Sunday, August 31, 2008

Updates again !

Folks,

In a few hours time, I would be participating in the Nike 10+ Human Race, a short run, worldwide event, something different this time. Looking foward to enjoy the run and post party and running and carnival atmosphere.

Do also look out on my upcoming posts on 

- RSAF Open House 2008
- Apple 3G iPhone photos
- Nike 10+ Human Race

See you folks later ! Have a nice weekend !

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Counting Down to Nike+10k Human Race on 31.08.2008

On 31.08.2008


A world running event, The Human Race 10k, with 1 million runners, 24 cities, for a noble cause.

See you folks there !

Monday, August 25, 2008

Singapore Fireworks Festival 2008 ~ French Romance

The Singapore Fireworks Festival returned again in 2008, with the countries France and Korea performing.



I didn't manage to get my tickets in time and I had to make my way and squeeze with other people at the Esplanade. Due to my half marathon on Sunday 24th early morning, I only went to take the fireworks performance by France, called French Romance on 22nd August.


Reaching there rather early, I didn't realise that the fireworks would only start at 2130hrs and lasted about 15mins only. Well, I enjoyed my fireworks nevertheless, my humble fireworks photos are displayed below -




By using the same fireworks platform for National Day Parade 2008, the fireworks were a lot closer to the people at the Esplanade and it offers a different challenge and difficulty. However, if you are sitting on the Marina Bay Gallery, it would most probably be an excellent angle and perspective to capture the fireworks photos.


Hope you all enjoy the fireworks ! Do drop by my flickr for more photos !

Sunday, August 24, 2008

I ran across the Marina Barrage !

This morning, I just completed the Sheares Bridge Run and Army Half Marathon, it was a good run for me.

A very interesting part of the running route was running across the Marina Barrage. As I was a runner and did not bring my camera to take any photos, you can drop by their websites and take a look at their construction and development.

The Marina Barrage is almost complete and it is a very beautiful sight of the Marina Bay city skyline. When the Marina Bay area is fully developed in the near future, it will only get better.

I feel this region will be transform into a very vibrant area with excellent greenery and running tracks and last but not least, it might be another excellent location to capture fireworks at the Marina Bay.

Do keep a lookout, I would be writing on the Fireworks Festival French Romance soon.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Still waiting for 3G iPhone

Today, there would be people collecting their latest gadget, the Apple 3G iPhone.....

As for me, my earliest appointment date that I would be able to book would be on 28th August, mine got pushed behind, well ....... I have to bear with this for 1 more week ........

Oh, btw, fireworks festival tonight, didn't manage to get the tickets in time, planning to go Esplanade, squeeze with people and watch there and there is an alumni event tomorrow.

Share with you people when I upload it here !

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

3G iPhone is coming to town !

The toy that I had been waiting for ............... is finally arriving on 22nd August with its pricing plans


Still waiting for the email to inform me of my password and I would be to log in and make the necessary appointment to collect it .......

To be updated ........

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Planning to Attend these Upcoming Events

It's an exciting and lively month, with many upcoming activities, events and festivals with great opportunities for photography ;)

They are as follows -

(1) Singapore Fireworks Festival 2008 ~ 22 & 23 August
- Didn't manage to purchase the tickets in time to get a seat on the gallery, planning to squeeze at the Esplanade to take photos of the fireworks festival on 22nd August.

(2) RSAF Open House 2008 ~ 30 & 31 August
- A great opportunity to take photographs of the aircraft and performance ! Planning to go on 30th August

(3) Chinatown Mid Autumn Festival Official Light Up and Opening Ceremony ~ 31 August
- For lantern lovers, with the opening ceremony, it is the time whereby you can get very near to the giant lanterns in the middle of the busy roads of Chinatown !

(4) COMEX ~ 28 to 31 August
- For IT fans and there are definitely photography opportunities !

That's all for now folks ! I would post them up here if I attend them and take photographs !

Stay tuned !!

Keep you people posted for September 2008 events, festivals and activties !

Friday, August 15, 2008

A DSG Photo Book Update

Folks,

Do you recall my posts last time when I was involved in the Dragon Scout Group 85th Anniversary Celebrations in 2007 ?

To recap, do drop by here to learn more on the 85th Anniversary Campfire and Dinner.

I was also helping out partially in the 85th Anniversary Book and I am very proud and happy to see the launch of the Dragon Scout Group 85th Book, launched on 08 / 08 / 2008 !!!!!

Once I officially get hold of the 85th Book, I will broadcast it out !

Stay tuned !


Wednesday, August 13, 2008

A Special Photos Collection



A collection of photos of the F16 Black Knights during their NDP 2008 rehearsals and NDP 2008 flying performances !

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

NDP 2008 - From the Esplanade Bridge Part 2

As the Marina Bay skyline turns dark, big birds of many beautiful different colours started sailing and flying to the Marina Bayfront, greeting the crowds around the Marina Bay area, celebrating our nation's 43rd Birthday.



Right now, it was a patient wait for the finale, that many of us waiting and watching the National Day Parade at the sides were waiting for. I prepared my DSLR for fireworks mode, setting up my standard operating routine to take fireworks, making adjustments to my tripod, angle of inclination and wide angle view of the skyline whereby the fireworks would be shown.


Soon, the moment of truth arrived. It was the start of a very beautiful series of fireworks, I always loved the opportunity to take fireworks whenever I had the chance and the NDP fireworks really gave the birthday celebrations a bright and happy finale ending !




However, the weather was not really kind to us on the Esplanade Bridge. The smoke didn't clear and it got stuck there in the sky, some of the fireworks were engulfed by the smoke and the letter "S" wasn't able to be seen from our point of view. I could only capture a glimpse of it, camouflaged by the thick smoke.


3 different sets of fireworks, bringing the 43rd National Day Parade Celebrations to a close. A fitting and beautiful end to a wonderful birthday celebrations. The poor weather would not dampen our moods.


Hope everybody enjoyed the NDP 2008 !

Monday, August 11, 2008

NDP 2008 - From the Esplanade Bridge Part 1



On the 9th August 2008, Singapore celebrated its 43rd birthday at the Marina BayFront.
With many rehearsals leading up to this grand finale, I had been following them over the saturdays, giving me a good time to take different photographs from different locations, angles, perspectives and understanding the flight and performance pattern of the F16 Black Knights.



I was there about 2 hours before the pre-parade segment, managed to find a spot on the Esplanade Bridge. The weather looked great on one end, however, the Eastern side was dark and cloudy. Initially, I thought, it would be fine, the weather would clear soon but it wasn't to be, soon dark rain clouds filled the skyline and started drizzling. As time goes by, nearing towards the start of the parade, it drizzled, stopped, drizzled, stopped and with strong windy conditions.





Nevertheless, the pre-parade segment commenced in the bad weather conditions. The erratic drizzle and poor weather didn't deter the people to move off, even though there were significant movement on the Esplanade Theatre and waterfront. The Red Lions Parachuters had a very tough task on hand, with strong winds constantly changing in directions, we had to salute them for their courageous efforts and skills for giving Singapore's 43rd Birthday a wonderful performance !





Even though the weather was slowly clearing, there were still the drizzle and stop situation. The Singapore Flag Fly Past came and everybody around the Esplanade was cheering it loud ! The bad weather wasn't going to dampen the mood there !




Soon, the moment a lot of us had been waiting for. The F16 Black Knights flying in to salute the nation on its 43rd Birthday ! A grand finale performance after many hard hours of training. It was very popular with everybody there at the grounds and they were cheering for it even though the afterburner was really loud with their low level flying and high altitude climb. The best birthday gift was the HEART and everyone of us cheered !


Happy 43rd Birthday Celebrations !

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Happy 43rd Birthday, Singapore !!!

Happy Birthday Singapore ! 43 Years Young !!!

I would write up on my time on the Esplanade Bridge at the National Day Parade 2008 soon ...

Meanwhile, do drop by my Flickr and take a look at my photos first !

Have fun everybody !

Biggest Fireworks I ever seen ~ 2008 Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony

The 08/08/2008 had just passed and I had witnessed one of the best events ever staged. 

It  was the 2008 Beijing Olympics 2008 Opening Ceremony, my inner most thoughts were collected and written down here.

However, from a photographer's perspective, the Opening Ceremony had the biggest fireworks display that I had ever seen, absolutely huge and awesome ! It was simply amazing on just the fireworks alone, not to mention the performances too. Being a fireworks fan, I had to give this special, dazzling and spectacular fireworks performance its due credit and praise !

Let the 2008 Beijing Olympics Games Begin !

Thursday, August 07, 2008

Photography Sharing Tips - How to take out of the Ordinary Photos

In the continuation of my photography sharing tips, I came across this interesting photography article by PopPhoto.com, on "5 Out of the Ordinary Photo Trips".

Photographers, travlers love to take many different types of photos during their time away in a new country, city or town. They would definitely have wonderful memories of their beautiful time, however, do you ever think of taking more exotic photographs, visit more exotic locations ?

In this article, there are 5 great suggestions for some great adventures and out of the ordinary photography sessions

(1) Chasing Tornadoes

(2) Snorkel with Penguins

(3) Capture Lava Flows

(4) Discover Shipwrecks

(5) Dog Sled by Day, Get Photo Tips by Night

The above selections are indeed something so unique, probably only the braver ones would be chasing torandoes or capturing shipwrecks. Do drop by their site and read in greater detail on their selections.

I would love the idea on the Snorkel with Penguins and Dog Sled by Day, Get Photo Tips by Night, something diferent from the normal holiday travel trips. I would probably research more on them in the future and make plans to take some Out of the Ordinary Photos to my collection !

Happy Photo shooting !

Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Tagged by iWalk, U2?,Let's MEME !

I was tagged by iWalk, U2? on 26th July for MEME and I was really busy before being able to proceed on with this MEME !

Ok ...... Here goes 

Here are my 4 Things : 

4 Jobs that I had
- Guest Services Officer
- Temp Customer Services Officer
- Retail Executive
- Hotel Internship

4 Movies that I can watched over and over again 
- Star Wars Trilogy
- Forrest Gump
- Indian Jones Trilogy
- The Simpsons Movie

4 Places that I lived
- Singapore
- Malaysia
- Australia
- Shanghai, China

4 TV Shows that I liked
- CSI Miami
- CSI New York
- Band of Brothers
- Heroes

4 Places that I vocationed
- Tokyo
- Shanghai
- Brisbane
- Phuket

4 of my Favourite Dishes
- Char Kway Teow
- Fried Chicken
- Roti John
- Satay

4 Places that I rather be Right Now
- Bali
- Bhutan
- Tibet
- Nepal 

People I tag (in random order)
- Eunice 
- Joel 
- Jayce 

Hope you all have fun folks !

Photography Sharing Tips on Vocation Photos

Folks, 

I had been taking many photos and sharing with people in a photojournalist style to convey my event, adventure and coverage of the events, functions and travel stories. 

As I improved in my photography skills, it dawned upon me from my personal development learning  via my personal blog also, on the importance of sharing, teaching and mentoring. Therefore, I would also start something similar here, in the fields of photography. By doing so, I would improve on my knowledge too and bringing my photography to another level, a worthy breakthrough.

I came across this article by PopPhoto.com, on "Six Vocation Photos That Can Kill You", since I am a hardcore photographer who loves to travel, this article made a lot of sense to me and KNOCKED some common sense back into me too. There are 6 crucial points to take note -
  1. Falling into the Grand Canyon 
  2. Attacked by Wildlife
  3. Attacked Underwater
  4. Drowned by Waterfalls
  5. Struck by Lightning
  6. The Wrong Place at The Wrong Time
I recalled climbing Mount Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia during December 2007, monsoon season, reaching the peak area could be dangerous if you choose to deviate away from the designated route, once you fell down, it's like free fall, nevertheless, it is overall still a safe mountain to climb. Therefore, folks, please be very careful of this particular kinds of terrain.

Drowned by Waterfalls - Another of my favourite outdoor adventure, just loved to be under the waterfall or jumped into the waterfall pool. Looking back, I need to be less reckless.

Lightning - To be struck, it's pure lottery and freakish. However, in Singapore, you have a higher chance, Singapore has more lightning appearing. 

My fellow photographers, do drop by their sites and take a look !

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

Photos Uploaded on Flickr !

Folks,

For the 2 events that I went and took photographs, I had selected more photos and uploaded them on Flickr !

Do drop by them and take a look !



Hope you all enjoy them !

Cheers !!

Monday, August 04, 2008

National Dog Walk 2008 ~ 3rd August



What do you get when you have many dog owners bringing their dogs out to the park ? You get a fun day of carnival, gatherings, dog grooming, competitions and many happy dogs running around, making new friends.



It was the National Dog Walk 2008, organised by Noah's Ark CARES, held at the West Coast Park Dog Run compound, the event started from 10am and ended 7pm. I only got there at around 4pm, hoping to catch the dog walk charity event at 430pm and take photos of the different breeds of dogs in playful action.


Well, I found myself at the dog running compound, enjoying watching the different types of dogs playing with their owners, fellow doggies, and strangers. There were also a competition to test the dog's capabilities such as agility and speed, with a well-designed circuit for the dog to go through with their owner. It was fun watching them in action especially the Siberian Husky completing the circuit in hot Singapore weather !


In between, it was very fun and also very challenging to take the dogs in action around the other parts of the field, whether playing with their toys or with their new found friends. Their movements and actions were very fast and changing direction very rapidly, however, there were also the lovely and peace loving doggies that would sit down on the chair or lie down on the grass patch and let you take their photos !


Oh, by the way, my lovely Japanese Spitz was very tired from her morning adventure at the National Dog Walk and couldn't go back for the walk at 430pm. She's kind of overweight and it affected her 4 skinny legs. She needs slimming class.........

Sunday, August 03, 2008

NDP Preview 2008

After weeks of practice, it's the time for the National Day Parade Preview 2008. I decided to head for the Suntec Convention Centre for the Ceremonial Flags Uncasing Ceremony first, being the Preview, it was the full dress rehearsal for the Grand Finale on 9th August 2008.





Besides the full uncasing ceremony procedures, the public watching the uncasing ceremony were given a short video presentation on the two giant television screens on the history of the ceremonial flags and colours, the importance and relevance in Singapore today. It was also an eye opener for me too, going back into the history and understanding our roots better.



Thereafter, I took some photos of the Colour Party, Guard of Honour Contingent and supporting uniformed groups contingent marching towards the Marina Bay Front. Today's security and road blocks were a lot stricter and safer, and it was more difficult to move across to the Esplanade. When I got to the Esplanade Bridge, I had already missed most of the pre-parade segment, the Red Lions Parachuters, jet-ski displays etc..... The crowds were getting bigger but not too jammed packed yet.



I finally managed to find myself a spot on the Esplanade Bridge closer to the Esplanade and waited for the action to start. The weather was very good yesterday and it was very exciting to take photos of the National Flag Fly Past, Black Knights awesome aerial display in the clear blue sky !




After that, waited for the fireworks to start. It was a very windy day and tricky too. The smoke just kept on blowing into the direction of the Esplanade Bridge and some of my photos had a lot of smoke inside it ! We at the bridge were not spared from the ash of the expanded fireworks, it dropped on us due to the strong winds blowing towards the people on the bridge, it dropped on our clothes, hair and even landed into our mouth !!!!



It was a fitting grand finale of fireworks, very beautiful and Happy NDP Preview 2008 !



Do drop by my flickr site for NDP Preview 2008 photos !