Sunday, July 30, 2006

Quick updates on my photojournalism

G'day folks,

Big thanks to all who reads and views my photojournalism site. I am happily writing on my photography activities, events and gatherings.

This work-in-progress is still in the infant stage before it can reach the desired style and format that I based for my blog. "A journey of a thousand miles begin with a single step" ...... I would be looking to become a travel journalist for sports, outdoor reacreation, travel magazines (freelance contributor).

Looking ahead, I would be keen to start some small projects for my photography interest:

(1) Studio Portraiture Courses (will learn from Jeff when they start the class)
(2) Taking photos and forming a collage book / year book (any takers?)
(3) Producing my own portfolio of photos for display
(4) Finding photographers to do theme shoots e.g. Fireworks, Historical Buildings etc
(5) Dragon Chapter and Dragon Scout Group activities
(6) Establishing partnerships with professional photographers
(7) Learning the importance and steps for post-processing towards commercial printing

Presently, my equipment list is quite a powerful combination and I would be keen to add the following lenses, accessories and camera bodies:

(1) EF 70-200mm F4 L USM
(2) EF 100mm F2.8 USM Macro
(3) Canon 580EX Flash
(4) Lightsphere
(5) Tripod
(6) Canon EOS 1D Mk II N or EOS 30D

Last but not least, thanks for reading, folks !

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Dinner Gathering @ Simpang Bedok

Date: 28 July 2006
Venue: Eating venue known as Simapang Bedok

It's been a while since we went out for our regular supper outings with live football matches to watch. We would probably be doing it again once the EPL new season kicks off in a few weeks time.





This gathering was meant to celebrate my colleague's birthday (Raymond, very nice person, very popular, "master in suaning") and to eat nice delicious food there. We usually eat at our favourite outlet Spitz and the Roti John is really awesome !

We had lots of different kinds of food and drinks, ate until quite filling and on top of that, we also have a chocolate birthday cake as well. At the end of the session, we were quite filled up with food and I was feeling fat....



Lots of fun , lots of food ..... great fun and laughter, jokes (on me) ..... planning future trips ? catch up with friends ...

Total Eating Cost: $140 (I think so?)
Experience & Fun & Friendship & Bonding: Priceless beyond words

For everything else, let the pictures do the talking .........







Monday, July 24, 2006

Beautiful Memories and Candid Photos from Bintan

Some pictures for all of my readers to enjoy

















I always love living in a island beach resort .......

Dinner Gathering with my cousins

We had a sumputious and delicious buffet dinner at this restaurant called Straits Cafe @ Hotel Rendezvous.



Great to catch up with all and have a good hearty dinner, especially my nieces Charmaine and Charlene. Some of the food was lovely, I just loved sashimi salmon and smoked salmon, they do have nice cakes, pastries and desserts.



Didn't took a lot of photos but there were a few nice photos for memories.





Hope you all enjoyed it !

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Beautiful Memories & Pictures from Bintan - Chapter 1

Let my pictures do the talking for our Team Retreat @ Bintan Lagoon Resort









Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Team Retreat @ Bintan Lagoon Resort Day 3



Day 3

Time to go back to Singapore, feeling tired from the late night World Cup Semi-Final between Germany and Italy. Had a quick breakfast, wash up and pack up, before heading to the hotel lobby for check out.



After dropping off our luggages in the storage room, we started walking around to explore the resort. Walking towards the beach, it was a very beautiful afternoon, clear blue sky, white sandy beach and the awesome sea. I love the beach and resort lifestyle, influenced during my uni days in Queensland, Australia, whereby I visit Gold Coast, one of the best beaches in the world. Words can't describe it easily, take a look at the pictures I took and I hope you all enjoy the sceneries too !







After exploring, we took the shuttle bus to the jetty and started shopping before boarding the ferry back to Singapore. I would be looking foward to visit the island resorts again, enjoying the peace, tranquility, sea and water sports.



Now, it's back to work.

Saturday, July 08, 2006

Team Retreat @ Bintan Lagoon Resort Day 2

Day 2 @ Bintan Lagoon Resort Villa



All of us pretty woke up late from our extended mahjong session. It was really late morning when we got up for our breakfast and we just got ourselves prepared for our team meeting and arrival of our 2 other team colleagues, Garry and Noelle.



Picking them up from the main resort lobby, we proceed back to our villa for our team meeting. It was a time for reflection, goal settings for the next 6 months and team sharing. Overall, it was good for the team to know about each other and create a stronger unity and friendship.





After the meeting, we travel to a location called Pasar Oleh Oleh using the bus shuttle service provided for the Bintan Resorts network, it is located near the jetty and they have food, tidbits, clothings, artwork etc etc.... Nothing much for me to buy, but interesting to look around the area.



We then boarded another bus shuttle service to tour the other resorts on the northern side of Bintan. Alighting at Mana Mana Beach Club, we walked around the beach resort, admiring the beautiful coastline and sandy beach. As we were keen to get into some fun and action at the sea, a group of us decided to go for the banana boat. It's actually a double inflated dinghy tubes and pulled by a speed boat.



The ride was really really very fun, but with a fully stomach of fried kway teow and a can of beer. My tummy could not take it and I was suffering from a "washing machine" stomach. Therefore, during the fast ride, I was feeling very bad inside my tummy..... sometimes asking the girls in front of me to ask the speed boat to slow down ..... Lousy me ! Ann was laughing at me when she caught hold of why I kept on asking the banana boat to slow down ..... embarrassing I have to say ..... During the ride, the speed boat drove so fast and our banana boat flipped into the air ! We dropped into the sea and floated around for a while before climbing back on to return back to the shore. Reaching the shore was a relief, my tummy just doesn't feel too good .....





Taking a quick rest at Mana Mana Beach Resort and enjoying the sunset, we waited for the shuttle bus to return to Pasar Oleh Oleh to buy dinner back to our villa. The rest of my team colleagues continued shopping while I waited for the food to arrive. Returning to our villa and we were quickly preparing the BBQ. I , the professional fire starter, with the help of Andrew, we created a red hot BBQ fire pit and cooking the remaining food was really quick. When the rest came back from touring around the resort in the buggy, we tucked in for our wonderful dinner.... very yummy ....



Going into the night, it was mahjong, television and moving around, visiting leisure centre playing the games. Juney and I also drove around the resort at night while waiting for World Cup Semi Final between Germany and Italy to start, I became a driving instructor and taught her the finer points of driving !

It was a long day but it was full of fun and laughter !

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Team Retreat @ Bintan Lagoon Resort 3-5 July 2006



Bintan Island, 1 hr southwest of Singapore, a very beautiful and peaceful resorts with an awesome stretch of white sandy beaches.

Our team of colleagues went over to Bintan Lagoon Resort and had a good retreat plus bonding sessions during our 3 days 2 nights stay. It was organised by my senior colleague Ann and she did a wonderful job in the logistics, food, accommodation and transport. We took our ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, due to some unforseen circumstances, Andrew & I got stuck behind for 3 hrs while the main party went ahead first.



Arriving at Bintan was a brisk journey. It was in the evening when the 2 of us alighted, the sun was setting and somehow, I was captivated by the peace and tranquility of the island. Quickly moving pass immigration, we found our friendly resort guides waiting for us and we were ushered to a bus to take on our journey to Bintan Lagoon Resort, about 15 minutes away from the ferry terminal.

Arriving at the Resort, Andy and Gregory picked us up with our own villa buggy. It was fun to ride on it and I did take the chance to drive the buggy too. Settling down into our spacious villa, we had our BBQ and dinner.



Cooking, eating, sharing and catching up over BBQ was a great bonding, sharing and talking cock session, followed by mahjong session (long time didn't play!).



This is end of my Day 1 , I would be writing more on my holiday retreat soon.

Sunday, July 02, 2006

Night Photoshoot @ Esplanade



After having a great time at Edwin's Smile Arts Dental Studio Grand Opening Ceremony, we went out and had dinner and shopping at Marina Square.



During dinner, took some photos of Singapore CBD skyline from the Marina Food Loft. I felt it was really a great idea to eat along the balcony, facing the Esplanade and CBD, especially in the evening, whereby the landscape was really beautiful.



Walked over to the Esplanade and went up to the roof terrace. It was a really nice and beautiful view from there. I didn't bring my tripod and I had to improvise on whatever I can work on. Took some landscape photos of the CBD, the bay area and Marina Square, Suntec areas. It was not easy to take night sceneries without a tripod, the photos would not be that sharp due to the longer shutter time which might result in camera shake (usually). Presently researching into a new and stronger tripod to suit my Canon 300D DSLR with battery grip, found a few suitable tripods @ The Camera Workshop (TCW), aiming for it.





It felt great to be taking photos again. Looking foward to be taking holiday photos in my upcoming trip to Bintan.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

Smile Arts Dental Studio Grand Opening Ceremony 1st July 2006


Edwin with our flower arrangement

Smile Arts Dental Studio was opened by my very old friend Edwin (since our Boy Scout days with Gan Eng Seng Dragon Scouts) & his 2 other partners, Jeremy and Kenny.

1st July 2006, was the official Grand Opening Ceremony for Smile Arts Dental Studio. We (Mon, KK & myself) went down to his clinic and joined in the fun and gathering. Our other bunch of old mates send their regards with our flower arrangement and best wishes card (by Mon from Tink Cards).


Our own flower arrangement


Best Wishes Card - Prepared by Mon, Tink Cards !

It was a family carnival atmosphere equiped with a "flower boutique opening" (the number of flower arrangements were awesome, many different types and sizes). I prepared a photo album of their "models" (album selected was from Gloryworkz and recommended by Mon), tested and printed out postcards prototype that consists of their company icon and a picture collage of their "models". It was from a moment of trial and error and printer testing that the postcards came about, probably we might see further changes to it and Smile Arts Dental Studio could be it to use in their business empire.


Happy Family!

On behalf of our elite group of old boys (all of us from the same batch of Dragon Scout Dragon Scouts), best wishes to Edwin in his business empire