Captured moments, frozen memories, digital expressions of my interpretation of the world we live in. This is a compilation of my attempts, at looking into things, that people usually only look at...
One year... I left this blog unattended for more than a year.
When one door closes, another one opens, that's what sages say anyway.
This is a special day, 20112012. So many things have happened today, so many activities which were memorable.
For everything that happened, there is a 50/50 chance that it will be lost, you either remember it or you forget about it ;P
My parents were here in Singapore for a short visit. Is is such a rare opportunity for me to be their photographer and it was such great fun. Super likes ; )
This was the perfect opportunity to restart the blog, to restart my "photographic eye", to again give a try in looking into things, that people usually only look at... shocking...
Our destination- Marina Bay, Singapore, complete with its casino, hotel, conservatories, gardens and the clear blue sky.
We tried our luck getting up to the sky park. We were so glad when we saw some hotel guests dressed for a swim, we followed them up to the Skypark. As with most hotels, the lifts only allowed access to floors upon confirmation using access cards. When you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires, so that your wish comes true.
The view from the top was magnificent and awesome. However it was the experience of being together, the memory of the experience, that made it the best souvenir.
I was told that, some things are best viewed from far away, admired at a distance. The conservatories in Gardens by the Bay is one of the few. From the Skypark, the Marina Barrage was in clear view, seen together with the numerous tankers and container ships dotting the clear blue sea.
There are a few spots for great photo taking at ground level, you just have to experiment with different angles in getting the best results. HW was trying out a few and we were her subject for that moment. My apprentice has became quite adept.
The whole afternoon turned out to be a great one. Big hugs, wish there will be much more of it in the coming year : )
This is a wishing "lamp" where you write your wishes on the petal of the lotus and then light the candle. Then you release it into the river of the lake and hope that the wishes come true.
There were many in the lake that night in Chinese garden, with different colours, contrasting nicely with the inky dark water.
Alright, no prize for those who can guess who this statue is representing. For those who don't, he's Guan Yu, seen as the epitome for righteousness and loyalty in the Chinese culture, a real life figure who was a general to LiuBei during the founding of the Kingdom of Shu.
If you missed out on the lanterns, you can still make a wish by throwing these red ribbons with the golden "tong qian" to the wishing tree.
Carps are known to bring fortune to their owners and these carps (also known as "koi") need lots of care to grow to such sizes.
I find this lotus very nice, with its symmetrical reflection. Lotus is an important part of Buddhist culture. Its a symbol of purity, as you often find white, pleasant lotus growing in muddy waters.
Every year during the month of the Chinese Lantern Festival, there would be a show of various kind of lanterns made around a certain theme. This year, it was held in Chinese and Japanese Garden with the theme, 'Magical Ocean'.
This was my first time in such events and it really redefines what lanterns means to me. When one would mention the word 'lantern' I would think of red round ones, or the smaller lanterns which can be folded flat.
Behold, the 'lanterns' of dolphins that greeted the visitors at the main entrance to the Magical Ocean.
The Eight Immortals' Crossing.
A close up view of the only goddess of the eight. You can see the meticulous details being taken into account in making this display item.
Here, they showed some which were more traditional, all hung in a line under the roof.
A polar bear cub in a very playful position. There's the whole family of polar bears as well, but not all photos that I took came out nice.
This is one of my favourite, the mermaid, look at the facial features, they are made in such meticulous details that you really have to give it to those who made it.
The buckyball on display in the Singapore Science Center. There were many other exhibits as well, however I was too engrossed trying them out. Heng Wei recommended this place, and Amy was free that weekend, and that's how we ended up there. Most of the exhibits are interactive ones, which makes learning science an easier experience. I still get amazed by the section where they showcase a myriad of optical illusions. Some were common but presented in a different way, while some really knocks us off.
Notice the whirlpool created in the tub? This is one of the many water features right outside of the Singapore Science Center.
Took quite some photos but only two turn out very well, sigh... That's why these photos have to share this space with another blog and is uploaded with other photos I took on another day trip. This time I went to the central Singapore, namely Clark Quay and Chinatown. I parked in a multistorey carpark about ten minutes walk away from Clark Quay and took a relaxing stroll down the road.
This is a different experience of Clark Quay, as most would throng this place at night. Clark Quay in the day looks quiet and slow-moving, in contrary to its exciting night buzz.
Day or night, this is a place of great contrast, with its brightly-coloured colonial buildings, merging the past and the future. I tried something new this time, just sitting at one place and waiting for the right opportunity to click on the camera. Previously, I would have been snapping away while moving from one place to another. The feeling is different, sitting down in the shades, looking around, feeling the breeze, waiting for the right moment. The anticipation was fun, as you see events unfolding. I sat there for quite a while, though only left that place with a couple of shots, but with a great experience.
A stroll down the main street brought me to the Buddha Relic Temple. This is a serence place to be. Though photography is permitted in the main hall of worship, I didn't take any. I actually wanted to take photos of people deep in prayers, but decided against it. I wouldn't like being photographed myself while I am praying. Instead took the following photos outside of the temple and then went in to visit for a shortly after.
Did not get to see the tooth relic though, we were only allowed to look at the chamber where it is kept. It only sees light twice a year, once during Chinese New Year and another time during Wesak Day (which sees Buddhist celebrating Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Death).
Check out here for more details of this upcoming attraction in Singapore. Its a gigantic observation wheel (big big brother of ferris wheel) which will provide a great view of Singapore's central business district, a view dominated by skyscrappers.
I was actually very close to the Flyer, and was able to have the following shots up close. Maybe the next time when I go past that area again, I might try to get a full view of the Flyer.
The capsules are currently being covered using tarpaulin to protect its surface from the elements before being unveiled to the public. Each capsule can seat up to 28 people and is air conditioned. Its a one of its kind observation wheel.
The Marina Bay area, viewed from ground level, would be very much different if viewed from the Flyer. This is just a part of the skyscrapers that fills the central business district.
A walk from the Flyer towards the Esplanade, I found this spot where I shot the iconic Merlion. Over exposed at some area, so I did some touch up. Luckily I shot in RAW and the highlights were not totally lost from compression.
Just couldn't resist to snap a photo of the full moon. I found out that due to the lower dynamic range of the camera, you can only opt to have either the moon or the nightscape properly exposed. Unless you tweak around with post processing softwares, hihi... This is what I have after a 100% crop of the image of the moon.
Still taking a lot of images which I am not very satisfied with, but I am happy with the many functions that can be manipulated in the DSLR. Well, like others would say, shoot more to learn more.
This was the first time I went for a Games Exhibition. There was a parallel convention going on in the next hall, while a public exhibition was held in another. I remembered names such as AsiaSoft, Nintendo, Nokia Ngage, Razer, Codemasters, Sony etc. For me, it presents another opportunity to learn. I met an old friend, more like an ex-boss. I worked in his team in an animation studio a year ago. The game that his team developed, Collin McRae Dirt was really a hit, and it looks really impressing. That's one of the many games that were for public trial.
Nintendo Wii, the newly(not so) released console which gets you to swing your arm, twist your wrist, shake the controller and lots more physical movements to control the game. This is just one of the many kids and adults alike who were glued to it.
First time I actually saw cosplayers in exhibitions, normally I would be looking at photos taken by other individuals. Some costumes were pretty elaborate and were a hit with kids. I wonder if the mascots considers themself as cosplayers, just a question.
There was a 'live' band and also various games organized by AsiaSoft, giving away lots of freebies and prizes.
There's also other reasons (attractions would be better?) people throng to such exhibitions, ahem. Feast your eyes on the various beauties who were there to increase the heat and excitement of the event!
I was actually expecting more turnouts to the exhibition, maybe I was there early and missed out on the crowd. But then again, that was the reason why I went there earlier ; ) It's been a nice experience, being there and taking photos, trying out new games and meeting an old friend.
The day had finally came, when I went out for the sole purpose of snapping some photos and testing the features of my new-found gadget in the real world.
First stop was to Botanical Garden, however the weather was not that dry, and I had to keep my camera snuggly in the bag to avoid premature damage ; ) However still managed to get some quick snaps of one of the most shot topics:- floras.
Shame to say, most other pics didn't turn out that well, better stow it away as reference for next upcoming shots ; ) Still got lots to learn and experiment. Shots shown are without postprocessing, however some suffered from major cropping. Still working on getting better composition and framing.
Went to Orchard road after that, the weather improved and its not too sunny as to create harsh lightings. Now comes the time to test the 55-200mm lens to see how it performs in well-lit condition. What I did was, found a comfortable bench on the pavement, and start snapping and whoever that walked in front of me. (as much as practical, of course)
* Snap Snap Snap *
I was actually overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many settings that can be tweaked, which presents limitless possibilities. So many options that can be used to interpret how you see it, what kind of emotion that you want to create from the photos that was taken.
That same evening, the 13th Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championship. Time for some low lighting shots. Witnessed something different in this championship, maybe it was due to my ignorance in lion dancing for the past few years. As usual, the routine revolved around the 'lion' getting from one end of the stilts to the other to retrieve an auspicious items, suchas a scroll with greetings/well wishes, and returning with it to the beginning point. However this time around, the stilts changed in terms of heights and combination during the routine. Halfway through a routine, their team member remotely triggered a release, lowering one of the stilts. Another version was with a trigger, the stilt fell to its side. Initially I thought it was an accident, however on backstage, I noticed some other teams trying out their mechanism before their routine. Interesting..
