Tabi basa & greetings everyone! For today’s post, I’d like to share the photoshoot that I have done for Stancy & Moses, from Long Apu & Long San respectively. Stancy is also another one of the very active followers of my Facebook page and she has been actively joining online competitions that I have organised.
So this time, we did something different.
It is a photoshoot for couples at Taman Awam Miri, followed by a sunset photoshoot at Tanjung Lobang. Taman Awam’s greeneries attracted my attention and that is why you can see that most of the photoshoots that I have done in Miri is done at Taman Awam’s tower, suspension bridge & its mini “forest”.
In the world where, the more number of partners you have, the “manlier” you are, chose to be loyal to one person. Instead of trying to love 1001 person, try to love one person in a 1001 different ways. In that way, you can always re-live and re-ignite the fire that you have for one another.
LOVE ONE PERSON IN 1001 DIFFERENT WAYS
That basically sums up their relationship story. In a relationship, one has to be fire, and the other one has to be the water. You can’t have both fire or water in a relationship, otherwise, it won’t happen.
THE FINAL RESULT
If you are interested with this kind of photoshoot, feel free to WhastApp me at 014-8677585. Have a good week everyone! 😄
BONUS TOPIC: VALUE OF ART
From my friends around Miri, I learned that recently there is always a certain group of photographers who charged way, way lower than the market price. These groups are called market disruptors (kacau market). Their aim is to get as much client as possible, without even thinking about the long term effect.
If you already charge so low, how are you going to make a living out of photography? You will ended up loathing & hating photography because you can’t buy much stuff from your job.
That’s why, understanding the value of time, money, attention & energy that I have invested in photography, I don’t want to charge myself too low. There are limits. For those who appreciated my art and is willing to pay the price I’ve asked, I thank you very much.
Tabi basa & greetings everyone! Today I’d like to share the recent photoshoot that I have with Felicia, one of the most active followers of my Facebook page & has participated in few competitions that i have organised online. This photoshoot was part of the reward of the recent event that I have done, namely Road To 2022. There are few other winners that I have scheduled to shoot with, but since I am at Miri for work, I just concentrate to do for those at Miri. There are some who is scheduled to visit Miri, and you will see them in my photoshoots.
This photoshoot is one of my way to promote my artwork and how I’d like to create my images. There are some peoples who like to use warmer tones. For me, I prefer to use cooler tones & inclined to make my images more vibrant.
Venue for this photoshoot is Taman Awam, Miri. It is one of the best place for us to do photoshoot in Miri. I only concentrate on the upper part of Taman Awam, as I target to fully utilise the structure that we have there.
THE RESULT
Thank you Fenny!
Special thanks to Fenny, Felicia’s sister for helping me out with this photoshoot.
If you are interested with this kind of photoshoot, feel free to WhastApp me at 014-8677585. Have a good weekend everyone! 😄
Tabi basa & greetings everyone! For today’s blog post, I’d like to feature the recent outing that Seahorse Boys had with Mystic Gems Scout Outing, led by Norbert Sirai at Miri, at spacious area somewhere near Parkcity Everly Hotel.
Front Row: Mira, Nana, Ros, Norbert, Boone & Sulaiman Back Row: Clayri, Steve & Om Jay. Note: Rapheal left earlier.Pre-Job Discussion / Toolbox Talk & Ice-breaking Session with Mystic Gems Scout. That’s me, still sporting red hair.
From Seahorse Boys, those that joined were Clayri, Om Jay, Rapheal Lutta, Steve Maggie & myself. From the MGS-side, we are joined by Norbert Sirai, Mira, Sulaiman, Rosita, Nana & Boone.
Clayri in actionFree SyleAnother Free StyleBreak into couples.
CONTEMPORARY COSTUMES
Based on the words of Mystic Gems Scout, the costumes that was being used for this photoshoot is considered contemporary, inspired by Sarawakian costumes, and it has no intention whatsoever to disrespect anyone or any culture whatsoever.
If there is any offences, it is purely unintentional.
Also, these costumes
ENTER RICOH GR III
Ricoh GR III (28mm FF equivalent) & GR IIIx (40mm FF equivalent)
Usually, for my photoshoot, I will bring my DSLR because I don’t want to compromise on the image quality. However, for this photoshoot, since there is a request from Steve, asking me to bring my GR III, I decided to use my GR IIIs. instead for this photoshoot.
For close-up / portrait works, I used the 40mm GR IIIx and for wider-angled shots, i use GR III (28mm field-of-view equivalent). Both of these cameras were shot in RAW+, where it includes the JPEG files as well.
The images created by these GR III are superb, and its RAW files pack a punch. However, I tweak the final colour according to my taste, temperature and skin tones. I didn’t adjust the bokeh artifically using Photoshop as it takes a lot of time to go through the files one by one.
I just did the final adjustment using Capture One software because I like how it renders color.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GR III & MY GO-TO DSLR
Being so used to a camera where I can adjust everything without referring to the LCD screen, using GR III is another refreshing experience for me. The thing that I like most is the size, because I don’t have to lug my heavy gear, for now.
There are some compromises, but after using GR III for a while, it gets interesting. I start to appreciate its ease of use, though for more serious works, I will still use my DSLR.
Catch Me If You Can Photo by Jay. Me trying to do panning.
GOOD BYE EASY-BOKEH
Being used to manual lenses that I can just twist to get a desired bokeh, for this one, I need to get very close to get a desired bokeh from my subjects. I can live without bokeh, no problem. By using this pocket-camera, it forces me to rely on the fundamentals, including lighting placement, leading line, composition and most importantly, the expression of the subject to create a flattering image.
After a bit of tweaking and contemplating over the images, here’s the final result.
THE FINAL RESULT
NORBERT & ROS
NORBERT SIRAI
ROS
NANA
SULAIMAN
BOONE
MIRA
OTHER SEAHORSE BOYS IMAGES
STEVE M MAGGIE
Steve likes to play with tones, which is obvious in his artwork below.
CLAYRI
Clay is enjoying the session. More images will be coming soon.
JAY POTRET – RAJA BOKEH
From what you can see, Jay is a huge fan of bokeh. You can see the effect of this beautiful medium-tele lens and its pleasing bokeh. It also created a flattering face-form for Nana.
LEARNINGS FROM USING RICOH GR III
Lesson 1: Reinforcing Photography Fundamentals
First and foremost, by using this camera, I helps me to reconnect back with the roots of photography that I have always passionate about. It forces me to think more, act more and experiment more because the high-end camera ends up pampering me too much that if I have a poor background, I just blow it all out using bokeh. Simple, right? But it doesn’t help me with mastering the fundamentals.
I should use it more often.
Lesson 2: Testing Colour Grading Skills
In terms of post-processing, there are a number of colour correction that I need to do because the final image is too reddish for my taste, but it’s no doubt still a good colour, and I will still choose GR III over other APS-C models. This is a matter of personal choice. Yours might be different, so let’s agree on this.
Lesson 3: Ricoh GR III Is A Good Alternative For Event Cameras
If you don’t need to emphasise on the portrait, but rather focus only on the moments, then Ricoh GR III is a good camera that you can use. All you need is a couple of extra battery because one of the known issue with GR III is its small battery capacity. Two should be sufficient.
In terms of ease of use, it is definitely good one for me. It is superlight (relative to my DSLR), and I can even pocket it easily without anyone noticing. You can be a stealth cameraman for the event.
With its matte-black finish, it is a design that I like. No wonder it is called Street Photography King (Sorry M & Q).
BONUS TOPIC: DON’T UNDERVALUE YOURSELF
Be proud of yourself and don’t let others disrespect you. Have courage to walk away if you feel you are being disrespected.
If there is something that I really appreciate, it is respecting one-self. If you don’t respect yourself, how do you expect others to respect you? For example; you know already that you have issue with alcohol & money, but you keep on doing it because it “feels good”. In the end, you’ll be having health issue & broke. Worse, you have the balls to blame others. That person definitely don’t command respect from anyone.
Same goes to photographers. A lot of peoples are aspiring to make a living out of their photography art. But when it comes to getting a paid job, that’s where their delaying gratification is being put to the test. Would you like to live with a small paid job from now until today? Or would you like to learn about photography fundamentals for the next 5-10 years, so that you can command a higher price the next decade?
Who doesn’t want an instant cash? But there is a limit to this. As a start, if that particular job is less than RM500 per hour or RM1500 per job, I won’t accept it because my time, energy and attention worth more than that. The struggle comes after shooting, where I need to do a lot to ensure the images created is worth their money.
When I first started this journey, people paid me RM300 for a day to day. When I think back about it, it is such a small pay, but it teaches me a lot of lesson; especially about knowing your worth and how to value yourself.
I want to deliver the best to those who appreciates my art, but if they don’t appreciate it as much and not willing to invest, then they are most welcomed to look for another photographer.
EPILOGUE
For me, the session has been a wonderful one. It is fun to meet and have a photoshoot with new peoples. Thank you to Norbert Sirai for his kindness, Mystic Gems Scout team for the wardrobe, Man, Nana, Mira, Ros & Boone for becoming our models and you, for reading this until the end.
Tabi basa & greeting everyone! This time, I’d like to share about the recent outing that we did at Miri with the Seahorse boys. For those who didn’t know, Seahorse Boys is a group of photographers based in Miri from various background, as what you can see below. In short, most of us shoots portrait.
For this photoshoot, it was held at Kpg Wireless, at Miri Waterfront, where we did a photoshoot with talents, namely Leha from Tatau and Agnes, who was eventually called Seroja by us. The event organiser is Aiman Iman, who is a well-known make-up artist based in Miri, and he is known for his unique style of make-up, including body-painting.
Behind The Scene
The second venue of the photoshoot was at Miri City Fan, where Jay and the rest intends to re-create the images that was done by Cikgu Sean of Prodigy. Lots of attempts were being made.
THE RESULT
Below is the result of the images that was shared to me for this blog post purpose. I only received from Steve for now. Therefore, here’s his artwork, followed by mine.
STEVE M MAGGIE
Denzel – none shared yet.
Clayri – none shared yet.
Jay Potret – none shared yet.
Rapheal – none shared yet.
Solomon – working at Bintulu.
“Tukang Rantek” Claudius
Lesson Learned from This Photoshoot
I’ve written about outing ethics in this long Facebook post, which is written in Malay. You can read it here. In summary,
Respect One Another
Feel Free To Use “Please”, “Thank You” and “Sorry”
Do Not Touch Model / Talent
Do Not Ask Sensitive Questions & Joke Responsibly
Do Not Disturb Other People’s Gears / Settings Without Permission
Do Not Brag About Gear
Be Punctual & Give Model Time To Rest
In writing those ethics, I have no ill-intention against anyone, because it is a set of thing that every photographer should try to obey and adhere to if they want to be a likeable photographer in whatever occasion that they use.
Gears used in this photoshoot is Leica S3 & Summarit-S f/2.5 35mm & Summicron-S f/2 100m, both ASPH. lenses. It is a really great set of gear, the colour reproduction is great. You get what you invest.
But for the next shoot, I challenged myself to use a different gear, which is a compact camera, a well-known street photography camera called Ricoh GR III. I will show it in my next blogpost.
Tabi basa and greetings everybody! I hope all of are healthy and had a good weekend with your family and friends. Even if you are alone, I hope you took that opportunity to improve your craft or whatever skill you wish to be good at. Silence is golden, and solitude is necessary for growth, just like a seed, buried in the darkness.
PHOTOSHOOT AT JLN MARINA, MIRI
For today’s post, I would like to share the activities that I had with fellow Miri photographers at Jalan Marina, Miri, not far from Miri Time Square.
Behind The Scene
Look at this lovely leading line.
The theme for today was actually lady in red, but since Kat is appropriately-dressed, we took her in for photoshoot too. Besides, she was also one of the regular faces for photoshoot by our fellow photographer circle in Miri. For this photoshoot, the goal was to learn more about lighting placement, because that is one area that I wish to be better at. Due to work commitment, I rejected a number of jobs, especially those nearing Christmas and New Year as I will be on duty. However, as and when I have the opportunity, I will join Denz Harper and the other boys; Jay Potret, Steve M, Raf & Clayri (first time meeting these two) for photoshoot. This would be the last for 2021 with them though and I’ll join them again next year.
Denz “Happy” Harper & Elisha
The talents for our photoshoot was Viviana Uring, Elisha & Katheria (Prudential insurance agent, can look for her. She’s very helpful). As usual, we took turns to do photoshoot with these talents. Basically we just shoot until we think we have all the shots and then move on to the next talent.
GROUP PHOTOSHOOT
Group photoshoot is something that I only do twice ever since I took-up photography. It is primarily due to bad past experiences, which makes me prefer to go and do photoshoot on my own.
How to play with light and shadows are the fundamentals. There is a lot of other aspects too, with gear being the last. Gears are supposed to make our life easier, not the other way round. In fact, you don’t need to break the bank to be really good.
A good photographer can create a beautiful image from any gear.
As for myself, if the outcome is not great enough, it is because of my lack of skill, not because of the gear. That’s why I am pretty excited and look forward to the upcoming workshop with Sean as discussed with Denz, and hopefully it is in Miri.
From group photoshoot also, we also learn how to appreciate that each photographer has their own ways of editing. There is nothing to quarrel about. Only when they seek for our opinions, then we offer ours.
THE FINAL RESULT:
These are the images that I favour from the rest of the pictures. Feel free to have a look.
VIVIANA
Elisha
Katheria
Note: her photoshoot is not planned, so that’s why she not wearing red.
RAW/DNG OR JPEG?
I only shoot DNG (RAW) because I would like to have the ability to fully optimise whatever images that I have created, let’s say I wish to edit it differently later in the future. This is the thing that I have discussed with Denz, Clay and Jay over our coffee talk yesterday.
Denz and the rest are mainly Photoshop users. Before this, I tried using Photoshop. But it is a steep learning curve for me. Then I used Lightroom until I discovered Capture One. Now, I am using Capture One for all of my editing, though I still keep Photoshop standby if I need some heavy lifting. Like what Denz always say, try to master one software first before moving onto the next.
EPILOGUE
It was such a fun evening with these peoples. I look forward to do another photoshoot with them again in the future. Don’t forget to follow me at my social media here: linktr.ee/claudiusweson.
Lastly, don’t be quiet about any sexual harassment. Speak up. Let yourself be heard.
Tabi basa and greeting everybody! Finally it’s Sunday and there is only one day left for my first ever Citra Kenyalang Performance competition which is being held online at my Facebook page Tukang Rantek.
For today’s story, I’d like to write about my exprience doing photoshoot at a tennis court with fellow Miri photographers: Denzel “Denz”, Steve Maggie & Mas Jay.
Our talents for yesterday’s session was Katheria & Steph. On our way to Miri Tennis Complex, Kat left her racket. As we get near to the court, Denz told us that he forgot to bring the balls. So, we have to bought two new sets of balls at Servay near Grand Palace.
This is where do our photoshoot (top middle)
This is actually the first time I meet those three in person: Jay, Denz and Steph. But we did our photoshoot as if we have known each other for a very long time. I am also the type of person who don’t approve random FB friends request unless I have met requestor in person (with few exceptions).
For our photoshoot, there was no system in place. We just shoot at random at first. Since there is only two talents and four photographers, we did our session by doing it per talents. I started off with Kat because the other boys seems to be more interested in Steph (tok nok ditangga ku ja), where Kat was left to her own devices.
Kat seems to be insecure with her own tummy, but I hope she takes it as a motivation to maintain her fitness level.
After a while, finally I managed to get my turn to photograph Steph. She seems to be serious, but she’s actually a friendly person and easy to work with. She demonstrates her familiarity with photography sessions and it makes my life easier. She’s also an anime lover, including Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack On Titan (still waiting for the final season, part 2 where Erehh became the bad guy. Duh)
Sometimes, even as a photographer, I also need to give few instructions to the talents in order for them to be able to help me with my requirements.
Finally, after 1.5 hours of photoshoot, the session came to an end. So, here is the pic that we took before we departs.
Picture courtesy of Denz Harper.
Final Result
Kat
Steph
Epilogue
For this photoshoot, I used a single-OCF (off-camera flash) where it is adequate, considering I am not assisted by anyone. It is also sufficient to fill most of the shadows generated by November sun. For me, having photoshoot with like-minded friends is important to strengthen bond as well as to have fun in the weekend.
Perhaps I should write more about my boudoir in this blog. Anyway, have a good weekend everyone!
Tukang Rantek, CW
Facebook / Instagram / Tik Tok / Twitter: Tukang Rantek
Tabi basa & greetings! Today I’d like to share about Perscilla, a Melanau – Iban lady but was raised and resides in Miri. Her father is a Melanau, while her mother is an Iban. In this post, she wore Melanau traditional costume consisting of black satin blouse, yellow-red songkey sarong and red embroidered chest decoration with string pendant.
Perscilla graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from University of Malaysia, Sarawak (UNIMAS). She worked three jobs prior joining Prudential as a full-time insurance agent because she wants to know and explore more on insurance business.
According to her, she wants to join insurance business because she wants to give an awareness to herself, family and relatives about the importance of insurance and what it can provide in case something unfortunate happens. With insurance, she’ll be able to ensure that her circle of family, friends and dearest clients always have the best protection that can guard them financially should death, disability, critical illnesses or accident happens.
Aside from teaching how to save money for emergency or illnesses, insurance also helps to plan further in the future such as planning for children’s educatiom and also planning for their beautiful retirement.
With insurance, her client also will have a peace of mind as they has no need to worry should emergency happens since they have secured their money and planned for their future ahead. Her journey so far makes her realise that this industry is beautiful as it helps her to connect with a lot of people regardless of their race, cultures, occupations etc. Her clients eventually became her friend and it brings her fulfilment to be able to serve them and subsequently grow successful as an Insurance Agent.
From her also I learned that the insurance agents that forces others to purchase an insurance plan only brings a bad name to the rest of the insurance industry.
I hope that her story inspires you to embrace a new understanding and get yourself protected by getting yourself an insurance plan not only for yourself but for your family.
Tukang Rantek,
Claudius
Note:
Claudius is a boudoir & portrait “tukang rantek” based in Miri.
IBARAT MATI HIDUP KEMBALI: SEBUAH KISAH IBU TUNGGAL
Tabi basa & selamat petang semua. Pada hari ini saya ingin berkongsi sebuah kisah berkenaan dengan seorang ibu tunggal yang terpaksa berhadapi dengan cabaran beliau tersendiri dan bagaimana beliau mengatasi kesulitan hidup yang beliau hadapi. Anda boleh membaca ringkasan kisah Rhea (bukan nama sebenar) dibawah.
Sakit lagi di hiris pisau, sakit lagi apabila kita ditinggalkan oleh orang yang pernah sebumbung dengan kita. Hari ini, saya nak kongsikan sedikit, melalui pengalaman hidup saya sendiri. Sebelum itu, saya ajukan kepada anda semua satu soalan: ada tak wanita di luar sana yang mahu jadi ibubapa tunggal untuk anak-anak?
Buat saya, itu sangatlah mustahil dan sangat sukar. Akan tetapi, saya mesti bergerak ke hadapan (move on). Pahit, manis, pedas & masam – saya kena telah semuanya.
Terjadinya keretakan di rumah tangga saya sehingga nama saya tidak asing lagi nama saya disebut dimana-mana, dikalangan sepupu-sepupu, makcik-makcik saya sendiri serta di lingkungan kenalan saya. Keluarga terdekat saya pun tidak kurang hebatnya bercerita akan kisah saya sehingga yang biasa pun menjadi luar biasa. Bahkan saya digelar sebagai wanita yang tiada masa depan. Kiri, kanan, depan dan belakang, semua cerita pasal saya.
“Eh, dia tiada duit ke nak sara anak dia?” dan banyak lagi yang mereka umpatkan berkenaan saya di luar sana. Siapa mereka untuk menghakimi saya?
Namun tidak mengapa. Saya bersyukur kepada Tuhan kerana telah mengurniakan keluarga yang selalu ada buat saya. Tuhan telah memberikan ibu & bapa yang sentiasa ada buat saya walau di saat saya jatuh, di saat saya terpuruk, dan hampir putus asa dengan hidup yang saya jalani. Mereka memberi kata-kata semangat agar saya kuat demi anak-anak saya.
Apabila saya sebut “ibarat mati hidup semula” ia bermaksud, disaat saya dipukul masalah terbesar dalam hidup saya yang hampir membuatkan saya jadi gila, Tuhan hadirkan berkat terindah dalam hidup saya yang tidak pernah saya lupakan. Tahu tak, pada masa yang sama juga saya telah mendapat pekerjaan baru, iaitu kerja dengan sektor awam.
Sebelum itu, saya pernah berdoa memohon kepada Tuhan agar dikurniakan perkerjaan yang bagus dan peluang untuk mengubah hidup saya dan anak-anak. Biarlah orang di luar sana dapat membuka mata dan melihat bahawa tanpa seorang lelaki pun saya boleh hidup. Ternyata, Tuhan mendengar dan mengabulkan doa saya.
Bagi saya, menjadi ibu tunggal itu adalah luar biasa. Menggalas tanggungjawab sebagai ibu dan ketua keluarga agak mencabar bagi saya. Menjadi mak sekaligus bapa kepada anak-anak itu bukan satu hal yang mudah. Saya tidak boleh menyerah. Saya mendidik hati saya untuk menjadi wanita besi dan menjadi wanita yang menjadi kebanggaan kepada anak-anak. Bagi saya, menjaga masa depan anak-anak adalah sungguh penting.
Saya sudah sediakan semuanya buat mereka. Dari aspek tabungan untuk masuk universiti 20 tahun akan datang pun saya sudah buat untuk mereka.
Pada masa ini, kisah silam biarlah kekal menjadi kisah silam. Saya gembira dengan kehidupan saya sekarang – sudah memiliki kerja tetap, ada perniagaan sendiri, kereta sendiri dan akan datang adalah rumah saya sendiri. Produk baru saya dan jenama saya sendiri pun di dalam proses pembikinan.
Buat gadis-gadis di luar sana yang mungkin mengalami nasib yang sama seperti saya, jangan pernah takut untuk bangkit semula. Status kekal status, namun kita juga manusia. Jadi, kita harus bergerak ke hadapan dan jadikan impian kita satu realiti. Lelaki boleh datang sendiri sekiranya dia benar-benar cinta akan kamu.
Buat lelaki-lelaki diluar sana, tidak semua janda itu murah dan tak semua janda itu tiada masa depan.
Terima kasih kerana sudi membaca. ❤️
DEATH & REBORN
Blade hurts, but what hurts more is when we are being left by the person who once lived with us. Today I’d like to share about my story. Before that, I’d like to ask a question to all of you: is there a woman out there who wants to be a single parent for their kids?
For me, it is an unsurmountable task. However, I need to move on for my kids. Bitter, sweet, spicy or sour, I have to go through it all.
There was a crack in my once blissful family until it shatters into a thousand pieces. My name even became the talk of the town, from my cousins, my aunties, uncles and within my family circle. The ordinary turns into extraordinary. I was even labelled as a futureless woman. That’s how bad it was for me.
“Eh, she doesn’t have any money to feed her kids?” et cetera. They kept on gossiping about me out there. Who are they to judge me?
But you know what? It doesn’t matter. I am truly grateful to God because He blessed me with my family that is always be there for me. God granted me my parents who always be there to assist me whenever I fall down and almost gave up with my life. They encourages me non-stop so that I am strong for my kids.
What I meant by “death & reborn” is when I was faced with this seemingly impossible challenge, God granted me the best blessing that I could never forget. Guess what? Amidst this calamity of my life, I also managed to land a job with government.
Before that, I prayed to God to grant me a good occupation and a chance to change my life for the better. Let those naysayers out there opened their eyes and see that I also can survive without any man. Indeed, God is great and answers my prayer.
For me, becoming a single parent is a extraordinary feat. Holding responsibility as a mother and family leader is challenging for me. Becoming mother & father to my children at the same time is no easy task. I cannot give up. I taught my heart to be an iron lady and become someone that they can look up to. For me, their future is my top priority.
I have prepared everything for them. From their university funds in 20 years’ time to the basic needs, I have it all prepared.
Today, let bygones be bygones and past remains a past. I am happy with my life now – having a stable career, owns a business, own car and soon, my own house. I am also doing my own product and my own brand.
For ladies out there who might be having the same problem with me, don’t be afraid to rise up again. Let status remains a status, but we are still humans. So, we need to move on and let our dreams come true. Your man will come to you if he really loves you.
For men out there, not all widow is cheap and not all widow is futureless.
Thank you for reading. ❤️
Tukang Rantek, Claudius
‼️10 more days for Citra Kenyalang. Register now at 0148677585 via Telegram.‼️
Tabi basa & greetings! Today I’d like to share a story about Dyg Syafiqah Atiqah bt Abg Suhaili from Miri, Sarawak. This 32 y.o. lady has been working offshore since 2018 starting with Chemical Skid (Service Engineer & Project Engineer), followed by Transfame Sdn Bhd and now Sapura Energy Berhad, both as Field Engineer, though has been involved with #oilgasindustry since 2015, a challenging year for many.
She was blessed with career options in her hometown of Miri. However, it is not as easy as people think and it has taught a lot of lessons. For her, mental strength is the most important thing because she spent months working on a project jn the middle of the sea, surrounded by men. “Safety First” is her paramount slogan because she is working around the flammable materials under great pressure and treading a thin line between life & death. One wrong move & that’s the end. So, everyone looks after one another.
Weather is also a great challenge, especially when residing in a workboat or barge & it is bad weather outside. Seasick will accompany quite often too, especially during her early days. While working there as well, telecommunication is also another hassle that she has to face because it is limited and totally dependent on the connectivity strength provided by vessel or platform. Worstcase, just assume it is offshore life in pre-wifi days back in the 90s.
She hoped that from her sharing, people will realise that working offshore is not easy as people might think and to empower other women, especially young ladies to embrace the challenge. Though she is a lady, she has no problem because she is surrounded by professional men & those who accepts her as part of the great team. All the best to your great career ahead, Pika! Kitak tok nang antap. 😄👍🏻
Thank you to those who reads and shares my post yesterday about Cardock. My writings that was shared at Miri Community was deleted by its admin and I was removed without any prior warning. But it’s okay because it will not change anything at all and it will not stop me from voicing my opinions out based on what I think is true.
Thinking of creating my own TRibe Group. Not a fan of CLan word,.
Back to the story that I want to talk about today, it can be said that it has been a trend among Malaysian celebrities to be involved with controversy to raise their publicity. From sexy video, sexy clothes, fight, picture in a bathtub full of money and so on, it is one of the way for them to be famous. Afterall, it’s very Machiavellian: the aims of these celebrities – such as glory and survival – justifies the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.
Among Malaysian influencers, the issues that they are facing now is more unique because they are from a wider group. One of the more famous way is to trigger racial issue to gain publicity, and ultimately able to popularise their brand and sell their product.
MALAYSIA – MULTI-RACIAL COUNTRY
As we all know, Malaysia is a country that has lot of races residing in it. At Peninsular Malaysia, we have Malays (Melayu Anak Jati, Melayu Anak Dagang, Melayu Kacukan etc), Cina (generally, throughout Malaysia and has lots of dialect), India (majority is Tamils, including Telugus, Malayalees, Sikhs etc), Orang Asli group (e.g. Semang, Senoi, Proto-Malays), Papia Kristang and Kristang; at Sabah we have the majority group of Kadazan-Dusun, Murut, Rungus, Bajau, Suluk, Bugis, Iranun, Sungai, Lun Dayeh etc; in Sarawak there is Dayak Iban, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu group (cth: Kayan, Kenyah, Kajangs (e.g. Kejaman, Seping, Lahanan, Punan) Kelabit, Bisaya, Lun Bawang etc), Sarawak Malays, Melanau, Kedayan, Miriek (Bahut & Permaisuri) etc.
The list above barely covers every group in Malaysia, but it is adequate to show that Malaysia has a multi-racial citizens. As a Sarawakian, I know and I am aware about the need to be tolerate and respectful among one another because if there is something happening that triggers racial issues, it can only spell disaster.
Bidayuh girlsIndu IbanSaban ladiesKenyah lady (Kayan-Kenyah are reatively similar in costume because they share a similar history.Sabahan girls.
PREVIOUS CASE – DURIAN KIMCHI (MAY 2021)
I have a belief that most Malaysians know about racial issue and how crucial it is to be aware of racial sensitivity. But it doesn’t stop Ryzal or duriankimchi to subconsciously joke to beyond the line and uploaded it in social media.
You can read its summary and watch the video in this link below:
After becoming a virla issue and caused the uproar among Iban communities and Sarawak in general, finally duriankimchi made a public apology and with Iban society, including the famous Embat Lala and Cardock, making netizen to pity him because he realised his mistakes. Now, his followers count is 1,262,223 followers in Facebook.
LATEST CASE – CARDOCK (AUGUST 2021)
About the issue that was viral recently, Cardock and his original post “Raja Kayan dan Gundik-Gundiknya”, you can read the details here in Facebook or in my other blog posts here.
Few people commented at his original post, which was taken down since then by Cardock’s page admin.
Cardock apologies, but still there is a lot of people unhappy with his apology.
Being a famous influencer, no doubt, Cardock has an immense drive to succeed and also by right has a high tolerance to jokes. But not many people can accept such racial joke. I was informed that the Kayan society and everyone who is not a fan of him was not happy with his way of apology, which seems to be insincere and therefore, it will be brought to justice as per Adet Kayan Kenyah 1994 (Kayan Kenyah Customs 1994, under Section 46: “nyelupoh” (mocking) or “panyi” (making fun of people).
Adet Kayan Kenyah 1994: Section 46 Mocking
SUMMARY OF MODUS OPERANDI
Quoting comment from famous Sarawak singer, Melissa Francis “ngaga salah, dahnya minta ampun secara terbuka. Last2 ke salah nya kena belas kasihan, nama pun viral, dahnya alu nyual produk”. In English, “make mistake, then make a public apology. Lastly, the offender earns pity from others, their name went viral and finally sell their product).
She’s speaking the truth. It is sad to see some fanatics attack her comment though simply because they can’t accept that their idol is doing wrong.
What she mentioned was straight to the point. Final aim of becoming famous is a priority and racial sensitivity that was being safeguarded all this while in total care is not important anymore, as if our racial dignity doesn’t mean anything.
In short, the steps are as follows:
1). Make mistakes, better racial-related to trigger certain group 2). Viral and became the talk of the web (town) 3). Make a public apology, better if you do it in groups to gain their followers too. 4). Netizen pities you. 5). Rise in reputation.
WHY WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT RACIAL SENSITIVITY?
As what I mentioned above, racial sensitivity is important because it will safeguard in a country. Just imagine if our country has a racial issue just like what USA and South African had once upon a time. That was only the impact from 2 main groups. We haven’t include the countless beyond phalanx like what we have in Malaysia or Sarawak specifically.
Every races in Malaysia, from Bukit Kayu Hitam in Perlis to Simpang Mengayau in Sabah deserves to be respected and not to be made fun off. Dignity of a race is not something that you can trample upon like a rag. Our 5th National Principle (Rukun Negara) also mentioned “Kesopanan dan Kesusilaan”, which means Courtesy and Morality. We have to watch out for our words because indirectly, we are the ambassador of our own race to the others.
For example, when Race A’s member created a problem with Race B. Until the end of time the peoples of Race B will remember that Race A is the bad guy, because first impression lasts forever, even though the offender is only an individual from Race A and it doesn’t represent Race A as a whole. That’s what we call bias. That person’s mistake already shapes the worldview of Race B and it is difficult to correct and fix that first impression.
That’s why, best if we avoid any racial issues at all cost. If there is a mistake done however, for us Malaysians upholding our National Principles, we should apologise.
INFLUENCER’S SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Once upon a time, there is a lot of youngsters who wants to be a teacher, soldiers, government officials or even doctors because those occupations has a good reputation in the eye of the soeciry and it is considered glamourous.
But today, the answer from Gen Z is more inclined towards influencers path, Youtuber, Gamer, and recently, Tik-Tokers where their lives revolve around social media platforms.
Who doesn’t like if we have millions of followers and everytime we do a Facebook / Instagram / Tik-Tok LIVE, we will have thousands of followers. Each tweet will be liked and retweeted by thousands of our fans. YouTube video views are more than a million. Enticing, isn’t it?
But the reality is, the more followers you have in social media, the heavier is the social burden that you have to shoulder. This is because, your followers are going to resonate with whatever values that you are projecting. Most of these peoples are youths and Gen Z that look highly upon you.
Parents are striving to give the best to their kids, toiling day in and day out be it at the village or at the city, and even offshore or frontlines. Most of them doesn’t even bother about the current trend because they are committed to their works and to provide for the family. The once, so cool lad is now a boring dad. The education of their kids comes first, their hobby later. It’s okay if my phone has many buttons as long as I am not taking loans here and there for my kids to further their studies. Those might be the unspoken words of a parent.
Back to these influencers, best if they became the positive vibe generators and not toxic or negative vibe because whatever that they are doing, it will have a tremendous impact to the social group that follows them, their followers.
For those who followed me since the beginning, you will realise that I am trying to use as much as proper Malay language even in my FB Live and in my posts. Even if I am using English also, I will use a proper English. When I was in school and even in university, I was always ridiculed because I prefer to speak in proper Malay than to use mixed, street language which is quite famous now. My principle is, “Bahasa Jiwa Bangsa” (language is the soul of the race/people). If we are not taking care of the values of our race, who else will? Do we want to see that our kids want to put aside our national language to put forth something more “in” or viral, and our national language is not relevant anymore?
EPILOGUE:
Rise and fall of our nation lies at the hand of the current generations. People outside of our nation are racing to send people to the stars using a cheaper cost, while us here are still busy quarreling.
Kerana Pulut, Santan Binasa, Kerana Mulut, Badan Binasa; Terlajak perahu, boleh diundur. Terlajak kata, buruk padahnya.
Literal translation:
Because of glutinous rice, coconut milk perishes Because of the mouth, the body perishes Overshot boat can be reversed Accidentally speaking bad words spells disaster.
Words are very powerful, it can be constructive, and it also can be destructive. So, speak wisely. I sincerely hope that after this, there are no other parties who tries to stir any racial issues in Malaysia.
Tukang Rantek, Claudius
Nota: “Tukang Rantek” bermaksud jurugambar di dalam bahasa Bidayuh.
