the only constant is change

Yay! I took the quiz and scored as my fav x-men! Incidently, Iceman was also my nickname when I was younger...

You Are Iceman

You tried to live a normal life, but it just wasn't possible A bit of a slacker, you rather tell jokes than cultivate your powers Powers: turning self and others into ice, making ice weapons, becoming nearly invisible

I first watched this years ago on a japanese veriety show and remember being wowed by the creative use of angle direction (if there's such a term).

as a skit, this ranks as the needle-point tip of the best in the heap!

Two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to hear the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Singers perform at the Esplanade.

This emsemble from the Philippines has garnared a formidable international reputation from the most prestigious choral competitions in its short 11 year history. Witnessing their ease of music making that night truly opened my eyes and ears to a whole new level of choral excellence. This choir truly deserves every single one of their sparkling accolades.

From the start, the group of about 25 singers dazzled with their sense of balance, tonal purity, incredible dynamic range and sheer power. Almost everyone in the group was a soloist in their own right, and yet, their overall sound was cohesive and silky smooth. I was moved to tears, not once, but twice throughout the evening.

The second half of the concert saw them tackle a lighter and unconducted program of Broadway and contemporary music with exuberant choreography. Not once did their love for music and performance sag as they belted out song after song, pouring their liquid voices into the concert hall and thrilling everyone with gigantic finales repeatedly. No audience could have resisted their undeniable passion as evidenced by the way we gladly matched their stirring vocals with thunderous applause and multiple standing ovations of our own.

When the choir performed their last song of the evening, I am certain that it left an indelible imprint in the hearts and minds of those listening, as it did mine. Here is a group showing us the way to the lofty heights of choral music via dedication, discipline and passion. Will their one-night only stop in Singapore prove to be more than mere entertainment in value?

I certainly hope so.

All good things must come to an end. Likewise, pain and suffering from viewing icky bird pics will also cease after this final post on my bird park adventure.

I hope you have enjoyed this series of pics. One thing I've learnt from the last shoot is that I need greater magnification even with my 100-300mm lens. I'm now looking at purchasing a set of extension tubes which will allow me to focus even closer to my subjects. Hopefully that will spur me to practice more and help me develop as a photographer.

I have uploaded some never-seen-before-bird-footage on my flikr account, so click on the flash badge on your right if you wish to view them.

Birds with blase natures are easy to capture on film. This cool and collected little budgie is part of the official team that poses for photographs with visitors for a fee.

This majestic bird with its decorative tuft and sweeping feathers in classic grey makes a grand, if imposing, addition to the park.

Who could resist snapping a pic of these 'pretty maids all in a row'? This was the last pic I took before leaving; a cute conclusion to a morning well spent.

I love water fowl. Ever since I watched early episodes of Pokemon which featured a clueless, clumsy and cowardly Pokemon called 'Psyduck', I started to like ducks.

Psyduck was a silly yellow duck with a perpetually vacant expression (much like me) and usually had no idea what was happening (again like me). On occasion, Psyduck could also unexpectedly manifest powerful psychic powers but it always reverted to its bimbotic state immediately after (that is SO completely like me).

This little duck perched itself on a branch jutting out of the pond and posed for me. Somehow, ducks have very sweet and docile expressions even when they have yellow eyeliner on.

Isn't this cute? This duck is napping on the dock. On one foot. It's harder than it looks; try it if you don't believe me. So respect the duckies!

I'm not sure what this is, but it looked like a swan to me; only it had a white body, while from the neck up it was a downy black. It looked a little disconcerting because somehow 'experimental surgery' leaps to my mind. Maybe there's a black-body-white-necked swan somewhere that I didn't see?

Being so close to nature is always an experience. Seeing the huge variety of birds that we have at the bird park, I'm in awe of how they have been trasported from their natural habitats the world over to congregate here. I'm happy for the opportunity to admire them in person without having to travel, but am also saddened somewhat to be reminded their existance is not truly free in the way they deserve to live.

Some of the tamer species of birds are released into walk-in aviaries where they can be observed in their element by the appreciative crowds. But how can an artificial home compare to open skies and unspoilt forests?

A huge enclosure was devoted to the strikingly colorful lories which were tame enough to land on visiters and feed from their hands. Here, two lories preen each other on a nearby branch.

Here is a close up of a lori who was perched very close to me on a railing. Its brilliant plumage is truly breathtaking.

This photogenic macaw is part of the welcoming team at the park's entrance. It can't match up to the little lory in vividness of colors, but makes up for it with a charming and patient personality.

I was very thankful for the perfect juggling act between fine and rainy weather at the bird park. When the train emerged at Redhill it was simply pouring buckets. My heart sank; then I remembered to say a prayer and wondered if I should make alternative plans should the bad weather persist. By the time I reached Boon Lay though, there wasn't a grey cloud as far as the eye could see!

And I was blessed with clear skies till I left the park. When I made it back to the Jurong bus terminal for lunch, the rain clouds finally rolled in and it was miserably wet again. I felt quite sorry for the busloads of tourists who arrived as I was leaving.

Anyway, who loves flamingos?

Flamingoes have become iconic of all things kooky and offbeat in popular culture. With their slender frame in pink hues and characterstic one-legged pose, it's not hard to see why.

While all the rest are preening or napping, one curious flamingo stands alone admist the crowd and stares down this photographer. I guess even they get bored at times.

This bunch of raveneous flamingoes were busy feasting, I think, because from where I was it looked like they were rubbing their beaks into the mud. Anyone knows what a flamingo's diet is like?

It's Vesak Day and instead of serenading my block with snores till noon like my real self normally would, the intrepid photographer in me lugged my lazy body out of bed at dawn (no mean feat) and all the way to the other end of the island to the Bird Park.

You should be proud of me.

For 3hrs after the park opened at 9am I snapped till my arms were sore and ran out of space in my memory card. But I was pleased with my haul. Instead of cramming 200 pics down your throat at one go, I shall be considerately presenting selected pics over the next few days so that none of you will develop a debilitating phobia of beautiful birds.

This crested pigeon is as large as a small dog. And it behaves almost like one, too; coming nearly close enough to pet.

Small songsters like these next two are horribly hard to capture because of their jittery natures and twitchy habits.

They are small, but if one decided to sing on your shoulder you'd probably go deaf. They obviously have perfect control over diaphragmatic support!

I hope you're not sick of birds yet.

These sleek creatures are a common sight around the church. In fact, some have built a nest under the roof tiles on the 3rd floor next to the elevator and various generations of occupants have come and gone.

I've been trying to get a closer shot of them for several months now, and today I had my chance.

Really, photography is all about the moment. I hope you like this one.

A few weeks ago, I was up on the church rooftop getting some fresh air. A storm was approaching, and the clouds were some of the most dramatic that I had ever seen. I quickly ran to get my camera before the storm hit.

Many times we miss these awe-inspiring moments found all around us. We get so intensely focused upon what's next on our to-do list that we fail to stop and soak in the atmosphere of where we are.

God is all around us in many forms! We just have to be still, and let Him find us.

The pics are best viewed in the larger versions; just click on them.

Can you see the plane that just took off from the airport?
It really puts us little humans into perspective...

Well, you asked for more wildlife shots (or at least, one of you did) so I've diligently scoured the nooks and crannies of our fair shores and beyond to bring you the stunning latest in local fauna.

Or I simply walked out of church one evening and there was the opportunity.

Hee. This little lizard caught my eye as it scampered into the foliage by the pavement. I'm sure you've seen these skitterish critters around? I'll leave it to our resident nature ID-er to tell us its scientific name, feeding habits and shopping hobbies.

I was literally standing right next to it but it was obviously hoping I didn't notice it. I was able to get several shots of it before it crept deeper into the bush.

There is a bit more detail in this shot because the leaves aren't obscuring its body. If you aren't phobic of our scaly friends, you can click on the pic to enjoy a bigger version.

the liquid strings of purest pearls
cascade over smoothened stone,

the gentle hush of falling rain
enfolds the racing mind.

and it soothes away the toil
like a balm for heavy hearts;

like a breeze that catches every woe
and lifts them from the soul.

run your fingers through the waters
that can bring repair from grief,

and listen to the music that the
whole worlds knows it needs.

I was passing by the canal on my way to the MRT station from church when these birds caught my eye. It was low tide and they were wading in the shallow waters, waiting for a trapped fish to swim close.

This was a photo-op I knew I couldn't miss so I whipped out my gear and started snapping away. Even though the light was low because of the overcast sky, I managed to get some good shots thanks to the still water which reflected the birds nicely.

The following pictures were taken with the KM 100-300mm (APO).

Can anyone ID this handsome bird?

Gotcha! It patiently and slowly waded in the water till dinner swam close enough. However, this particular catch was unfortunately too big, and was let go after a few seconds. I was so thankful to have shot this!

This shot was manipulated to achieve this contemplative effect. I wanted to showcase the quiet and patient nature of this bird. Did I succeed?

Here are some of the tongue twisters that I used for the family day event. Try saying them as fast as you can!

She sells seashells by the sea shore.
The shells she sells are surely seashells.
So if she sells seashells by the sea shore,
I'm sure she sells sea shore shells.

If two witches would watch two watches,
which witch would watch which watch?

Big black bugs bleed blue black blood
but baby black bugs bleed blue blood.
Can't get enough? This wasn't used in the event, but according to Wikipedia, the following is supposedly the hardest tongue twister in the English language.

The sixth sick sheikh's sixth sheep's sick
so six slick sheiks sold six sick sheep six silk sheets.
You can go unravel yourself now; but if you prefer more linguistic challenge (or punishment, depending on your nature) then feel free to check this out!

Yesterday's worship service was fairly smooth till the final minutes. The pianist didn't know which postlude he was supposed the play and was signalling to me desperately during the chairman's closing prayer. I finally caught his frantic gesticulations out of the corner of my eye and rushed over to hum the first line to him. He started flipping for the score, the prayer ended and an awkward silence ensued, so he made a split second choice to begin playing without the score. I got myself back into position and raised my arms to cue the service choir in.

The introduction turned out to be a combination of two different songs. The stunned look on the faces of the choir members must have mirrored mine. I willed them with a look of steely determination to sing the correct version and after a shaky 2 bars, they did.

Then I realized the pianist had picked a different key that was at least 3 to 4 tones higher than the original.

That's probably every singer's worst nightmare.

The choir bravely gave it their all but came across as a haze of tortured squawks. Kudos to them though for not backing down from what they knew would be a poor performance. But in spite of the valiant effort to salvage the situation, that was probably the worst performed and least inspiring postlude since the inception of the service choir.

I was seething inside. What could have gone wrong? The postlude was such an easy and well-rehearsed element in our repertoire. It should have simply flowed in and closed the service on a sweet note.

I told myself to calm down, and let it go. After all, it was over and done with. I also knew that showing my displeasure about it would do no one any good. Then I began to think about why it had happened. I realized that I didn't run through the postlude together with the pianist the night before like I usually did. Somehow, I just assumed it wasn't necessary.

Looks like I was sorely mistaken.

Even the simplest of tasks can go horribly awry when there is insufficient preparation. I didn't do my job in helping the pianist prepare adequately. So in the end, it all came pointing back at me.

Going into the minute details to ensure all the musical elements are ready is part of giving of my best each weekend. I didn't this week, so everyone involved paid for it with an embarassingly unedifying close to the worship service.

And for that, I unreservedly apologise.