Sleepless in Bishan...

2009-10-29T17:27:00.000+08:00

Couldn't resist putting up this pic. She is so spontaneous!

More please...

2009-10-29T16:48:00.004+08:00

More pics taken today. Yes 1 of them 'food' again! Ate this at Petals and Leaves.

Food & Life...

2009-10-28T13:39:00.007+08:00

My wife and I, I don't understand why, we live with such high expenses. She likes the good life, and I am as culpable. We need more prayers for God's graciousness and blessings on our finance.

2009-04-21T15:58:00.000+08:00

2009-04-20T18:28:00.000+08:00

2009-04-09T13:07:00.002+08:00

Digging out old photos to rework on them.

2009-04-09T11:05:00.004+08:00

Danny, I think this is it for me already, ah, so much to remember and learn.

2009-03-14T17:18:00.001+08:00

Another interpretation.

2009-03-13T20:00:00.003+08:00

This is an unfinished character we painted in class today. Thanks to Jerry (sorry if I got your name wrong) who made us copy these characters. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

2009-03-13T09:26:00.002+08:00

Danny, I think you can use this one liao!

2009-03-10T21:20:00.004+08:00

Watched a Jap movie with wife yesterday. Title of the film is 'Departure'. Plot revolves around a man who lost his dream job and stumbled onto a new career in casketry (if ever there was this word). In his new job, the protagonist has to prepare the dead for their journey into the next world, which explains the title. The film reveals this Jap tradition that I haven't seen on tv or read off. It's quite interesting to see how the Japs put effort into everything they do. The ritual of cleansing and preparing the dead is executed with tenderness and careful touches; and as I was watching the show, the thought of having my body I leave behind when my time is up, pampered this way before it is disposed of, is rather comforting. This profession is unfortunately frowned upon in the Jap society so the protagonist had to face opposition from a friend and his wife, who even left him briefly. She changed her mind later when she witnessed her husband in action, performing the rites on one of their acquaintances who passed away. She was touched by the dignity and respect restored for the dead in this job and that removed her earlier discriminative sentiments. All in all, this show falls in the tear jerker category. Go in with tissues and a pair of shades to cover up when the lights turn on.

2009-03-10T02:42:00.001+08:00

Just for the fun of it dude!

2009-03-10T02:03:00.000+08:00

Trying out a retro mood bro. Hope you like it!

2009-03-09T12:47:00.000+08:00

Another image that I am more satisfied with. Will do further editing to these pics :)

2009-03-09T00:39:00.002+08:00

Finally got to shoot Danny today. It's a sporty theme, so I think I'm getting lots of reference from ads for sports apparel. Hope to show more soon!

Crocs... Otters... Uncommon Woodpeckers and other Greater Uncommon species...

2009-03-07T23:47:00.006+08:00

Spent an idyllic afternoon with some old friends at Sungei Buloh today. Haven't met up for some time, and yet we missed out the customary group pic. Have only these pics to show. Brought all my gears but got set up by my batt. The reading was full bar when I set off, but I could only shoot a few pics with it before it busted. All these 3rd party manufacturers! Sigh! Ended up stalking nature without batt. So, not many pics at all except for some on this unique looking spider. It looks like a cross between a spider and cuttlefish (liu hee - only the Hokkien literate may attempt to comprehend). Actually, it looks like snacks to me hmm... I am sure Malcolm will agree with me. Got to see wild otters too, a family of them feeding off some fish. Such a rare sight. Wild otters le, didn't know they were breeding off our backyard right? Like one day if u just bump into them when you turn an alley and they are scavenging off some trash in the bin, you would be like "Ah Aliens! Call Mata! Call SPS! (Singapore Paranormal Society) Help! The attack of the 'V'! Geckos! Ouch! They are staring at me now! No! I no food! No! Arrgggh.....!" Pardon my over-acting. Saw some Uncommon Woodpeckers too, really, that's their name. They are called Uncommon because they are uncommon; just in case it puzzles you why they are uncommon, they are uncommon because they are uncommon; and if they are even uncommon in this part of the world where it is their natural habitat and they are supposed to be common, woo, they must truly be Uncommon uncommon. Then we walk across a bridge over a dried up stream bed and I screamed "Crocs!" Everybody was not really shocked because they must have known I was probably referring to my wife's Crocs shoes. But that was the essence of my joke - the right response to my cold joke! Yah! Ok, enough crap for the day! Can anyone identify this species of spider and tell me its scientific name. Pls dun tell me it is Spider-lius! I also know a bit of Latin hor!

2009-03-04T13:22:00.001+08:00

Pic taken down due to mass revulsion again!

2009-03-04T13:19:00.002+08:00

Sorry, pic taken down due to mass revulsion!

Hey, I found a job!

2009-03-03T11:56:00.009+08:00

I think this must be the first time I took portraits of my own. This is not vanity. Simply no chance to take proper portraits of anyone. Why is everybody so busy? Cos everybody is employed :(

Beer ad with my wife as model!

2009-02-27T15:03:00.004+08:00

Discovered Asahi to be a very soothing beer. Decided to use one of the pics I took of my wife during our trip to Japan as the context. Haha!

2009-02-27T14:55:00.002+08:00

Much has taken place during my absence. I went to Japan with my wife, MIL and friends. Spent 2 cold weeks there and got to greet Mt Fuji. Life's not that bad for an unemployed yeah! Will continue to update with more pics from that trip. Photography is still my main tool I guess. So many years liao, I should really get my act together and print some works to keep!

I am back again!

2009-02-27T14:20:00.003+08:00

I drove down to Botanical Garden to take some pics. Here are the results. Didn't stay long, probably an hour, cos today is household chore day! Yeah! Pics of the sculpture were taken with 2 flashheads - 1 mounted 1 not. Can spot the location of the other flash? Keke!

2008-06-25T23:45:00.000+08:00

Typical Balinese sculpture

2008-06-23T00:00:00.000+08:00

Tanah Lot

2008-06-22T23:42:00.000+08:00

Legong Musician

2008-06-22T23:11:00.001+08:00

Cheeky Legong musician really enjoying himself...

2008-06-19T01:28:00.000+08:00

Testing testing 1,2,3...

2008-06-18T16:33:00.000+08:00

Once again, testing out the contrast with the previous pic.

Legong Dancer 2

2008-06-18T16:24:00.001+08:00

Just wanna try out if there's any significant difference in photoshoping a stronger contrast.

Legong Dancer

2008-06-18T06:05:00.001+08:00

This is a Legong dancer. I realize their music is very complex and dancing the Legong probably takes lots of training.

Dining at Jimbaran

2008-06-18T05:57:00.002+08:00

This dinner cost us about 120 Sing dollars, which is a lot of money over there. The food is not that fantastic, but dining right on the beach is something new to me.

Hawker in Jimbaran

2008-06-18T05:26:00.004+08:00

Had an expensive dinner with wife at Jimbaran. Never go there for food simply because the seafood is just not worth it. Saw this guy selling corn on the beach. He was looking after a few carts like the one in this pic simultaneously and had to run around re-positioning it when the tide comes in.

Ducks in the field

2008-06-16T23:48:00.009+08:00

Just returned from Bali. Bali is beautiful. I hope I can return to the place one day to specifically take pictures. I fell in love with traditional Bali painting and bought some artworks from an artist. Will elaborate more later. Here is a pic I took during my trek at Tegelalang. I'm sure I got the spelling of the place wrong; I will correct when I get the right word.

Maoist Frank...

2008-06-09T00:08:00.003+08:00

Did this with Adobe Illustrator. Still got plenty to learn. Ah life too, plenty to learn...

The Evening Skin...

2008-05-27T00:15:00.004+08:00

The Evening skin is bruised morning petals,
Clots the immense secret of a day.

Comes home

to be

Consumed by a shower,

Pronounced through liquid,

Slithers down crystal clear,

A tale of people,
and

Dirt.

(One more for the road. This one was re-discovered by my students when they were rifling through my sketchbook. They said it is quite good, not bad sia!)

2008-05-27T00:10:00.002+08:00

Space in Stupor

The space above (not represented) is reserved for my stupor

whilst the rest of the space below,
I plan a fair bit for procrastination,
then gestation
when talent doesn't manifest,
just to fill up the space.
...
Until Brilliance comes to me
and illuminate this page,
herein this space
lies
figments of its radiance
from afar, casting
silhouettes between lines
like
quivering shadows in a breeze,
flickering and flirting
with the greatness that comes to pass between this girth
swirling and waiting...

Now, left with
illegible stains on a telling glass,
dirty red with a deep film
of rue
on its cusp,
crown of my seat
of
my space in stupor.

(Have been unearthing old-dunno what I can call them from old sketchbooks. It's like, what was that about? keke)

Er... Work

2008-03-05T23:48:00.003+08:00

So say the job is do-able - not entirely rewarding nor is it too stressful; not highly paid nor below average income level - is it considered reasonable employment? After all, what else are we looking forward to besides a job that allows us to earn our keeps and have enough time to enjoy life with it. A question on personal outlook in life. To some, career defines their life story. It determines who they are and these people thrive on knowing they are doing well and ahead of others in their profession because it gives their lives credibility and that is where their heightened sense of esteem stems from. To others, work is work, period. This other group of people work because they have to, not because they want to. The chief incentive of work is money. Money is the chief provider of all our external needs. Trust me, I was down to 20 dollars in my bank account before. It was a harrowing and humbling experience. In fact, I am probably writing this piece to convince myself that work is very necessary whether I derive any iota of pleasure and satisfaction from it or not, so long as it prevents history from repeating itself in my bank account history. It is clear which category I fall into huh hahaha. Got to work tomorrow, enough grousing for the day...

While waiting for my wife to ingest her food...

2008-02-13T00:34:00.000+08:00

My wife says very few people would appreciate my photography...

Sorry, just love the way God arranged their petals...

2008-02-13T00:26:00.001+08:00

Just found out this interesting blog: http://www.poeticlifejourney.blogspot.com/

Simon smsing Lim eh with his TV controller!!!

2008-02-12T23:23:00.000+08:00

Dined with long time friend Simon. We've been friends since we were 11. Great catching up, but dinner at Spaggedies... sigh... Bakerzinn for dessert saved the day though. The choc mudpie or something like that was good. No energy to write tonight, taking the easy way out by posting a pic of Simon's new toy. Check it up!

The Passing of a Singapore Matriarch

2008-02-11T20:39:00.001+08:00

So long and goodbye...

It's a CNY thingy!

2008-02-10T09:34:00.000+08:00

HUAT AH!!!

Chinese New Year 2008

2008-02-10T07:19:00.001+08:00

I deleted everything I wrote previously cos I was writing like a primary school teacher introducing CNY to kids. Need to write like a blogger la. This is the place to do it what! Above are some pics I took with my handphone plus digital manipulation with PhotoShop. HPs with cam are a great invention! Waiting for Sony or Nokia to dish out technically superior version. Mine is a 3 Megapix at the moment. CNY mood diminishing fast with the hum drum of work setting in (I wrote this today 10th Feb), but who cares about seasonal festivities when we can choose to enjoy everyday. That's my resolution for this year - to learn to seize the moment 'carpe diem'. Must learn to explore blogging from my hp cos I forget so many ideas that whiz past.

The Geek Council

2008-01-22T23:32:00.001+08:00

So, that was Tashi wriggling himself into my shirt - 1 of those cute moments, courtesy of dog ownership sans the labour and trouble that precedes such Kodak moments. Flowers were shots from a flower market at Bedok where my in-laws stay. Chinese elders love flowers during the CNY seasons like bread with peanut and butter. Father in law showed me around revealing how regular he must have been at this make-shift nursery. I remember my bro and I used to hover about toy shops to assure we get the best deal, all the time expanding our list to buy,only restrained by our 20, 30 cents saving per day-if we starved ourselves-buying power. Otherwise, we somehow fulfill our desire by temporal possession of handling them within the shop. In a way, Father in law is behaving very much like we did then. Well, he's got time to burn anyway, might as well waste time than money and space-at-home if he bought whatever he fancies. Went out to take heaps (369 shots in all) of pics of clouds yesterday. Got to do a project on it. Just returned from another Teh Alia session with friend. The usual gathering of 3 was 1 short tonight. We shall call my friend the Geek because of what he wore tonight (look at pic) and by extension, for the purpose of classification, the friend absent just now shall be known as Geek no. 2, and thereof, our meeting ups shall be known as The Geek Council. Already 12 again. I love the night, it's when I come alive. Unfortunately, I've been in a profession that requires early hours since I begun work. Anyway, so Geek no.1 and I talked about this and that, and it's a good time of discharge and sharing. This kind of exchange sometimes helps us refine our experiences to provide a clearer view of things. Life not bad like this actually, with still the energy to catch up with friends in the eves. I never really feel up to it in the past; always overladen with things on the mind. Gotta learn to let go, but then again, what have I been doing for the past year if not relaxing? Hahaha. Geek no. 1 said he's keeping a blog. I'm keeping a blog too. Suddenly blogging becomes a meaningful activity. Why the sudden need to share publicly, to garner some attention with world wide web potential? Well, nobody reads my blog anyway except me. It's strange but I find myself the need to communicate with myself. This blog is more for me to interact with myself, so that I reflect aloud and hope such introspection will somehow do a limited character in this ineffable world good. Our council today concurred on the notion of good communication being the basis of a good relationship. So, it's good that I start by developing good communication with myself haha. Yeah, good communication fires up relations to white heat beyond every other aspects. Have I ever had a relationship this intensely charged before? Hmmm, but what if the relationship falls into a mundane pattern as all events in life do? What if the later stages of the relationship does not fulfill the promise of the explosive characteristics of earlier days? That's when communication saves the day isn't it? Shut up! Go to sleep!

Mother There-Tashi or Tashi Ninja?

2008-01-21T00:20:00.000+08:00

Just got to post this pic of Tashi...

Snatches of life...

2008-01-20T22:31:00.001+08:00

I love clouds. They are beautiful. Unpredictable and inimitable. Imagine - angels watching over us behind the guise of fluffy light and shadow. Each of them looks different. And they float across the sky, changing their shapes, tones, colours and textures as time passes. I see a reflection of life up there, sentience in transience, snatches of life here and there, incandescent in their journeys...

2008-01-19T04:58:00.000+08:00

4 plus in the morn, still active in the mind. Some of the pics I've taken with my hp since last post... Thinking all the time how to add more colour to life...

Another day has passed, and what have I accomplished?

2008-01-15T00:33:00.000+08:00

Another day has passed and I am writing in the wee hours again. My resolution to sleep early has to be deferred to yet another day. Sent my wife to school, drove to Yishun for an interview, drove to Upper Thomson for lunch, came back home to chill a bit, proceeded to Balestier to enquire about toilet doors and tried to buy a holder for the bulbs in my outdoor lamp at the balcony, picked wife up, drove to Tampines IKEA to hunt for new furniture to replace the still usable ones, drove back to Bishan to have dinner at my parents', sent wife home, met friend at prata place along Upper Thomson to catch up over Teh Alia, had 2 Teh Alia - 1st hot, 2nd iced, returned home, changed and went for a 5 km run, came home, scanned images for tomorrow's lesson, checked facebook and now typing my blog. Whew! A lot of things done indeed, but any item really enriching? And now I am pressurized to sleep for the energy and focus necessary to teach well tomorrow. Lord, help me manage my life so I can make the best use of my time and energy, but teach me how to let go when I should to indulge in the necessary creature comfort. Thanks and good night Jesus, Amen!

Women and Art Theory

2008-01-08T22:45:00.000+08:00

Have been brushing up on my Feminist theory to prepare for lesson to teach the girls. Not easy to describe this big complex issue simply so had to step on the brain engine a bit. Had to read up myself first to get the facts right. It's a joy to share what you like with earnest students. I hope this is not just a facade for the first few lessons and the girls are as good as the teachers have said. Haven't read academic text for a long time, so may take longer to digest. Still praying over teaching - I hope I haven't made the wrong decision to return to teaching, but my friends keep telling me that I should not be so concerned cos to them, teaching is probably the easiest job around. I beg to differ, but I dunno much about their work to disagree either. Friends in the corporate world deal with projects costing real money and cents, and when it comes to the chime, it's always gonna be that much more stressful. They grapple with the no.1 objective in a capitalist economy - self proliferation - daily and constantly work under the pressure to perform and deliver. Otherwise, they may face the possibility of being removed. Well, it certainly sounds more horrifying than teaching doesn't it?

1 Whole Pes Day

2008-01-07T21:12:00.000+08:00

Played 1 whole day of PES cos could not restrain myself. A vicarious existence seems to be just what I need to escape the mundanity of reality. Gotta get my act together, otherwise I would be wasting time, which is probably the only resource I have now. Tried to open a bottle of red wine to drink just now but the cork was all dried up and didn't budge. Had to resort to breaking the neck. Took me a few knock with the chopper to release the spirit. Should have taken a pic. Would share some more pics I took last nite. These are some pics of my neighbourhood after I returned from my drive last night. Didn't share them in the same entry cos thought that there were too many pics in 1 entry. Anyway, here they are...

Journeyman in the dark...

2008-01-07T04:50:00.000+08:00

Same old shit again so could not sleep. Took flight to the open roads again n drove deep into the night blasting music n savouring the last of decent climate here in Sing. Thank God for December - this cool, wet, dreamy season that I hope could last longer before the return to the harsh, humid, uncompromising tropical heat. Thank God also for e empty roads of Sunday nite, so I had my personal MOBILE DISCO in the form of my full volume blasting little blue Honda Jazz in peace. Great experience! Must do it again really! Super cathartic just driving, singing n letting cool air gush into the car thru open windows. Put my hand out of the car n it was such a kick feeling the air resistance on my palm - allowed myself to over-indulge in simple pleasures like these n drove non stop for a few hours on the expressways, about two trips per expressway I think. Drove, sang and danced (watever little movements I could make of in my driver's position) myself silly before I turned back to Bishan. Now back, still can't sleep, so leaving this note for myself...Took some pics too!

Weekend has arrived...

2008-01-04T23:16:00.000+08:00

Just had dinner at a Viet restaurant along Upper Thomson with wife n friend. We would be bankrupted by dinner expense alone. Gotta learn to practise some gastronomical restraint. But U.Thomson is hip and quaint at the same time. Always a good place to unwind and close the day, really glad that we live nearby. Hope the weather stays this way thru the year - cool and breezy. Got another pic to share. Let's try to understand why I like it - Variety of shapes, Proportion-Perspective, Contrast - colour n tones and perhaps the subject of a stairway has a deeper level of association for me because I've always been drawn to steps.

Confetti Fireworks...

2008-01-04T00:01:00.001+08:00

Got to share this photo I took during New Year's day with all. Love it myself.

Insomniac Foreword

2008-01-03T23:45:00.000+08:00

Very the tired but too tired of sleeping. What to do? Create a blog to humour myself lor. That's Abel's princess. Took some pics of her, but didn't like the graininess probably cos I used a high ISO (800). Got to teach tomorrow, so better force shut myself. Hope this online journal survives dilettantism.