, things would have turned out differently. Thanks to a good family upbringing and the right advice from my wife, things have worked out.
I think that this win is good for Malaysia and a great thing for Sabahans. Sometimes Sabahans can suffer from a little inferiority complex thinking that we're not Kuala Lumpur or we're not Penang, because we come from a smaller place. And I am very proud to have won this as a Sabahan.
HAS IT ONLY BEEN TWO AND A HALF YEARS SINCE YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY?
Yes. I'd been taking photographs for the past 8 years but I only got into the business in 2006. And this is why I am very grateful for all the success we've received.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH PHOTOGRAPHS TO SELECT FOR THE COMPETITION OUT OF THE THOUSANDS YOU'VE SHOT?
I looked for something that I felt was special. I had to look for a picture that jumped out at me. I also looked for cultural relevance. I knew that a lot of the pictures that the judges would be viewing would have more of a western setting to them so I picked a subject matter from a more ethnic wedding. When I took the Torchbearer shot, I was thinking of India five hundred years ago. The costume, the torch. We were waiting for the groom to arrive on a white horse and I saw this guy just standing there. I just waited for him to look at me. I was shooting from a long distance, about 15 to 20 feet away.
And he did. The technique is that the moment a person turns and notices the camera there is always a spark in the eye. That moment of innocence. If you look at the camera for too long it's lost and that's not the real quality I want to capture. I just wanted to capture him. And I got it.
If you look at the picture you'll see more to it than just a guy standing there holding a torch. It has got a timeless quality to it.
DO YOU DO ANY RESEARCH ON INDIA BEFORE SHOOTING THERE SEEING HAS HOW IT WAS YOUR FIRST VISIT?
Well I spent some time with the clients and they explained the significance of each ceremony to me. But listening to them and actually seeing the event are two different things. We researched the location and we arrived a couple of days early so that I got to know the place and the surroundings.
I don't always have that much time though. A lot of things are just instinctive. It's very hard to explain why I know when are good moments to shoot.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS?
We are expanding ourselves to be able to shoot more often, probably overseas. We would like to explore places like Europe and Australia. Europe is rich in history, culture, fashion and art and I would love to shoot there. The plan is to bring some couples from Malaysia over there to travel and shoot some engagement photography. Likewise in Australia. For the last couple of weeks we have been getting quite a number of inquiries from Australia for wedding shoots.
It's not a case of me only wanting to shoot in western countries but it is honestly about pushing ourselves and seeing how far we can go. I believe that a great way to push ourselves is by competing against the best. Compete against the Australians. Compete against the Americans, against the Europeans. This is the way to become the best yourself. I want to see how far I can go. I am young and full of energy so why not? I think that is basically the story of my life. I don't know what is going to happen but I just want to give it a shot. If you want to achieve breakthroughs in anything that you are doing you have to have the guts to fail. That's part of experimentation. If you want to play it safe all the time it's just not going to work. So I've never played safe. I always want to go all out.
HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE INITIAL NEGATIVITY? PEOPLE TELLING YOU THAT YOU COULDN'T OR SHOULDN'T DO IT?
It used to affect me. But it's just a matter of processing it correctly. It's not that they don't believe in you but that they're discouraging you because of their own fears or what they deem is possible. Sometimes it's not out of spite but in their own logical mind, certain things are just impossible and henceforth not worth a try.
Having a good wife certainly helps because Jasmine has been my biggest fan and strongest supporter. And always believed in what we could do. Also some of my friends who saw potential in us before we realized it ourselves. So when it comes to negativity and criticism, just chew on it and decide whether you want to swallow it or not.
Coming from a small town, not many people took us seriously. But we got our foot in the door, took the first shot and proved what we were capable of. And guess what? They were happy and told other people. So you just have to do your job well. And you have to carry this energy with you. You are only as good as the last picture you take after all. So you have to continue to push yourself. There is no slowing down. People who have seen our work in 2006 till now have noticed the progression in pictures. I don't walk into any place thinking that I deserve this or that. We may be one of the hottest brands in wedding photographyin the country right now but we don't have an air of superiority. You have to treat people with humility, with lots of respect, love and care. And do your jobs as best as you can. Who wouldn't want to work with people like that? I think a lot of people are put off by the big shots, the primadonnas. And there is no need for that sort of behavior. It is better to get people to praise you than to blow your own horn all the time. Yes I feel proud of myself and I know how to promote myself very well. But there is a difference between boasting and marketing.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS:
We have planned out 4 workshops for this year. I just returned from one in Penang and it was very well received. Everybody had so much fun. I lost my voice the day after the workshop. Because I gave so much of myself, my energy, the talking nonstop for 2 and a half days. And the participants told me that they're noticing things they'd never seen before. They can walk into a room and notice lighting and composition and that they have newfound confidence. Sometimes all you need is to believe in yourself for a few more seconds and you can achieve a breakthrough shot. Some photographers are afraid of trying new things, of being criticized. But if they never try they'll never know what they are capable of.
In the seminar I was talking about passion and attitude, which is something I think is very important for young photographers. People tend to think that this is a glamorous job where you're surrounded by beautiful people in exotic locations and that's not usually the case. You have to put your heart and soul into it. And I'm sharing that with them. How to care for their clients. How to be respectful and considerate. When you take care of people, they'll open up to you. That's how you get beautiful natural looking shots. It's not a trick. It's a genuine formula.
www.louispang.com/blog
Louis Pang has every reason to be ecstatic.
In the last six months since I spoke to him about his work he has witnessed the fruits of his labors by way of a Wedding & Portrait Photographers International award in Las Vegas; winning a second place Award of Excellence in the Non-Wedding Photojournalism category for his shot simply titled "Torchbearer". And this is on top of four Accolades of Excellence in the same competition. For a photographer who seriously began his delve into this industry a mere two years ago, these are some outstanding accomplishments indeed. Having the opportunity to photograph an elaborate Indian wedding in Rajasthan gave Louis the ability to really flex his artistic muscles and the results were pure art.
A LOT HAS HAPPENED TO YOU.
Yes a lot has happened in 6 months. We won the international award, thats the biggest news. We have just received the award and it's at home. It's a crystal trophy and it's heavy. And just holding it brings back so many memories of the first time I saw the award online a few months ago. I told myself I would love to be able to have the chance to win it and we took steps towards it. Each time I'd go for a shoot I'd think to myself that maybe I'd be lucky enough to shoot the winning photograph. But like many other things in life, if you don't give it a try you'll never know the outcome.
We just got the proper competition results a few days ago. I read through the whole list and we are the only photographers fromAsia to have won anything. It was an amazing feeling. And the other winning photographers are pretty much the who's who of this industry; people that I have read about in magazines who are like my idols. And to be able to see my name mentioned together with theirs means a great deal.
I would like to say that it was a fluke win but that would be unfair to the other winners. So I've learned to accept it with a cheerful heart, with celebration, with thanksgiving to my family and a few close friends who have helped us along the way. The journey wasn't easy but we were lucky to have people around us who cared about us.
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON YOUR WIN?
Yes I'm the one that pressed the shutter release and took that picture. My hands, my eyes, my camera, my lens. But I could also think of a thousand other reasons why I could have ended up not taking that picture. Had I not learned about being responsible, about modesty, integrity and love, I wouldn't have ended up taking that shot. There were a thousand different variations leading up to that moment. Had I hung around the wrong friends growing up, learned the wrong lessons and ethics, things would have turned out differently. Thanks to a good family upbringing and the right advice from my wife, things have worked out.
I think that this win is good for Malaysia and a great thing for Sabahans. Sometimes Sabahans can suffer from a little inferiority complex thinking that we're not Kuala Lumpur or we're not Penang, because we come from a smaller place. And I am very proud to have won this as a Sabahan.
HAS IT ONLY BEEN TWO AND A HALF YEARS SINCE YOU STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY?
Yes. I'd been taking photographs for the past 8 years but I only got into the business in 2006. And this is why I am very grateful for all the success we've received.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHICH PHOTOGRAPHS TO SELECT FOR THE COMPETITION OUT OF THE THOUSANDS YOU'VE SHOT?
I looked for something that I felt was special. I had to look for a picture that jumped out at me. I also looked for cultural relevance. I knew that a lot of the pictures that the judges would be viewing would have more of a western setting to them so I picked a subject matter from a more ethnic wedding. When I took the Torchbearer shot, I was thinking of India five hundred years ago. The costume, the torch. We were waiting for the groom to arrive on a white horse and I saw this guy just standing there. I just waited for him to look at me. I was shooting from a long distance, about 15 to 20 feet away.
And he did. The technique is that the moment a person turns and notices the camera there is always a spark in the eye. That moment of innocence. If you look at the camera for too long it's lost and that's not the real quality I want to capture. I just wanted to capture him. And I got it.
If you look at the picture you'll see more to it than just a guy standing there holding a torch. It has got a timeless quality to it.
DO YOU DO ANY RESEARCH ON INDIA BEFORE SHOOTING THERE SEEING HAS HOW IT WAS YOUR FIRST VISIT?
Well I spent some time with the clients and they explained the significance of each ceremony to me. But listening to them and actually seeing the event are two different things. We researched the location and we arrived a couple of days early so that I got to know the place and the surroundings.
I don't always have that much time though. A lot of things are just instinctive. It's very hard to explain why I know when are good moments to shoot.
WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE NEXT 6 MONTHS?
We are expanding ourselves to be able to shoot more often, probably overseas. We would like to explore places like Europe and Australia. Europe is rich in history, culture, fashion and art and I would love to shoot there. The plan is to bring some couples from Malaysia over there to travel and shoot some engagement photography. Likewise in Australia. For the last couple of weeks we have been getting quite a number of inquiries from Australia for wedding shoots.
It's not a case of me only wanting to shoot in western countries but it is honestly about pushing ourselves and seeing how far we can go. I believe that a great way to push ourselves is by competing against the best. Compete against the Australians. Compete against the Americans, against the Europeans. This is the way to become the best yourself. I want to see how far I can go. I am young and full of energy so why not? I think that is basically the story of my life. I don't know what is going to happen but I just want to give it a shot. If you want to achieve breakthroughs in anything that you are doing you have to have the guts to fail. That's part of experimentation. If you want to play it safe all the time it's just not going to work. So I've never played safe. I always want to go all out.
HOW DID YOU HANDLE THE INITIAL NEGATIVITY? PEOPLE TELLING YOU THAT YOU COULDN'T OR SHOULDN'T DO IT?
It used to affect me. But it's just a matter of processing it correctly. It's not that they don't believe in you but that they're discouraging you because of their own fears or what they deem is possible. Sometimes it's not out of spite but in their own logical mind, certain things are just impossible and henceforth not worth a try.
Having a good wife certainly helps because Jasmine has been my biggest fan and strongest supporter. And always believed in what we could do. Also some of my friends who saw potential in us before we realized it ourselves. So when it comes to negativity and criticism, just chew on it and decide whether you want to swallow it or not.
Coming from a small town, not many people took us seriously. But we got our foot in the door, took the first shot and proved what we were capable of. And guess what? They were happy and told other people. So you just have to do your job well. And you have to carry this energy with you. You are only as good as the last picture you take after all. So you have to continue to push yourself. There is no slowing down. People who have seen our work in 2006 till now have noticed the progression in pictures. I don't walk into any place thinking that I deserve this or that. We may be one of the hottest brands in wedding photographyin the country right now but we don't have an air of superiority. You have to treat people with humility, with lots of respect, love and care. And do your jobs as best as you can. Who wouldn't want to work with people like that? I think a lot of people are put off by the big shots, the primadonnas. And there is no need for that sort of behavior. It is better to get people to praise you than to blow your own horn all the time. Yes I feel proud of myself and I know how to promote myself very well. But there is a difference between boasting and marketing.
TELL US ABOUT YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOPS:
We have planned out 4 workshops for this year. I just returned from one in Penang and it was very well received. Everybody had so much fun. I lost my voice the day after the workshop. Because I gave so much of myself, my energy, the talking nonstop for 2 and a half days. And the participants told me that they're noticing things they'd never seen before. They can walk into a room and notice lighting and composition and that they have newfound confidence. Sometimes all you need is to believe in yourself for a few more seconds and you can achieve a breakthrough shot. Some photographers are afraid of trying new things, of being criticized. But if they never try they'll never know what they are capable of.
In the seminar I was talking about passion and attitude, which is something I think is very important for young photographers. People tend to think that this is a glamorous job where you're surrounded by beautiful people in exotic locations and that's not usually the case. You have to put your heart and soul into it. And I'm sharing that with them. How to care for their clients. How to be respectful and considerate. When you take care of people, they'll open up to you. That's how you get beautiful natural looking shots. It's not a trick. It's a genuine formula.
www.louispang.com/blog
One Buck Short And Counting
Published April 2008
One Buck Short is far from the archetypal Malaysian rock band. Energy fueled music, solid performances, nothing but rave reviews, catchy singles that have received strong radio airplay and throngs of fans around the region makes for a very good formula for success. A recording deal with both Homegrown Records and Universal Music has seen them launch an album that was a heavily anticipated release countrywide in 2007.
Their debut single "That Day" secured them a spot on radio music charts and led to a Best Newcomer nomination at the AstroHitz.FM awards in 2004. One Buck Short, better known as OBS, was nominated again in 2006 at the same awards show for Best Live Act and Best Rock Act. Power charged expositions at Rock The World and the Asian X Games led to more high profile gigs,notably opening for Fall Out Boy during their Infinity On High World Tour in Singapore, as well as Good Charlotte during their concert in Kuala Lumpur last year.
They then went on to become the only Malaysian band invited to perform alongside groups like Sugar Ray and Gym Class Heroesat SingFest in Singapore.
OBS's feather in their collective caps was supporting My Chemical Romance during their December concert in Kuala Lumpur ; a performance which rounded their year off appropriately. With some serious buzz.
I was able to get in touch with Rahul Kukreja, the lead guitarist and sometimes vocalist of OBS to gain a little insight as to the whys and hows of what makes this band truly stand out. And with Munzir on vocals, Izal on bass and Imran behind the drums, OBS is truly a fun force to be reckoned with.
WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO FORM A BAND AND WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST PERFORMANCE LIKE?
Well, it was because of the music we were listening to at the time. Hafiz our former bassist had tons of CD's from the States - all the Fat Wreck compilations and bands like Ataris, Blink 182 and Jimmy Eat World which no one here heard of at the time. We got hooked on the tunes and started jamming quite often. It didn't help that there was a jamming studio within walking distance of our old high school and we spent lots and lots of hours there.
The first performance was for our high school graduation, then if I remember correctly when Imran joined the band we played an event for HELP college and just took it from there.
WHO ARE YOUR MAIN MUSICAL INFLUENCES?
Everyone in the band has different influences I would say. Imran is into a lot of jazz and pop, Izal's a huge Weezer and Incubus fan. Mooky, for some weird reason happens to be in love with Mariah Carey. I personally like a whole bunch of stuff. Right now I'm listening to Panic!At The Disco's new album and I think it rocks.
INTERESTING NAME FOR A BAND. THERE HAS TO BE A STORY BEHIND IT.
Actually no. We always wished we had a great story to tell but honestly back when we were in school we had a long list of paper with possible names on it. Somehow One Buck Short stood out and we've never turned back.
YOU'VE OPENED FOR SOME MASSIVE CHART-TOPPING GROUPS. WHO WAS THE MOST MEMORABLE AND WHY?
Wow, I would have to say My Chemical Romance. Reason being is that we spent the most time with them. That was three days of just taking them around KL, hanging out, drinking. We got to know them as friends and they still email on and off. The boys from Good Charlotte were kind of cool as well.
ANY UP-AND-COMING MALAYSIAN BANDS THAT WE SHOULD BE AWARE OF?
There are so many actually, a lot of radio and media are starting to take notice of these acts. Some names: Estrella, Bunkface, Bittersweet, They Will Kill Us All, Ask Me Again, Stonebay...the list goes on.
WHAT CAN FANS EXPECT FROM A TYPICAL OBS SHOW?
Fun and a lot of energy - thats for sure. Thats about the only exercise I get so I try to make the most of it in those 20 - 30 minutes. Also we like to try and make everyone dance and move.
HOW DOES OBS'S SCHEDULE LOOK FOR 2008, GIGWISE
We're playing a lot of shows around Malaysia now. In June we'll be playing in Hong Kong. Then in August there are quite a few events like SingFest and also the MTV Music Awards, so we hope to be a part of that in some way. The band just did an advert for Jack &Jill Rollercoster Potato Chips so we're actually planning our very own rollercoster tour and we have Sabah on the list as a location we definately want to check out.
TELL US ABOUT THE NEW ALBUM
"Halal & Loving It" is an album the whole band is proud of. It took us a while to get out but its finally here and in stores so we're happy. There are 9 english tracks and 3 malay tracks on the album. Songs range from topics about corruption - ("Kelibat Korupsi") to the bands idea for a back to the future theme song called "10:04". We cover quite a few issues about life on the album, its just our experiences so far.
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