A Small Window View

Looking through a small window view, do you know what is happening ?

Helping Fellow Global Citizens

In my personal blog, I wrote a post on "When Mother Nature Strikes".

With so many news reporting on the 2 natural disasters happening in Asia within the space of 2 weeks, it doesn't feel good at all to see the situations in China and Myanmar. People from different parts of the world, had came foward to raise funds for the people affected, with countries instructing specialist search and rescue teams on standby to assist China when a official request is made.

We can all do something, to help our global citizens, contributions, raising more awareness, prayers and love for all. Conversing with a fellow blogger, iWalk, U2?, who had roots in the Chengdu, where she grew up in, wrote about the impacts of the earthquake. I tried my best to encourage her in this tough period, with many fellow bloggers dropping in and encouraging her too. Our thoughts and prayers will always be with her and the people affected by the disasters.

It's also a strong signal by Mother Nature, reminding us to take care of our fragile ecosystem.

A Dog & A Cat

My friendly family dog , a Japanese Spitz, very sweet and loving, people love to give her a pat ...

While I was on my way to my auntie's home, I saw a cute cat ........ with a very lazy pose .......

Well, this cat gave me some fierce look ...... check it out on my flickr .......

Portfolio for My 1st AD Wedding Photography

Folks,

I was given the honour and opportunity by Wen Liang and Portia to be their Official AD Wedding Photographer and it was my 1st official project. My thoughts, feelings and write-up was collected in this posting.

Today, I was given the permission by Wen Liang to select photos from my AD photoshoot and place it in my Flickr site for display.

Do drop by my Flickr Portfolio and take a look !

Thanks for viewing and support !

A New SlideShow Widget by BlogsJam

Photojournalism, Travel and Nature Photography Widgets by blogsJam

Do drop by BlogsJam and take a look !

Crossing 5000 views for my Flickr photo site

I had taken many photos over the years and I had been uploading my selected photo works up into my Flickr Photo site and my 1st photo was uploaded on 4th August 2007.

Today, I checked and saw my Flickr photo views crossing the 5000 views count, I won't say it is a big number to pop the champagne, however, it was really good to know more photographers from all over the world.

Do pop over my Flicker Photo Site and I have a photo dedicated to my 5000 views mark !

Happy photo taking ! Take more photos !

SDSC Events : Speed Racer - Chartiy Premiere on 6th May 2008

Folks,

With motor sports being the hot topics in Singapore nowadays, I was showing my Formula Drift posting and photos to my friend Stefanie Ang from Singapore Disability Sports Council (SDSC) and she mentioned to me about an event organised by SDSC known as :

Speed Racer - Charity Film Premiere

Do drop by their events calender link and take a look, let's all help support SDSC and our motor sports scene in Singapore !

Very HOT Action from Formula Drift Singapore 2008 - Synposis

Folks,

Were you part of the Very HOT Action of Formula Drift Singapore 2008 today at the Singapore Changi Exhibition Centre ? Many HOT driving and drifting action and performances by many different drivers from all over the world .... and on top of that, weather was really good and VERY HOT !

Well, I was there in the morning, arrived at about 1000hrs and the action had already started ! This was the qualifying rounds for the afternoon rounds of competition. Besides, drifting action, there were also displays of tyres, cars, accessories and other automobile related displays.

There were many people attending this event and it was a good turnout blessed with HOT weather, almost dehydrated. Photography was challenging around the racing route because the safety distance from the route was a fair bit of distance that even a standard telephoto lense may not be able to capture the views that you liked.

I even went and walked down to the car pit area and met up with my friend Jack Lan and the Vis Works Autolab crew and their highly tuned competition car Nissan S15. Had fun taking photos inside the car pit area and away from the HOT sunlight burning my skin, there were also many people walking around the area too, walking around admiring the various competition sports cars and their engines.

Soon, I went back and continued taking photos of the afternoon rounds of competition whereby it was slightly different, from Formula Drift Singapore Website : "Based on drifting’s traditional “head-to-head battle” format. Drivers attempt to qualify, in single judged runs, to be one of the sixteen drivers that will enter the main competition bracket (similar to NBA playoffs or drag racing). During the bracketed “head-to-head battle” competitions, drivers are paired off in head-to-head competition of skill and nerves. The sixteen drivers will be weeded down to one final winner."

The action got even more exciting along the way and the Formula Drift USA drivers joined in and make the challenge even bigger and higher ! The fans were treated to awesome driving and drifting performances and it was a great time for me.

Motorsports in Singapore is getting more popular with this Formula Drift Singapore and the upcoming Singapore F1 GP...... besides, Singapore would have its own racing track beside Changi Exhibition Centre in the near future.

Do check out my other photos on Flickr !

Had a great time at Formula Drift Singapore 2008 ! Would write more in details over the next few posts !

Counting Down to Formula Drift Singapore

Folks,

This coming Sunday, 27th April 2008, would be Formula Drift Singapore event, looking foward to this hot octane sports car drifting competition event.

I was invited by Jack, to visit Vis Works Autolab, in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, a team that would be coming down to Formula Drift Singapore and participating in the competition too ! The last time I was inside a mechanic's garage was during my tertiary days in Australia, getting my 82 Celica GT patched up and serviced on a regular basis.

They were in the process of fine tuning their competition sports car and it was a great eye opener for me, getting hands on helping out and enjoying the processes of modifying a sports car. Didn't take any photos this time, nevertheless, keep a lookout for Formula Drift Singapore on 27th April......

Earth Day - 22nd April 2008

On 22nd April 2008, a worldwide event known as Earth Day, would be going on.

My thoughts on Earth Day were penned down inside my personal blog, please do pop in there !

Being a photographer, photojournalist, traveler, blogger and writer...... I strongly encourage everybody to take action and play a role (small or big) to make our Mother Earth a wonderful place to live in, for ourselves and for our future generations.

While writing this post, I was thinking of the environments in Singapore that may not be there in the future, it's time to start my mini photojournalist project.......

Singapore Flyer Official Opening - 15th April 2008

The Singapore Flyer, a new icon of our Singapore Marina Bay skyline, was officially opened on the 15th April 2008.

First and foremost, I had to thank my friend Louis, who gave me the opportunity to be part of the official opening and joining in the fun and my bird's eye view ride of Singapore CBD and Marina Bay night sceneries.

With many VIPs attending, there were many events in place around the Singapore Flyer premises and the visitors were entertained to nice fireworks too ! Wished I brought my tripod but I knew it would not be allowed on the ride therefore, I had to take fireworks photos using hand held.

Fireworks lighting up the skyline during the Singapore Flyer Official Opening

We could only board the ride at around 2130hrs, designated boarding time but due to the massive numbers of visitors, we only managed to hop on the capsule around 2230hrs. Before that, had a good time chatting with friends Louis, Cindy and Eric at the bistro restaurant O'Learys on the first level of the Singapore Flyer. As there were a bit of a long queue, Eric, Cindy and myself were chatting ourselves away and sharing stories and experiences.

Soon, we were able to board the Singapore Flyer ! It was a great experience for me, the queue was long but it was worth the wait because I was really looking foward to be the top of the Singapore Flyer and have a bird's eye view ! The night views were very beautiful and it was a great opportunity to take night sceneries photography. There was a heavy downpour earlier in the evening and the glass panels on the capsule were a bit wet, thus making photography from the inside challenging !

More photos of the Singapore Flyer Official Opening can be viewed at my flickr site !

Photoblogging for 2 years

On 10th April 2006, I took my maiden step foward into the world of blogging with the help and guidance of my friend Jack Lan.

Moving the time foward till today, my photoblog is 2 years old ............. I had lost track of my photoblog birthday until I was looking at my archives list on the right side bar of my blog and saw April 2006 on the top of my archives listings.

Reflecting back on my photoblog, it had grown significantly, making many new friends from different parts of the world and allowing me to take photos, pen down my thoughts, travels and adventures - Me as a photojournalist that is passionate on photography, travel and writing.

I would like to take this posting to say THANK YOU to all my readers ! Without the support, comments and links exchange, my photoblog would not had grown much at all !

Moving foward and advancing to bring my photojournalist blog to greater heights !

Dragon Scout Group 86th Campfire

Folks,

Gan Eng Seng Dragon Scout Group has a very long and rich history in Singapore and I was proud to be an old boy of DSG since 1990. It was great to be associated with such a wonderful history and I deeply appreciate what scouting in DSG had done for me in my growing years.

On 5th April 2008, in the morning, I witnessed the handing over of the Patrol Leaders Council from the Secondary 4 to their Secondary 3 counterparts. It brought me back many different memories of my time as a scout in DSG, can't deny the fact that time has really fly ! After the secondary 4s handed over, they were moved on to their new adventure, Venture Scouting in DSG. Before the whole group went on to prepare for the night's 86th Anniversary Campfire, we went on to take the various patrol photos for future legacy and memories.

After the initial photo taking sessions, the group went on to prepare for the night's campfire. Everything was under control and going well, I also took the time to help out for a while with their preparations and took photos of them in their preparation. Although I never came back as a full fledged leader, coming back regularly for major DSG activities as an old boy aka Dragon Chapter gave me a lot of satisfaction, pride, old and new friendship and fun !

During the evening, it started raining heavily and we had to prepare for the wet weather program. However, we were blessed when the rain stops in time before the official start time of the campfire and the boys and girls double quick time dry and clean up the campfire arena for the real campfire with burning firewood.

There were lots of fun and the boys and girls enjoyed themselves a lot. Even though campfire may not be totally the same during my era, some things never change, the spirit and friendship of scouting.

I was very happy to see a number of DSG old boys of many different eras coming back, as DSG grows in the future, it is very important for the old boys to be always keep in touch and stay connected via such major DSG event.

Dragon Scout Group Family - Past and Present

Only with the support, participation, networking and connection of the past and present DSG family, would Dragon Scout Group grows even bigger and stronger.

Once a Dragon Scout, Always a Dragon Scout.

Asia WOW @ Raffles City - 29th March 2008

There had been a number of fashion show events held at various major shopping centres and after my earlier photo shoot at Central, I pop by for a chat with my friend Daniel Ong of the The Camera Workshop, before heading down to Raffles City for their fashion show event.

The fashion event was known as Asia WOW : The Catwalk, featuring 4 famous designers with their latest designs

1. Kanchan Panjabi from Hong Kong
   
2. Jun Escario from Philippines
3. Teddy Or from Singapore
4. Kiata Kawanda from Indonesia

The event was held on the 3rd floor of Raffles City and I could only watched from the side railings because I couldn't get inside the show area. It was a real challenge due to the distance and the lighting available for this fashion catwalk event.

Had a fun time taking photos, admiring the beautiful models showcasing beautiful dresses and ladies fashion clothings.

More photos can be viewed here !

Geometrics @ Central - 29th March 2008

Last Saturday on the 29th of March 2008, I went down to Central for another round of fashion catwalk photo shoot.

The theme was Geometrics - "Dominating the scene for office and party outfits are prints, checks, art-deco and monotones" - as listed on the official website showcasing the various fashion events.

I was a little bit late but still enjoyed myself thoroughly with the fashion photo shoot, great chance to improve my fashion/catwalk/portraits photography. Hope you folks enjoy the photos !

More photos can be seen here !

2008 Spring/Summer Fashion Show - Flora Revival @ Central

The Singapore Fashion Festival 2008 is coming to town and it will be held from 28th March to 6th April 2008. Besides the glamorous fashion events, shows and displays, major shopping centres and fashion brands also take the opportunity to showcase their latest range of fashion design.

The Central organised an arts and fashion event and there was the Spring/Summer Fashion Show - Flora Revival, showcasing feminine floral prints on beautiful dresses and blouses, that could worn for both office or casual.

It was a very fun event, great to back shooting models walking down on the catwalk and it wasn't too crowded, managed to get a good location without being squeezed out. However, while I was happily taking photos of the models, my flash became cranky and gave me quite a number of problems. Therefore, some of my photos didn't come out that well and would need more attention in post-processing.

More photos can be viewed here !

Latest Toy - The Singapore Flyer

Folks,

There had been a lot of buzz in Singapore recently, upcoming events, new buildings on the way up, new attractions. One of the latest addition to Singapore's attractions is our Singapore Flyer.

It was opened earlier for corporate entities before officially opening to the public not too long ago. The giant flyer stands out in Singapore's CBD and Marina Bay landscape, especially in the night, when it lights up the dark sky. Moreover, it would be a great photo spot/location/background for the upcoming Formula 1 coming to Singapore in September 26 - 28.

I was inspired to go walk down and take a look at our new giant toy and I was blown away just by standing beneath it. It's really huge and I look foward to be up at the top of the world, enjoying a moving experience, enjoying a bird's eye view of Singapore and taking lots of photos.

More photos can be view here.

Ready for a ride ? Hope you folks enjoy the ride and share your photos and experiences !

MOSAIC Music Festival 2008

The MOSAIC Music Festival 2008 was held from 7th March to 16th March at the Esplanade, Theatres on the Bay, Singapore. There were many great musical performances of many different types such as indie, hip-hop, rock, jazz etc etc.

I decided to pop down and listen to the performances at the Esplanade Concourse and watched wonderful singing and performances from Huimin singing jazz ballads and d'Easton Ritmo performing latin and classical guitar musical. For those who were there at the Esplanade Concourse, we were given a warming and lively performances this evening and a nice place to relax and chill out listening to them.

Huimin

d'Easton Ritmo

A great time for me, always love the musical performances at the Esplanade Concourse. Good to move away from work and just relax, listening and enjoying the musical performance, along with chance for photo taking.

Photoshoot Personal Projects

It's another boring update here, nevertheless, thanks for bearing with me !

Well, I was chatting to my fellow blogger iWalkU2 and an inspiration came into me, something that I would like to do, it's massive, culturally rewarding and fulfilling.

• A personal photo album with my stories, my own unique photojournalism style. Locations could be in the highlands/mountains (possibly Shangri-La, Tibet, Bhutan, Angkor Wat). Further details need to be iron out, time frame could be 1 to 2 years. Finding more inspirations from sharing and talking to different people from all walks of life and countries.
• Sports car portfolio TFCD shoot - In conjunction with Formula 1 coming to Singapore very soon and drifting getting more recognition, I have discussed with Jack, who had kindly agreed to allow his Honda Civic FD2 for more photo shoot (after some touch up) while I would think of how I can go about doing such a niche photo shoot and eventually create a niche market for my photography.
• Learning and kick start on studio portraits photography, currently scouting for friends who are willing to help becoming my model for TFCD.
• Learning and kick start on overseas photo shoot for pre-wedding + travel photo albums, currently also negotiating and discussing with newly married couples (my friends).
  
• Create my personal portfolio album of events, weddings, portraits (a handful of projects over time).

Thanks for your support if you have read till this last line ! Hope it doesn't bore you !

Ugallery - A Wonderful Site for Student Artists and Art Lovers

The importance and significance of arts have always been an integral part of the growth of a society. Although societies today depend heavily on financial, manufacturing or heavy industries to push their economies in terms of wealth and prosperity, the beauty of the arts helps to shape the character and culture of a society.

I was surfing around using the internet and was introduced by my artistic friend to an interesting Art Gallery , known as Ugallery, it is not your normal online Art Gallery, it is a social networking site, that allows you (student artists or/and art lovers) to come together, submit your artworks, share your comments and views on the artworks and placing their beautiful and outstanding artworks for sale to arts lovers who have the opportunities to purchase pieces of artworks for the addition to their overall collection.

At their website, you can view different categories of original art works and buy art from Ugallery. They have many different artworks on display and being a photographer, I am amazed by the quality of the photography artwork segment displayed by the artists, they are really wonderful pieces of world class photographs.

I am a photographer (enthusiast & freelance) and I can understand and empathised with the emerging student artists from universities, colleges and high schools or those artists that recently entered the arts scene. The wonderful student artists at Ugallery deserves the recognition and publicity for their wonderful artworks.

Do enjoy your visit to Ugallery !

Drifting is Coming to Singapore !

Folks, have you heard of themes such as Initial D Anime Series, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Need For Speed ? They have something in common and it is DRIFTING !

(Icon Banner from Formula Drift Singapore Official Website)

Drifting is officially coming to Singapore on 27th April 2008 by Formula Drift Singapore. More information can be obtained from their official website.

Being a sports car and drifting enthusiast & fan, I am looking foward to this event and taking photos of artistic and awesome drifting action ! Can't wait for the hot octane and burning tyres with powerful sports cars drifting around !!!!

Is Photography a Lonely Business ?

Photography had been an integral part of my life since I was a young boy, influenced by my dad's Pentax film SLR, and my uncles and cousins too. Even though it was only in the past 3-4 years that I began to take photography more seriously and exploring into different fields and becoming a freelance/semi-professional photographer, I am still at heart, a great enthusiastic.

Is Photography a Lonely Business ? Or even as a hobby ? Sometimes, it is very true, however, you can find people of the same interests and make more new friends too !

I chanced upon this wonderful blog called Photopreneur, from the MyBlogLog Community and read an article on 22 Joint Venture Ideas for Photographers, I find their website to be of great interest, knowledge and sharing for all photographers. Do drop in and have a look, they have great articles and sharing !

Enjoy your photography, folks !

Dragon Scout Group Investiture Ceremony 2008

On 1st March 2008, Gan Eng Seng Dragon Scout Group held its annual investiture ceremony for its new members to our new family, the Secondary Ones and the Cub Scouts from Radin Mas and Gan Eng Seng Primary.

A bit of history lesson for my readers, my relationship with Dragon Scout Group dates back to 1990, when I entered Gan Eng Seng School and joined the Scouts as my uniform group and it was an era of lots of fun, outdoor activities, personal development growth and character building. Today, I come back as a Dragon Chapter member a.k.a. Old Boy.

The past few years investiture and group photo taking was covered by me and it was an honour to be able to contribute back to Dragon Scout Group. One of my best time was helping in our 85th Anniversary Celebrations in the Year 2007.

Reaching there in the morning, we had the Flag Break ceremony and everything was going in order and timing until rain starts pouring down. We had to move up to the hall for the wet weather program and proceeded with the investiture ceremony there, along with the parents of the Secondary Ones and Primary Schools.

As it was still raining, the program was switched and the boys and girls watched videos and presentation of our 85th Anniversary Hawaiian Exchange and Mount Kinabalu trips events. Please do drop by my previous links below and read about some of our 85th Anniversary Celebrations !

Mount Kinabalu Summit Climb

Dragon Scout Group 85th Anniversary Dinner

With the rain still ongoing, we switched the location for the Group Photo taking, and I had to thank all the leaders and ventures, that helped to setup the new tables and benches for the Group Photo shoot. Especially thanks to Ganesh for the direction of the boys and girls to the tables and benches. It was lots of fun especially with Wei Bin and Moo Teng playing around with my remote control and taking photos of themselves.

After the photo taking, there were games and food for all, before the event ends for all with the Flag Lowering Ceremony. It was great to be back with Dragon Scout Group, something that still holds a special place in my heart till today.

Onward Dragon Scout Group !