did you know... ...that the average comfort (brand) cab in singapore clocks over 1.5 million km before it is written off? that's around 37 and a half trips around the world (assuming you were driving an imaginary road on the equator.that's a hell of a lot of kilometers. back in the saddle i've realized how much my fitness level has dropped in the past couple of months. not that it was at a high level to begin with, but it WAS on the road to recovery.with a (food-filled) vacation to japan, jeff and erica visiting singapore on (a food-driven) vacation, and my general laziness, it shouldn't have surprised me how a simple 20km ride today seemed so much tougher than it should be.time to drop the carbs and sugars again, and revert back to my protein rich (and often boring) diet and exercise routine. for no other reason than to eat more good food with less guilt.oh, and to get fit of course missing japan freedomfor the past 3 weeks, abi has been telling me how much she misses japan.i am inclined to agree with her. sigh a day at the museum the ORIGINAL reason for goingindiscriminate rock painting bubblesi want thismummy fen making sure ethan has many photos of his childhoodwistful butterflychristian lacroix (who just went bankrupt)the men of the ong familymilkshake for nate nateethan taking a breakexcitementa week late, but better late than never. what started off as an opportunity for abi and shea to see the verner panton exhibit at the National Museum of Singapore turned into an all out family fest as we discovered that childrens' week had kicked off the day before at the museum. as we wander down, who should we meet but eugene and ethan, which meant that fen was somewhere close by.then maye-e shows up, and it becomes a gaggle of children and parents.who knew that chasing after children and watching them run around, sweat and have fun with each other could be so enjoyable?i am ready. thank god it's over some scary shitdon't get my wrong, i loved dead space and thought it was one of the best games i've played on the ps3. only problem is, it scared the living daylights out of me."you got to try it, it's scary as hell!" says mugi to me, and i reply, "please, how scary can a video game be?" now, 15 hours of game play later (not including the sections i had to replay after getting my ass handed to me on a plate by unbelievably spooky aliens), i am a believer. i loved the game, but it was also an ordeal to play, something i needed to actually psyche myself up to do because it was too damn stressful. seriously.whether you have an xbox or ps3, if you haven't played it, go give it a shot. you might hate me for introducing it to you, but i am sure you'll get a kick out of it.but i have to say that i sure am glad it's over.ps: you've got to play the first chapter alone in a dark room in the dead of the night. can anyone say "shrinkage"? photo log: 17/05/2009 not everything counts in large amountsi am really going to try and keep this photo log going, and yes, i know that the date of the title and the date of the posting doesn't match, but i had to work late. forgive me.just realized how much bigger cars have gotten in the last 30 years. scary. early birthdays a second after the birthday wishwhat with my parents heading off to europe for back to back cruises in the mediterranean and along the coast of scandinavia and russia, and a busy work week for all involved, the birthdays of my dad and sister (on the 25th and 20th of may respectively) had to be celebrated early.happy birthday to the both of you, and may the wishes you made before blowing your candles be granted. happiness is: a roomful of photographers critique sessioni love photography. no surprise there. i especially love documentary work and photojournalism. maybe it's because what i am trained in, but i still believe that real pictures have a big role to play in society. in the past few years, i've become pretty appreciative of the other forms of photography, and enjoy the diversity out there, but my core values are always kicked into overdrive when people who consider themselves documentary photographers or photojournalists set up pictures. "what's the big deal?" they ask, and i almost always tell them that i don't give a damn if they destroy their own credibility, but i hate it when my work gets dragged down into the muck of deceit that they create.i know it will happen, and i know it happens a lot at the other newspapers under the umbrella company that owns my newspaper. i also know that i am on staff with some of the best shooters in singapore, and take heart in the fact that the younger generation at my paper also share my aversion to making up pictures, opting instead to look for real images i.e. things that happen as you see them, not as you want them to look.but not everyone is a documentarian, and the current project that a few of us are working on with action for aids shows that there is room for all kinds of photography in this world. there is nothing like introducing a new cohort of image lovers to the fold of photography, and even more fulfilling is a roomful of seasoned veterans and inquisitive newbies talking about pictures.what can i say, stuff like that makes me happy. speechless ok the new star trek movie is good.no i mean it's really good. seriously. i was worried the hype was going to disappoint me, i was worried that the closet trekkie in me was going to find things that i would be disappointed with, but honestly, i loved it. now some people will say "oh i am a star wars fan, not into star trek" and believe that never the twain shall meet, but i like star wars AND star trek, and believe me when i tell you, that even if you aren't a fan, there is a 99.48% chance that you will be one after this movie.so quit whining, get off your ass, and go watch it.you won't be disappointed. light in the dark pillar of lightit was a tedious walk back to the prada building in aoyama from harajuku, not in the least since we were retracing our steps on the way back to shibuya station. abi wanted to see the building again in the night. i agreed, but was inside grumbling about the detour.turns out she was right as always.it does look gorgeous. tokyo 2009 i know i have not been blogging, but it's been nice to be on vacation. too lazy to type much, so will let the pictures speak for themselves.roppongishibuyauni-jump in yokohamast ignatius church, yotsuyanap timeairwalkstreet baseballelectrical gridabi's lisa ono momentintrepid photographer martinfun with street lightsmore rainthat's it. bed time. more to come i hope. isn't she lovely? doting grandparentsi know i am getting boring and repetitive, but i don't really care. my niece has just completely captured my heart.i love the fact that she can wake up and smile at us instead of being grumpy, and how this good natured little girl can instantly make all around her happy. i could take pictures of her all day long. the marina barrage duskfun with waterthe wedding shootglow in the (semi) darkbeing inquisitiveloving the typographythe view from the topa trip to the marina barrage reminded me how hot it can get in singapore. buckets of perspiration that even a sweat rag couldn't completely soak up. the air so thick with moisture it was hard to breathe. the last time i was here was over half a year ago, before they opened it up to the public, so i have to admit i was curious to see how it looked now.while the restaurants and food and beverage outlets proved less than promised, the sheer number of families that showed up with picnic baskets left me no doubt to the popularity of the place. kids in swimsuits traipsed around the fountains in an attempt to keep cool, and even with the setting of the sun, the benches were still warm to touch. a couple engaged in their wedding shoot, large families sat on the solar roof, while a legion of amateur photographers armed to the teeth with tripods and expensive cameras stalked their elusive photos. teenaged street dancers and couples looking for some smidgen of privacy that the dark had to offer in that rather public place, were just some of the sights.so what if the exhibition on a self sustaining environment was a little heavy handed on the government propaganda? abi, shea and i had a blast, and that's all that really matters. shoot work as it should befor the first time in awhile, i am back on the shooting rotation. i know it's been awhile because the minute i picked up the canon, i realized that all my lenses had a (more than) fine coat of dust on them.it was a nice surprise to be laden with five assignments on my first day back, five portrait assignments to be exact for a lifestyle section piece. BORING you might say, but you know what? it's great to be back looking, thinking and seeing.so my equipment has now been dusted off (literally), and it's nice to be taking pictures again for a living.really nice. THAT day. you know there are days: - when nothing seems to go right.- when everything you do to correct a wrong becomes a bigger wrong.- when the weather, the crowds, the traffic etc all seem to conspire against you.- when you swallow your pride to right things and it makes not one iota of difference.- when the people who make decisions where you work seem like complete fools making unrealistic demands.- when you want to sweep everything off your desk, yell "screw this" and walk off never to come back.- when the big game or race you have been waiting for turns out to be disappointing.- when you wish things were a lot less complicated in every aspect of your life.- when everything feels like you are trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes.- when circumstances let you down.- when nothing is as it seems.- when you just want to isolate yourself away from everything and everyone.- when you doubt yourself.yeah.today is THAT day.i'm still trying to look on the bright side though; one needs to have the bad days to appreciate the good ones. dawn janine hangin' outfood comadance practiceisn't she just the cutest? my niece dawn never fails to make me (and those around her) smile. maybe it's the huge grin that finds it's way onto her face when she sees me, or the occasional outreaching of her hands to be carried (even to me!). maybe it's the fact that she is my first niece. or maybe it's something as simple as her being a baby, and EVERYONE (barring scrooges and grinches) love babies right? people say that babies hit a certain age when they start getting choosy about who they hang out with, but at this point, i am enjoying both the giving and receiving of love from this little tyke. you can be sure that more pictures of her will appear on this blog at regular intervals. damn you april fools day!!! fooled, and sad about iti personally want to thank thinkgeek.com for both breaking my heart and saving my life by telling me that squeez bacon doesn't really exist.bugger. new threads two from threadlessanother surprise from beeba had me grinning like a jackass. two new t-shirts from threadless.com that she had quietly bought when she placed orders for another couple of t-shirts for herself and a friend. she even chose the right ones! for that, she gets the dubious honor of seeing a picture from my first (and probably last) ever photoshoot. thanks beebs!!!even cool tees cannot make me look goodps: thanks deslim for the studio shot! intimacy between friends who knew chris and yuni were so close? ;-) DSC0001.jpg the first photo out of my d700sometimes it is worth waiting for the right subject to come along before taking the first shot on a new camera. patience is indeed rewarded. chasing rainbows anything for a photoin a bid to get this blog back in order AND to motivate myself to shoot what i hope will be at least a picture a day, here is sam, ST's newest photographer doing whatever he needs to get the shot. ok i kinda cheated, this was taken a couple of days ago with the camera on my phone, but the new "no excuses" camera comes tomorrow, so pictures from that point on should have a freshness rating of 10/10. i AM a photographer no more excuses.God only knows how many I've made over the past few years; no time to shoot, too busy sitting at a desk, too many administrative projects, the camera is too big to tote around, or too small and doesn't have enough megapixels, colors are not accurate enough, film is too expensive, lens is not wide enough, iso is not high enough, too much low light noise is, picture can't be blown up big enough, too many choices, not enough choices, hard to find the film i want etc. the list is endless, and it shouldn't be.i remember when i was in school. carrying an N90s with a 24mm f2.8 everywhere i went. making pictures, capturing moments, documenting, and all the while having fun. i remember shooting news events, parties, basketball, football, soccer, baseball, concerts, portraits, parades, protests, riots, drunken nights out, the little 500, the indy 500, clubbing, street scenes, shadows, friends, loved ones, strangers, clouds, sunsets... everything you could think of. and i loved every second of it. i remember going out just to make pictures. for fun. no assignments, no deadlines, no pressures. just seeing, feeling, experiencing, then shooting. i remember bryan moss, the director of photography at my very first internship in evansville, indiana, telling me to stop thinking, and to let the the picture "jump into my camera". his wise advice that if i found something interesting, then others would too. "trust your instincts," he would tell me, and point out that half the time, my favourite pictures were the ones i don't even remember taking in the first place. i remember my internships, and my carrying a camera even after i was done for the day. why? cause you never knew when a picture would happen.i remember coming back to singapore, and still working on photo projects i cared about. projects that let me tell stories and see how other people lived. i remember looking death in the face in a SARS infected ICU ward, and never once being afraid because i knew i was doing something important. showing people something they wouldn't get to see if i didn't document it.i remember the reality checks i got flying around the world to poorer countries and tsunami hit zones, constantly reminded of how fortunate i really was.what i don't remember was when it all stopped. when i stopped.i have lived, i have experienced, i have shared, i have taught, i have mentored, and i have learnt. and now, i need to live again, i need to experience again, i need make pictures again, i need to tell stories, i need to do it all over again.the time is now. no more excuses. just one camera and lens slung around my shoulder and an open mind. like old times. i may be a teacher, i may be a mentor, i may be an administrator of sorts, i may be a student.i want to thank beeba for reminding me, that i am, first and foremost, a photographer. when it rains, it pours... it seems like everything wants to go south on me recently. apart from the good fortune of finally getting out of the Army reserves for this year, I seem to have had a run of bad luck. for starters, the water in the block i was staying at during reservist training ran out not once, but 3 times during my time there. the first time it happened was after i was done with a long sweaty day, and to make matters worse, i decided to go work out in the gym (thus adding to the already stinky me). the good news is that the water came back on after a couple of hours, and i managed to get to shower before bed. i also had another close shave with the water outage just before i was going to book out and the water had slowed to a trickle. not so easy to shower with a dribble from the shower head.just when i was about to give up on the water, it rains. now it doesn't just rain, it storms. in fact, it storms so hard that the ceiling of my 6th (which also happens to be the top) floor bunk springs a leak, and my entire bunk gets flooded. think floating shoes and flip flops and you'll get the idea.then there is the paycut at work, which seems to have added insult to injury (but at least i have a job, so i AM trying to be optimistic).the cherry on top came today when i bit the bullet and bought a 42-inch sharp aquos lcd tv (doing my bit to stimulate the economy you see), only to come home, set it up, and have it not work after only five minutes of tv viewing.this run of bad luck needs to stop.now. faux pas proof that wearing green camouflage makes you slow. I just discovered last night, after being in camp for five whole days, that I had been washing my hair with conditioner instead of shampoo.No wonder it couldn't lather. answers God's own truththe bible is a big big book. i remember reading it cover to cover when i was in secondary school, but i think it was more of a challenge to myself than it was about absorbing anything.i always thought it was weird hearing people tell me that all the answers to my questions could be found in the good book, if only i took the time to look for them. turns out someone else found my answer for me.the painful experience has happened, and it's time to change my ways.all of them. my love “it's beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart. i was lucky enough to get both.”a lump formed in my throat as the curtains were drawn. there, in front of me, was the rest of my life, and i couldn't be happier. damn shoulder that's right, i busted my shoulder. not really sure what happened, but I do know (after a visit to the friendly radiologist at gleneagles hospital) that it isn't broken. just really tore up...or bruised...or whatever.suffice to say it hurts, almost as much as my pride (which is why i WON'T tell you how i messed it up). now the thing is thatif it doesn't heal completely before next thursday, then i won't get to ride up to the sepang speedway in Kuala lumpur for the malaysian MotoGP race and i REALLY want to ride up for that. we can always drive, but it wouldn't be as fun. ah well, when it rains, it really pours. post-its + slinky = AWESOME they've done it again! eepybird.com, the great minds that brought you the diet coke and mentos experiment, have done it again! this time with 280,951 post-it notes and a whole lotta patience. the sticky notes experiment blows my mind! can't get enough? enjoy perusing the rest of their experiments! sign me up! i want to write a blog that everyone wants to read.i want to be influential.i want the free stuff that comes when i have achieved the above said.too bad i am too busy (i.e. lazy) to pour my heart and soul into self promotion on cyberspace :Pps: bruises by chairlift (better known as the song from the new nano-chromatic ad) is most catchy! don't know what you got till it's gone "Three years ago during my first trip to Singapore, I fell for the Comfort’s classic charm. Sliding onto the rear bench seat, I noticed that the Comfort’s interior was a time warp of black vinyl and easy-clean rubber floors, which, this being Singapore, were actually cleaned on a regular basis. The Comfort had a springy ride that conjured up fond childhood memories of bouncing along in a yellow school bus. In comparison, the murky confines of New York taxis leave me feeling squashed as if I were in the back seat of a police cruiser."- Nick Kurczewskiwho knew that comfort cabs would be compared to the checkered cabs of the NYC of yore? Nick Kurczewski, a freelance automotive journalist who blogs for the New York Times' Wheels blog bemoans the fact that comfort cabs' Toyota Comforts (known as the Toyota Crown here in Singapore) are being switched to more fuel efficient taxis.yes I know that as a country, we may be comfortable, and safe and have all the modern amenities (sans certain freedoms) that we need, but to allude to the Toyota Crown as a Singaporean icon? erm, not so much.still, it's always nice to read something about your country that isn't condescending or critical (or about food/shopping for that matter). So I'll just keep forwarding that link to all my friends, who will probably respond the same way as darren did ("the NYTimes covers some strange things"), but who will have a little suppressed burst of pride deep down inside, that something as trivial as the taxi cabs we take for grated, are of interest to others. ps: thanks to garrett ewald for the link!