Mini Travel Log: Shanghai, China

My second destination to China; Shanghai. It was a very short stay for me and I didn't have enough time to explore. And I STILL haven't get the chance to see pandas yet (Grrr!!!!). Well, I was very impressed with the world class infrastructures in Shanghai. It is really a metropolitan city which is on par with any Western cities. However, the mentality of the people is still very much third world, especially when you see how the devils drive on the road dangerously. And yeah, the people here still spit everywhere. The city is so polluted that even on a clear sky with bright sun, the light couldn't penetrate the layer of pollutants. I wonder how they can achieve long life expectancy while living in such conditions. Constructions are ongoing everywhere in the city and at the time of this writing, the walk down the famous "Bund" of Shanghai where old colonial buildings are is closed. I was actually quite disappointed when I got there. Went to the other side of the river to see the Oriental Pearl Tower. Here, constructions of mega buildings are ongoing as well. On my next return, I will go out at night instead to avoid the smog and to capture nicer pictures. Oh yeah, I need someone to remind me to visit the pandas too. :P

Last post for the year of 2009. I wish everyone HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

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Mini Travel Log: Auckland, New Zealand

Spending my christmas in Auckland was not entirely cool. Many shops and tourist attraction sites were closed. On the morning of christmas, the streets were literally deserted and the city looked like a ghost town. Fortunately, the harbor cruise and tourist sight-seeing buses are still operating. It was a lovely sunny day. The cruise down the harbor was wonderful. I'd recommend that for anyone visiting Auckland. Hop-on buses brought me to many attraction sites; but mostly closed, so I spent most of the time outside. There was one thing which I couldn't do which is the bungy jumping off the Auckland Harbor Bridge or the Sky Tower. Perhaps next time when I return again.

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Christmas Lights @ Orchard

To all readers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May you have a better year next year. The past 2 years were terrible but things are looking brighter now. For those who lost their jobs, may you find a new one. For those who got their pay cut, may you get a salary increase and bonus by year end. And for those greedy sinister powers behind this economic meltdown mess and profited from it, enjoy your ill-gotten gains. Don't forget the less fortunate. Here are pictures of Christmas lights taken from Orchard in Singapore. It's not grand anymore but at least the festive mood is still around. At times of despair, it's good to throw everything aside and enjoy our time. Happy holidays!

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Mini Travel Log: Maldives

Maldives is a group of small tropical islands in the Indian Ocean. Faced with the threat of global warming, this country is forecasted to be under the water in the near future. Five years ago, this island was devastated by tsunami generated from an earthquake. It showed how vulnerable it is against threats of mother nature. I was very lucky to have the chance to visit this beautiful island. The beach is sandy white and the blue sea is so clear. Every island is surrounded by lagoons of rich coral and fish species. I had my first snorkeling experience here and was stunned by the out-of-this-world underwater sights. I even came close to sharks; which I was lucky not to be eaten. I hope every one can do a part in fighting global warming and preserve the beautiful mother nature for our future generation. There isn't many places left in this world with such beautiful sights.

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Mini Travel Log: Dubai, UAE (2)

I had another few days in Dubai recently. I returned to Dubai mall for another look at the tallest building next to it on a clear blue sky. Even though it was the second time, I managed to capture a few more fantastic shots of the building and areas in the mall. After that, I went to the famous hotel by the sea; Burj Al Arab. I was surprised to see many people sun-bathing on the desert beach under the scorching hot sun. No wonder skin cancer is on the rise among the new generation. I ended my tour at the man-made island Palm Jumeirah. I ventured until the very end tip of the island where the huge Atlantis hotel is located. Damage for the day: cab fare of 160 dirhams!!! Hmm..where should I visit on my next trip. Maybe I should check out the desert safari. Anyone up for it?

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Related link: Mini Travel Log: Dubai, UAE (1)

Mini Travel Log: Istanbul, Turkey

Istanbul; the city where East meets West. The two continents are divided by the Bosphorus Strait. Many great empires ruled over this city and used it as a capital; leaving it with rich cultural heritage. I was mesmerized by this beautiful city and its many historical structures. Fighting fatigue and trying to stay awake, I managed to visit the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and Grand Bazaar. There are so many other attractions and I wished I had more days here.

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A word of caution for tourists. Like many southern European cities, there are many shady people preying on tourists here. Very often these people come up to ask you questions like "where are you from" and "who do you travel with". While trying to draw your attention away, the other guy will work his pickpocket skills. There are also people who will coax you to follow them to some good bargain places. Don't be fooled by them as they are trying to bring you to isolated place to mug you. On my very short visit, I had already seen a case and another attempt on myself.

Mini Travel Log: Beijing, China

My hotel is just next to the Olympic Park where the Bird's Nest and Water Cube are located. I was all excited like a kid and ready to go out when my cab pulled up at the hotel entrance. Entrance to the park itself is free but there is a fee to go into the Bird's Nest. The Water Cube is fenced up and looked abandoned. It is very sad to see such huge sports complexes not utilized for sports activities and left to collect dust. And it is definitely a huge waste of money on maintenance. In the evening, I visited Tiananmen Square. Unfortunately, the sun was already setting when I reached the place. The winds were howling and temperature dipped to minus 6 degree celcius. I didn't stay there for long to be a snowman. I will return next time to explore more and enter the Forbidden City. On my way back, I passed by the Olympic Park again. The place was beautifully lit up with illumination, especially the Water Cube. Definitely worth to check out for those who love night scenes.

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Mini Travel Log: Dubai, UAE

Dubai is the Shanghai of Middle East. With its massive oil revenue, it managed to transform into a modern metropolitan city which hosts the world's tallest building (Burj Dubai) and other amazing man-made structures like the Palm and World Islands. It is the most liberal city among the conservative Arab nations; therefore able to attract many businesses and tourists. However, due to the recent economic meltdown, the city is now struggling to keep alive amid the slump in property and investment market. Now, there are too many unoccupied mega skyscrapers in the desert, making it look like a ghost town that has just emerged from a nuclear apocalypse.

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Yuna Ito - Gate (OST)

I wanna share this wonderful song with everyone.

"YUNA ITO x TAKESHI KOBAYASHI x MIKHAIL PLETNEV (U.S. / Japan / Russia) come together to record "GATE". For the movie "GATE" and SOUNDTRACK. All volunteered, and All proceeds go toward dismantling nuclear weapons. www.GNDFund.org"



"Almost 60 years ago a flame was kindled from the embers of the City of Hiroshima after the world’s first atomic bomb was dropped on a civilian population in hopes of ending World War II. Three days later, a second Atomic Bomb was dropped on the civilian population of the only Christian City in Japan, Nagasaki. The flame still burns today and has become a symbol of hope for peace and a reminder that nuclear weapons must never again be used on civilian populations.

For decades Buddhist Monks have walked endlessly between Hiroshima and Nagasaki in the belief that their selfless sacrifice and prayers for peace will make Nagasaki the last city in the world ever to know the horrors of Nuclear War.This time they were joined by Native Americans, Veterans, and peace groups of all faiths for their final 1600 mile journey across deserts, over mountain ranges and through more than 250 communities as they walked from San Francisco to the Trinity Test Site in New Mexico, location of the first Atomic Bomb detonation. Once returned to its origin, the flame that has been kept for 60 years was extinguished. A docudrama is now being made to commemorate these important events."

Original soundtrack available on MileHigh Jukebox® on the right.

Mini Travel Log: Melbourne, Australia

Want to experience four seasons in one day? Melbourne is the place. A day can start off with a wonderful hot summer day, but a sweeping cold front from the southern ocean brings down the temperature close to winter while bringing in heavy rains, gale, thunderstorms and even hail. I under-estimated the weather and was caught off guard on the day of arrival. It was a freezing cold night.

Weather was not really good the next day either. It was a morning of fog and cloudy day. Nevertheless I managed to explore the great city. Many buildings have heavy Victorian architecture influence. To my surprise, there is no bus service at the heart of the city itself. It is served by the world's largest tram network instead. The heritage trams are an iconic sight. South of the city across Yarra river houses new urban buildings like the Eureka Tower, hotels, entertainment and casino places. Further south is Albert Park where the annual Melbourne F1 race is held.

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Mini Travel Log: New Delhi, India

Namaskar, welcome to India, land of many spices. New Delhi is the capital of India. People here are generally courteous and friendly. However, pollution has taken its toll on the city and litters are everywhere. Gone were the days of clear blue skies. Everyday, the air is choked with haze and smoke. The streets of India are NOISY!!! All drivers have their hands glued to the car horn. They abused the horn like nobody's business. I think driving while honking is a requirement to pass a driving test in India.

I made a very quick visit to the India Gate which was built to honor the 90,000 Indian soldiers killed in WW1. Wow, I didn't know India was so much involved in the war which was so far away in Europe. A walk up to the west along the wide boulevard brought me to Rashtrapati Bhawan, official residence of the President of India. The parliament (Sansad Bhawan) and goverment buildings are in the vicinity. Time was not on my side as I had to leave early. The markets, slums and Taj Mahal will be in my itinerary on my next visit. Byebye India.

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"BOOMZ"...and up in flames

First there was smoke, then "BOOMZ", a loud explosion and the building was up in flames. Sirens were heard wailing from the distance. By the time the firefighters arrived, the mosque was already engulfed in an intense fire. There was no way the building can be saved. After an hour of blaze, part of the roof collapsed.

This was what happened to Siglap Mosque. Arson? Act of terrorism? Or just an unfortunate misfortune? Read the news in the papers tomorrow.

Updates: A boy has been charged by the court for torching the mosque.

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Sentosa

When I visited Sentosa during my childhood, all I remember is there's only the musical fountain, Underwater World and some resort overlooking the main city island. Fast forward, the island has turned into one giant tourist trap with so many new attractions. Now there's a Siloso beach with Cafe del Mar popular for its beach and foam party. There's also a giant integrated casino and resort coming up to cash in on those gambler uncle and aunties' savings. To the east of the island, new residential areas are popping up for the rich and famous. Every lawn is never short of exotic cars like Ferrari and Lamborghini. Get the best deal in town if you're a Singaporean or PR by getting the discounted package ticket that allows you to visit and play in a number of attractions. If you're a foreigner visiting with some Singaporean friends, chances are the cashier will just close one eye and sell you the same package. Give it a try. On the island, I highly recommend you to play the Luge; a free-wheeling cart going downhill at insane speed.

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Waterspout

Waterspout is a very common phenomenon in the tropics, and especially in Singapore. Yet I have never seen one in my whole life until one fine afternoon when the sky suddenly turned dark and the heaven opened its floodgate. Right before the rain pours, a giant waterspout was seen weaving its way over the ships anchored off the shore. A free cleaning service courtesy from mother nature. An aircraft was seen taking off from the airport nearby and headed straight into the funnel. What an amazing sight.

It was a "Hort" day

The Indonesian haze is back and shrouding the whole Singapore with toxic fumes. The weather is already hot, and now the haze is creating a greenhouse effect by trapping all the heat. It was certainly hot during my photography outing with my friends to Hort Park and few other places last weekend. Not contempt with the previous outing at Henderson Waves, we made another trip to the same place. This time we explored even further to the Alexandra Arch and Hort Park. The arch resembles a leaf. Hort Park is a great place for flower lovers. At night, we strolled down Boat Quay for yet another round of night photography. At this rate, I think we will run out of places to take pictures in Singapore soon.


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Singtel MIO Intermittent Internet Problem

Since last week, the internet has been acting up and is driving me nuts. I have been getting random and intermittent internet problems. To be exact, the irritating "white screen" on both my Firefox and IE8 browsers.





On the worst day, I can't even surf past one page. No matter how many million times I click on the refresh button, the "white screen" remains painted on my screen. The ADSL connection remains alive, but somehow there is a loss of connection in the modem or Singtel's line. I googled up and found out there is a spike of users reporting the same problem since last week. If you are on the Singtel MIO TV bundled broadband and using the 2Wire 2701HGV-E modem/router, you'll most likely have the same problem too. Either the modem is crappy or Singtel's internet routing is bad. I found a temporary solution to it. In your internet options, go to the Network or Connection tab (depending on your browser) and use "proxy.singnet.com.sg" as your proxy and port number "8080". I'm not sure if this method works for others, but mine has been running fine; at least for the moment. This band aid solution is not going to help in the long run. The bottom line is, Singtel better buck up and address this issue rather than skirting around it with their lousy customer support. Give your customers better modem, good technical support and improve your connection! I'm not going to renew the contract nor getting any new products from Singtel until I see improvements in their service.

* if you find this solution helpful, do spread the news to other singtel broadband users.

Ride With The Waves

Henderson Waves, is a bridge connecting Mt. Faber and Telok Blangah Hill park. This beautifully crafted bridge resembles the ocean waves, blending perfectly into the lush forest greens and parks nearby. This place is quite secluded and isolated, therefore not well known even to the locals. A must visit for nature lovers. For those more adventurous, complete the full 9km trail starting from Mt. Faber to West Coast Park which brings you through thick jungles and numerous themed parks rich in flora. If roller blades and skate boards are allowed at this bridge, I bet it's going to be the most exciting place on earth. With all the unique curves, imagine the crazy and extreme stunts one can do; hanging 26-storey high up in mid air.

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Marina Barrage, another man-made structure recently completed and open to the public. It is actually a dam blocking out the river from the sea, thus creating another fresh water reservoir for the thirsty Singaporeans. I'm really amazed on how clever the authorities are that came up with this plan of turning it into an attraction for tourists. And I must say this place IS beautiful. The huge grass lawn is perfect for picnic; while watching the sunset of the city from the distant. Unfortunately it's scorching hot in Singapore, so you won't see many people picnicking in the day. Therefore, the people have night picnic instead. What a genius. It's wonderful to see the full moon and the brightly lit city being reflected on the water, as well as the walk across the beautifully lit dam which resembles an airport runway.

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Autumn in Singapore

Continuing on with my photography journey around Singapore; here are the new series taken with creative filters and experimental techniques. I had a great outing with my friend to Keppel Bay, Sentosa and Mt. Faber. Inspired by the work of a photographer in infra red photography, I managed to recreate an autumn feeling in one of my picture. I like that picture very much and I certainly love the technique too as it opens the door to endless possibilities in a picture.

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Singapore Botanic Garden

Located at the heart of concrete jungle, the Singapore Botanic Garden is the green lung for the people to breathe fresh air and have a relaxing weekend. If you like flowers and plants, this is the place for you. It has many different themed gardens with varieties of plant species for you to admire. The park is open to pets as well. I was there for a dog photography project few weeks ago. Unfortunately my outing was cut short by an unexpected rainfall.

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Fountain of Wealth @ Suntec

This is the elusive "Fountain of Wealth" at Suntec. Touted the biggest fountain in the world. But it doesn't live up to its name. Everytime when I was there, I did not see any fountain display shows. I couldn't find any show timings as well, not in their website either. My friends have been asking the same question. Then on PC Show last week, I managed to catch all the action; unexpectedly. No announcement whatsoever, the fountain suddenly sprang to life. It caught me by surprise. Looking at the stunned faces of other people, I'm sure they have no idea as well that this fountain is one spectacular dragon once it wakes up.

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Recession? What Recession?

The recently concluded PC Show at Suntec just proved that there's a new "species" in Singapore. At times like this, one is expected to tighten the belt and stay at home. But these "species" are different. They are loaded and not affected by the downturn. If there are generations X, Y and Z in this world, then I will call them the generation S. The big spenders. Singapore has got a population of approx 4.8 million. And about 1.2 million turned for the show. That's a quarter of the island's population. Are these people really loaded and not affected by the recession? Or are they just a bunch of "kiasu" people turning up for good bargains and enjoy free air-conds. It seems like Singaporeans have got nowhere else to go. Everytime when there's something big organized, you can expect the whole of Singapore being there. This is madness.

A walk in the park with "Celebrities", V2

It's been a long time since I last had my park outing with the "celebs". The last time was almost 2 years ago. Going out with the "celebs" are like walking down the red carpet. The three hotties sure draw a lot of attention. With them around, you're a superstar. But working with them (taking pictures) is a pain because the divas can't sit still and don't really listen to commands. Well, it's not all bad because compared to local "Ah Lian" dogs, they are friendly and tame. One stupid "Paris Hilton" dog bit me the other day in the lift. Now I'm very against local spoilt and untrained dogs.

This is my first time doing dog photography. Also my first time doing poster/magazine style edits. It really drained my energy as I found out this job is not easy at all. It burned my weekends and even my laptop! Now I have invested in a desktop for more computing power. But I would say it was well worth it. I've learned so much out of it. I'm very satisfied with the work myself.

Introducing our first celebrity, Datin; fondly called as TinTin.

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Royal Highness Queen Sherrie. Chauffeured around in her own "limo" wherever she goes.

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The "dumb blond" miss G. Very moody and temperamental.

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Finally, family portraits for the 3 celebs. One happy family.

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A Place To Call Home

After been sharing rooms for the past 3 years, I have finally got a room for myself. It's long overdue. Was supposed to be last year, but it didn't materialize due to some unforeseen circumstances. Now, I have finally got a place to call home. A great place at a bargain price it is. Comes with full sea view plus overseeing aircrafts performing take-offs/landings under the bright full moon.

I just have a statement to make here regarding house sharing. Less people, less opinions, less complaints; Everyone happy. Wanna do something, do it willingly and not to boss about it afterward. Respect has got to be earned, but not by bragging what own self did and comparing it with others. And tolerance, mind the language. One simple stupid word can wreck friendship built from many years.

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Singapore Street/Night Photography, V2

They say people change no matter how pure or tough-nut they are. I have to agree on that. I've changed as well after going through chapters in my life with ups and downs. I'm not the same person as I was 10 years ago, 5 years ago and even a week ago. Everyday I discover and learn new things; come in contact with positive and negative circumstances; good and bad people. Well, for better or worse, I have no idea. But all these are reflected in the way I take pictures, the way I speak and write, and the music of my choice.

Recently my style has changed drastically. This collection features more shots from abnormal angles and experiments with colors/contrast. The collection from the first series can be found here: Singapore Street/Night Photography, V1. Perhaps you can tell me who am I now from the pictures? Complicated huh?

When things in life go a little too slow,
sit back, relax and have a cup of coffee.
When things in life go a little too fast,
stop and take some time off to reorganize.
And sometimes it's OK to take a step back or turn around;
don't just follow the crowd.
Have or no time, enjoy life as if there's no tomorrow,
because you'll never know what will happen the next day.

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Marche @ Vivo City

Fancy for some Swiss dishes? Head over to Marche at Vivo City. Food is abundant and many varieties are offered including Italian and Spanish. Must try: Swiss Rosti. Skip the pasta. Very nice dining atmosphere but gets noisy when the crowd is big. Be there early to avoid the long queue and disappointment. If you enjoy the food, ring one of the many cow bells (Trychel) before you go out.

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Penang 09

Here are some shots from my weekend stay in Penang. It changed a bit since my last visit 4 years ago. Now there is a huge shopping center at Queensbay. For seafood, forget about crossing the bridge and going to Bkt. Tambun. There is one on the island itself which is even better. Forgot where is the place, but it is located near the Penang Hill.

Going up Penang Hill is a hassle. Perhaps the effect after my trip to Mount Takao in Tokyo. The trains at Mt. Takao are brand new, fast and air conditioned. But the trains here are old, slow and stuffy; with only fans providing ventilation to suffering passengers stuffed in overcrowded cars. The wait for the train is long too.

Anyway, big thank you to Jonsern for being a great host.

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Portrait Photography: My Nightmare

I visited my friend Jonsern in Penang. He organized a portrait photography weekend for me apart from the usual eating and sight-seeing trip. I've never shoot portraitures seriously and I thought it would be a great idea to move out from my comfort zone of landscape photography and learn some new skills. Armed with the new 50mm f1.8 lens, I was eager and all ready for it.

Continuing my story from the previous post below, I said it was a blessing in disguise that I did not get the 35mm f1.8 lens; which is double the price of my 50mm. And this is the reason why. I first started shooting pictures with my prosumer camera with a whopping 12x optical zoom. After depending and living so long on zoom lenses, it's like a drug now which I cannot shake off. Zoom lenses are so convenient that I hardly need to move me feet when taking pictures. My composition skill and perspective are all rotten because of this. Moving on to DSLR, now I have the benefit of using prime lenses; like my new 50mm lens. Using prime lens for the first time in my first serious portrait photography, unfortunately it turned out to be a nightmare. I couldn't even compose the subject into the frame properly. Many shots turned out to be out of focus too. Feeling so frustrated, I changed back to my zoom lens in the latter session. The pictures are better, but still not outstanding. I come to the conclusion that I suck big time in portrait photography. I will stick to my landscape photography. I feel very sorry to the models for taking such bad pictures for them. Well, luckily I got the cheaper 50mm lens instead of the 35mm. Else, I will be crying over a wasted lens left collecting dust in the cabinet.

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Bokeh Time

I got myself a bokeh lens; Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8 D. Was supposed to get the 35mm f1.8 lens but it's out of stock. It was actually a blessing in disguise which I will reveal the reason why in my next post. Below are some sample pictures taken from my new lens. Most pictures are blur or out of focus due to my inexperience in handling prime lens and without a tripod as well.

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Sakura Trip: Tokyo, Hakone, Takao

Ah, it's that time of the year again where I perform my annual backpacking trip ritual. This year, without doubt I chose Tokyo to see the cherry blossom (sakura); which I've missed it last year.

I took the much coveted flight to Tokyo on the Airbus A380 super jumbo. This has got to be the best aircraft ever built. My entire flight was super quiet and so comfortable. And it has the best suspension systems I must say. During taxiing, take off or landing, I could not feel any bumps or jerks at all.

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Tokyo Edo Museum is a very good place to start for a gaijin (foreigner) first-timer in Japan. This museum tells stories from ancient emperor/samurai era and how Japan rises from the ashes of A-bomb to become an ultra modern country. Next to the museum is the Sumo hall. One can catch sumo wrestlers in action at certain days of the week.

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I walked the streets of Akihabara and Shinjuku in the evening on my first day. Big mistake! It was freaking winter temperature even though it's spring. It was already 3deg celcius at 7pm. I was a frozen pig that night even under the blanket.

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I joined the Hatobus tour on my second day to save me the hassle of transport. The tour brought me to Meiji Jingu shrine, Imperial Palace, Sensoji temple in Asakusa, cruise down Tokyo Bay and Odaiba man-made island.

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To get the best view of Tokyo Tower and also the night city view, you have to be at Roppongi area. Head west of Tokyo Tower and find the Roppongi Hills Mori tower. Go to the 52nd floor at night and enjoy a 360deg view of Tokyo lights.

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It must be my lucky day. Mori tower has an ongoing display of Ferrari cars on their 52nd floor observatory tower. They even have the Enzo and the sexy SP1 on display!!!

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From Shinjuku station, I walked to the west side, full of skyscrapers. I got a very nice day view of Tokyo city from the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. Both their North and South observatory towers are free in admission. One can see Mt. Fuji from here on a clear day. On the east side of Shinjuku station is the shopping district. The back alleys are a little shady; housing numerous "love" hotels and stuffs like that. It's perfectly OK to walk during the day before it turns into red light district at night.

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Shinjuku Gyoen park is my playground. This huge park has the best cheery trees around. Not only that, the park also has the best landscape and many other flower/tree species. Boy, I utilized my time and D90 to the max in this park.

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Another great place to view the sakura is Chidorigafuchi (Imperial Palace moat). Sakura trees line both sides of the moat and you can even row a boat there. Opposite the moat is the Yasukuni shrine, where they had a big festival there on my visit.

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The busy and famous zig-zag crossing at Shibuya; definitely not the place for me. It's a sea of people out there. And the shopping price tag is out of my wallet range. Teenagers dressed up as anime characters and gothic styles gather in Harajuku. Nearby is the Yoyogi park. Not really a nice place to see the cherry blossom in my opinion.

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I took some time off from the city and headed to Hakone. It is such a beautiful place and offers so many attractions. If only I knew it, I would have planned more days.

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My last few days were spent at Ueno park and Mt. Takao. Ueno is the next best place to see cherry blossom after Shinjuku Gyoen park. It has got the ancient feel. The park has got some really old cherry trees lined up on both sides of the walkway. Nearby attractions are some museums and zoo. Do take note about the crowd on a good sunny day. The queue was so long that it backed all the way from the park to the train station. Climb Mt. Takao on a good day and you'll get to see Mt. Fuji and the city view.

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Well, that wraps up my yet another exciting and wonderful trip. I love Tokyo, and I definitely left my heart there for someone special.

Singapore Street/Night Photography

I was bored. And my D90 is collecting dust. I've tried very hard to get friends to visit places but they chose to hook on the internet at home or drink away their life instead. I have the urge for photography and so I screw the group outing and went lone ranger. I decided to walk the streets of Singapore to hone my skills in street+night photography. Feeling charitable and environmental conscious, I headed down to the WWF office and got myself an Earth Hour t-shirt. From there, I walked the Chinatown, Clarke Quay, the Esplanade and the Flyer. I was surprised to find so many interesting elements and subjects on the streets to be photographed. And all these small little details can really turn up a masterpiece in pictures. I really learned a lot and glad I went out for this. I've mastered a few tricks on my new camera which will be very useful for my Japan trip tomorrow. I'm all ready and looking forward to that.

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Earth Hour

How YOU can support Earth Hour in 2009

At 8:30pm on 28 March 2009, individuals, communities, towns and cities across the world will turn off their lights for one hour sending the powerful global message that working together we can make a difference, and that our voices will be heard on climate change. There are many ways individuals can support Earth Hour 2009, from turning out the lights in buildings on the night, sharing what you know about Earth Hour with others, and uniting friends, family, partners, neighbours, employers in the fight against climate change.

If you would like further information on how you can help, or organise Earth Hour in your town or city, visit the Earth Hour website at www.earthhour.org

Never Saw Blue (Like That Before)

Lately there have been many thunderstorms in Singapore. Zeus must have been offended for he unleashed his fury in the form of spectacular lightning and thunder. The Merlion of Singapore was not spared for he too was hit by Zeus' thunderbolt, leaving him with a bald patch on the head.

Today's thunderstorm was furious. I managed to capture the action while Zeus is unleashing his anger. The shot did not turn out well though. I'm disappointed. I've got a score to settle with you, Zeus. Same time same place tomorrow. Your bolt against my 105mm rifle.



After the rain, the sky was perfect clear and blue. Thanks for clearing up the haze.
Today we took a walk up the street,
We picked a flower and climbed a hill above the lake
Secret thoughts, u said aloud,
We watched the faces in the clouds
Until the clouds have blown away
Were we ever somewhere else u know
It's hard to say

I never saw a blue like that before
Across the sky, around the world
You're giving me all u have and more
No one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now, oh I
I never saw a blue like that...Hayley Westenra