Malaysia – Stuck in Customs

Blowtorch

Daily Photo – Blowtorch

I understand from my mom that Kuala Lumpur was also one of my grandfather’s favorite cities. He used to work for Exxon, back in the middle of the 20th century. It’s hard for me to imagine what it looked like back then. It’s too bad I wasn’t ever able to show him this photo to see his reaction. KL is called one of the Asian “small tigers” because of its booming economy in the last 20 years or so. Many Asian cities are very pretty with unique architecture. Since many of them are so “new”, the architecture is often much more modern than their Western counterparts. In this one, you can see the gargantuan twin Petronas towers looming high over the city, poking up into some clouds.

Blowtorch

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2023-04-11 16:20:09
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Across the Line

Daily Photo – Across the Line

I found this guy in the Batu Caves just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Batu Caves are enormous caverns that hold various Hindu temples and plenty of fruit for monkeys. This was shot after a quarter-mile spelunk through the cave and an emergence into a geological oddity – a shaft of sunlight shining downwards through an open chamber that had been carved through the limestone after centuries of rainfall.

The day was bright and sunny, and the monkey sat alone in front of the inky blackness of the cave entrance. This was shot as a single RAW photo. It only had minor HDR adjustments, to get the texture in the wall and the details in his fur.

Across the Line

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2023-11-27 15:12:41
  • CameraNIKON D2Xs
  • Camera MakeNikon
  • Exposure Time1/60
  • Aperture4.5
  • ISO500
  • Focal Length42.0 mm
  • FlashNo Flash
  • Exposure ProgramProgram AE
  • Exposure Bias

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Tane in the Pool

Daily Photo – Tane in the Pool

While we were in Langkawi, each of us had our own pool for our rooms. How cool is that? We would always have arguments… like he said, why don’t you come to my pool. And I was like no way man. I’m not getting in your filthy pool. Get your skinny ass over to my pool and get it all dirty with your dirty dirty body and then Tane was like, okay.

Tane in the Pool

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-04-02 16:23:17
  • CameraFC220
  • Camera MakeDJI
  • Exposure Time1/1300
  • Aperture2.2
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length4.7 mm
  • FlashNo flash function
  • Exposure ProgramProgram AE
  • Exposure Bias-1.66

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Exploring Mosques in Kuala Lumpur

Daily Photo – Exploring Mosques in Kuala Lumpur

While in KL, we visited a few different mosques. One of the ladies from the Ritz-Carlton was with me and all women need to wear these cloak things. It’s one of those strange religious things that never make sense to me. I know Islam is a fairly patriarchal system, so I think little subtle requirements like this keep females a bit more subservient and less by forcing them cover themselves.

Exploring Mosques in Kuala Lumpur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-03-31 23:10:43
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/1000
  • Aperture6.3
  • ISO400
  • Focal Length18.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias+2

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The Bar

Daily Photo – The Bar

These sorts of situations are perfect for a strong HDR treatment. I am always impressed by the way some interior designers choose to decorate and light their interior spaces. When you really crank up the HDR, it gives it a bit of a “fantasy” feel where you are not sure if it is real or make-believe. I like the tension between what is real and what is not real.

The Bar

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-03-30 00:51:02
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time0.5
  • Aperture4.5
  • ISO160
  • Focal Length16.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

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Visiting the Floating Markets in Langkawi

Daily Photo – Visiting the Floating Markets in Langkawi

One day, we jumped out on a boat to go through the archipelago to visit some floating markets. These places are totally unique and they sell a wide variety of things, only half of which I can identify. Some of the veggies and fruits and stuff look a little sketchy, so they are definitely the sorts of things you need to prep and cook well when you get home.

Visiting the Floating Markets in Langkawi

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-04-03 10:58:48
  • CameraFC220
  • Camera MakeDJI
  • Exposure Time1/2200
  • Aperture2.2
  • ISO100
  • Focal Length4.7 mm
  • FlashNo flash function
  • Exposure ProgramProgram AE
  • Exposure Bias-1.34

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Sunset Pooltime in Langkawi and Machine Elf 69

Machine Elf – We Are Made From Stars | Trey Ratcliff & Joshua Ryan

Welcome to a very different Machine Elf creation! All my latest ones seem to be my favorite, but this one definitely gives a new perspective on the cinematic quality and storytelling of fractals. This creation was incredibly complex and took about a month for the visuals and another month for the music from Joshua Ryan. We’ve been collaborating on this one forever and now it is finally ready for release!

This creation explores how incredible complexity and the fabric of the universe could possibly be boiled down to a few combined fractal equations. I’ve always been fascinated by the fabric of the reality around us. Maybe it’s just math, or a higher order of mathematical formulas that collide with different sorts of energies. It’s really hard to say, eh? All these Machine Elf creations explore different facets from the same jewel of the reality that is being built around us all the time.

To see all the Machine Elf videos on YouTube, check out the Machine Elf playlist.

Also, we’ve put a few of these Machine Elf creations in 360 for a cool VR app called TRIPP. If you have an Oculus Quest, Go, Rift or Playstation VR you can download TRIPP which features guiding experiences to make you happier, calmer and more focused. Grab that here.

For more Machine Elf creations, including physical installations, check out the website: https://the-machine-elf.com/

Daily Photo – Sunset Pooltime in Langkawi

What an amazing place to watch the sunset. Malaysia is a brutally hot and humid place, so any chance for a swim is welcome. This is the pool there at the Ritz-Carlton and, even better, we jumped in the pool right after a fun cocktail-making class. Some of those bartenders seem to have such a good time. I think it would be an awesome job, but I don’t think I could do it and keep all the drink recipes straight in my mind…

Sunset Pooltime in Langkawi

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-04-04 00:09:33
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/400
  • Aperture10
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length51.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

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Mixology Class in Malaysia

Daily Photo – Mixology Class in Malaysia

While we were on the tour across Asia, we ended up in Langkawi at the Ritz-Carlton where they put on a sunset mixology class for us. Man, bartenders really get into all this mixology stuff, and I have no idea what the heck is going on. They explain these esoteric mixes with such authority… I have no idea if it is total BS or if there is actually something to it. I think it’s probably a lot like healers or people like this… there are a lot of charlatans, but there are actually a few people that know what they are doing. I think this was one of those occasions!

Mixology Class in Malaysia

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2018-04-03 23:57:40
  • CameraILCE-7RM3
  • Camera MakeSony
  • Exposure Time1/2500
  • Aperture4
  • ISO200
  • Focal Length24.0 mm
  • FlashOff, Did not fire
  • Exposure ProgramManual
  • Exposure Bias

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Rulebreaker Interview

Here’s a very fun interview I recently finished… I just skimmed it and I had some pretty good quotes! 🙂

Daily Photo Dump

For today… how about some of the best of… Malaysia!

The Sky Bar in Kuala Lumpur with a View of Petronas This bar is up on top of the roof and it is all open air. There is a pool down there that is always available for use, and it is surrounded by a ultra-chic bar. It was raining when I took this… I am up on the 2nd level of the bar, where there is a spa… you can see the little massage rooms down the lefthand side there.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Copyright Trey Ratcliff www.StuckInCustoms.com

Across the Line I found this guy in the Batu Caves just outside of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The Batu Caves are enormous caverns that hold various Hindu temples and plenty of fruit for monkeys. This was shot after a quarter-mile spelunk through the cave and an emergence into a geological oddity – a shaft of sunlight shining downwards through an open chamber that had been carved through the limestone after centuries of rainfall.The day was bright and sunny, and the monkey sat alone in front of the inky blackness of the cave entrance. This was shot as a single RAW photo. It only had minor HDR adjustments, to get the texture in the wall and the details in his fur.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

Hindu Ascent This is a 94-year-old woman ascending the final stairs in the 272-step ascent in the Batu Caves, a pilgrimage site in Malaysia for over 800,000 Hindus per year.Her hair is 3 meters long (about 9 feet). She has never cut it her entire life. It is so long, she has to fold it back and forth a few times and wrap it to keep it from dragging behind.- Trey RatcliffClick here to read the rest of this post at the Stuck in Customs blog.

KLIA Airport

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Liz in Kuala Lumpur

Daily Photo – Liz in Kuala Lumpur

It was fun to hang out with my friend Liz in Malaysia! We visited this mosque and they force women to cover their hair and other parts that may be enticing to men. I suppose that is the reason. I’m not a Muslim or anything, but it does seem a bit weird to suppress the human form to reinforce a mutually agreed-upon fiction. Anyway, after this, we went out with the team and had an amazing meal, sans silky self-sheeting.

Liz in Kuala Lumpur

Photo Information

  • Date Taken2020-07-08 14:04:12
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