• 1. [Offline] Surface Observation from the Malaysia North-South Expressway via car window and bus window.

• 1. [Online] Malaysia Forest Fund Contest Participation.

• 2. [Offline] Ipoh Location Research, Scouting & Media Documentation.

• 3. [Online] Personal Social Media Campaign.

• 4. [Offline] Kinta Valley Watch Interaction & In Depth Location Scouting.

• 5. [Offline] Kuala Lumpur Suma Orientalis "Eating The Hills" Art Exhibition & CIMB Artober Art & Soul 2023 Group Exhibition.

• 1. [Offline] Sort Out Personal Crisis.

• 2. [Online] Personal Research & Articles.

• 3. [Online] Personal Social Media Campaign.

• 4. [Online] Hiatus & Learning.

• 1. [Offline] Sort Out Personal Crisis.

• 2. [Online] Hiatus & Learning.

• 1. [Offline] Revisit locations to Re-media documentation.

• 2. [Offline] Media Asset Organisation & Archival, rename project to "Eating The IPOH Hills" for Relatability and Reality.

• 3. [Online] Gradual Continuation of Personal Social Media Campaign.

1. I selected a temple and a mosque as my drone takeoff bases since both were coincidentally within strong signal range and offered a respectful operating distance.

2. This setup aligned with my safety approach, keeping clear of quarry sites to avoid risk and not disrupt ongoing work.

3. The viewing points I worked with were clearly defined as:
Point 1: 4.550110008169157, 101.14114171210639

Point 2: 4.562269750532959, 101.14615748730853

4. These GPS locations were originally identified and retrieved from Google Maps, forming the basis of my planning.

1. As a photographer I understand that each photograph carries long-term value, capturing landscapes that will gradually change as mountains are reduced by ongoing quarrying activity.

2. Every photograph becomes a time-bound record, documenting a state that will not exist in the same form again.

3. All images are preserved with full EXIF data intact, including GPS coordinates and camera settings for accurate archiving and future reference.

4. This structured documentation is guided by a planned production timeline, developed after scouting the location both digitally and on-site to ensure efficient field execution.

1. My commercial property photography workflow was adapted for this passion project, with the key adjustment of booking a nearby hotel in advance given the distance from the studio base.

2. Instagram stories were used as a tool to reach out to anyone in the area who could offer local knowledge or useful information about the location.

3. Having a dedicated friend handle the driving freed up full focus for drone piloting, removing the strain of splitting attention between navigation and the shoot itself.

1. The footage captures real-time conditions of each location, preserving how it actually looked at that exact moment in the timeline.
2. This video record reinforces the authenticity of the photographs, addressing any doubts about manipulation especially given my background with Adobe Photoshop.
3. Because video production is more time-intensive than photography, I allocate a larger time window specifically for this part of the process.
4. By intentionally capturing natural movement and unscripted moments, the footage holds an honesty that AI-generated visuals still struggle to replicate.

1. To maximise efficiency, each flight or battery cycle is dedicated exclusively to either video recording or photography — dedicating one full battery to video ensures the footage capture is not compromised by switching between tasks mid-flight.

2. Most footage is captured spontaneously as the drone explores the area, with the constant underlying challenge of making it back to the launch point before the battery runs out.

3. Every second of recorded footage carries real weight — given the distance involved and the specific location the drone is launched from, there is no room for waste or repeat attempts.

4. For select aerial shots, the camera movements were planned in advance and mapped out on a storyboard before the shooting trip, bringing a layer of intentional visual direction to what would otherwise be purely exploratory footage.

1. I believe that a well-crafted soundscape is built in distinct layers, combining natural sounds like birdsong and moving water with man-made elements such as lorries hauling rock and controlled quarry explosions, each layer contributing to the full emotional texture of the place.

2. Sound carries an emotional weight that visuals alone cannot fully deliver, the audio dimension of the exhibition is designed to bridge that gap and deepen the viewer's connection to the subject.

3. The city largely strips out the sounds of nature, and the intention behind this soundscape is to reverse that, bringing the living, breathing audio of this natural environment into an urban exhibition space, even if only for the duration of a visit.

1. A Zoom Audio Recorder was borrowed from a friend for this mission, and another friend based in Ipoh came through with an SD memory card during what was an impromptu trip to the location.

2. A friendly local, Mr Ching Boon Tat, generously guided the visit — bringing access to caves, mountain areas, and certain private locations that would not have been reachable otherwise, making the sound recording mission possible.
3. Environmental audio was captured throughout the valley, encompassing cave acoustics, flowing river sounds, and the distant rumble of quarry blasting — a full sonic portrait of the location at that specific point in time.
4. The recorded audio is intended for exhibition use, giving viewers a way to be transported to the location through sound alone — experiencing the place without physically being there.

1. Once enough photo files have been gathered from the location, the retouching and creative process begins — working freely within the creative safe space to explore and develop ideas from the base photographs.

2. None of the ideas behind the images emerged from thin air — they grew directly from being physically present at the location, absorbing the environment, and being genuinely inspired by what was experienced there firsthand.

3. The intention behind the photoshop creations is to bring something playful and unexpected to an ordinary landscape — whether that means delivering a sense of humour, joy, or a more layered and meaningful message worth spreading.

4.The real location is the foundation everything else is built on — without that direct encounter and the inspiration it generated, the creative work simply would not exist in the form it does.

1. Ideas are brainstormed extensively and executed digitally by referencing the base photographs captured on location, as well as creative sketches prepared in advance — with some ideas emerging spontaneously during the process of sorting and organising the photographs.

2. The trial and error process of manually cutting and composing images is an enjoyable part of the workflow — experimenting freely to see which ideas land and which do not, guided by instinct and creative judgment.

3. Stock photography is brought in selectively to assist and accelerate the photo manipulation process where needed, removing the need to personally shoot every single element from scratch.

4. The underlying priority throughout is always to deliver the idea or message clearly and convincingly within the context of the real location — the authenticity of the place remains the anchor, regardless of what is added or composed around it.

1. The content is intentionally layered, allowing people of different ages and backgrounds to draw their own meanings from the same material.

2. Short-form video and animation was the chosen format deliberately — it meets people where their attention already is, and having the skills to produce it made it a natural fit for delivering the message broadly.

1. Real experiences from trips to Ipoh — conversations held, people met, and things witnessed firsthand — were the direct source material translated into short, accessible animations that even children can follow and enjoy.

2. Storyboard and animation is created combining 2D animation and real footages of the mountains in ipoh.

1. Holding an exhibition was never part of the original plan. It came about because a Facebook post went viral and caught the attention of a local art gallery in Kuala Lumpur, who reached out shortly after. I was uncertain of their actual intentions at the time, but an exhibition was something I had always wanted to do again — the last one being Nando's back in 2017. So I committed fully and gave it everything I had.

2. Part of the motivation was practical too — my business had already begun to slow, and I was quietly hoping the exhibition might help revive it.

3. Beyond my own work, I also made the effort to bring the artwork of local Ipoh creators — Kinta Valley Watch — up to Kuala Lumpur, so their work could reach a wider audience. I funded the custom making of a foldable wooden table out of my own pocket to properly showcase what they had created. It felt like the right thing to do.

1. Collaborate with the gallery on the exhibition, trying to find a win-win solution as the gallery provide space for me to put on the artworks to showcase, gallery also provided a digital screen for me to display my animation as well as speaker device

2. Convince Kinta Valley Watch people to be part of the exhibition and showcase their hardwork and effort along the years, I also designed a foldable table for them with the help of another local malay furtniture designers by sharing them my rough idea and they helped me to refine it

3.

1. The solo exhibition did not draw the attention I had hoped for and there were no sales. The gallery director stepped in and purchased all the works personally, though the intention behind that gesture was something I was never entirely sure of.

Media interview and outreach was not part of my original plan, with the help of the gallery I manage to reach a few local newspaper media, and also with my content on the social media platform it manage to reach media company like the malaysian insight too. I think interview is a good way for me to explain my thoughts and intention behind these works to prevent people from spinning it into other narrartives.