Today you can see some of the orchid shots I took from yesterday's trip. There were actually far more flowers to shoot than dragonflies, so I ended up taking only 2-3 snaps for each flower that I encountered.
Big mistake.
Many of the shots looked fine on my LCD screen but, in actuality, they were not in focus when I downloaded them to my computer at home. So I now own a large collection of not-very-sharp orchid pics.
And, needless to say, the common orchids were mostly focused and clear, while the rare and unusual ones turned out blurry. Figures!
This being my last day to 'relax' before heading back to the office, I tried to make the best of it. After lunch, I fought my way through the madness of Orchard Road to reach Botanic Garden.
The day was slightly overcast, and I was able to stroll around without breaking into much of a sweat. I snapped away till the battery finally ran out. For every good picture there were many more poor ones, so it was a great learning experience for me.
This post will highlight the dragonfly pics that I took. These critters are hard to lock on and it's even worse when you have to hold the camera still at close range. I had to perch precariously over the edge of ponds...etc to snap some of them! Anyway, I didn't fall in (thank God) and I have some nice pics to show for it.
Some of you have never met my cat, Gemma. It was very difficult to take a good picture of her with my previous camera. Something would always be wrong with the lighting, or the clarity wasn't there...etc.
Today, I can proudly put up her first 'professional' portrait (with many more to follow, I hope).
Well, the deed is finally done. I have in my hands the long-awaited camera that I've told you about (more than once) and I was finally able to bring it out early today for her maiden shot!
I had not been completely sure if I should take the plunge into the world of DSLR photography because of the costs involved, and even after I had bought the unit I was still beset with doubt. But after seeing how the pictures turned out, I was besotted! All reservations vanished, and I'm raring to go!
I spent all morning at Pasir Ris park fiddling with the controls and learning about how to use the Konica Minolta 5D. There's still so much to comprehend, but I'm going to take it slow and do things right.
Here are some of the pics out of the 200 shots that I took.
Christmas is a time to be dazzled by tacky blinking lights strewn overhead and other shiny things (like your fresh-from-the-atm money glistening goodbye from your fingers as your shopping bill inflates to several times the original budget). 
This year, I had a chance to do some impromptu shopping in Little India on Sunday night. Now lest you think this was a selfish excuse for some personal revelry, it was to hunt for fabric to create a nice stole for the choir members, ok? Of course, this was kinda last minute so there was a race against the clock to find the right stuff as soon as possible (btw if you don't know what a stole is, google it).
Anyway, I've never actually visited Little India before so it was quite an eye opener to take in the messy throng meandering along the narrow and colorful streets. To make a lengthy adventure succinct, we had a quick bite to eat before plunging into our quest for the right fabric. 
We found our way to the basement of the famed Mustafa Center and ended up spending about 2 hours browsing through their stock of beautiful fabrics. Everything we liked was way above our budget (naturally!) but we decided to persist and explore other options. We even dug through the household section's curtains and bedspreads in our effort to find something cheap, good and usable (while not making the choir look like singing manual laborers). We had a little too much fun imagining stoles made from the unlikeliest of materials such as plastic shower curtains and pineapple fiber! Eventaully we returned to the section we started out in and settled for, much to the irate salesmans' relief, a striking emperor-gold satin that suited our budget and needs.
With the 20 meters of shiny fabric acquired, now came the task of cutting it into even strips to make the stoles. I had to borrow a pair of tailoring scissors so that the fabric could be cut smoothly. Then it took 3 people to undertake this task - two to measure and hold the billowy fabric taut while the other sliced it into the required size.
It was 1am on Monday evening when this was finally done! Phew!
I thought that this would be it, but I was chided by others more experienced in fabric science that the unsewn edges will fray very quickly and result in fine golden threads sparkling all over the place; yeah, and how about creating a hazardous 'Christmassy' environment for those prone to asthma while you're at it?
Tuesday morning - the cut satin was delivered to the rather unwilling tailor we had to beg to take on this last minute job and she promised it would be ready for collection by Friday. The choir is going to look so fantastic with them!
Of course, despite the saga surrouding the acquisition and preparation of the stoles, hopefully it will be the words of the music that we sing which will capture the attention and hearts of the those attending our Christmas Day service. There are many things to dazzle us during this season, but the brightest light of Christ shines clearly above them all; it's sad that this light seems to be largely ignored in place of cheap and gaudy trinkets.
May we never lose the golden wonder of Christ's unfathomable love!
I was trudging home one late afternoon from work when I saw this beautiful pattern formed by the clouds. I just had to stop and snap a momento of the moment.
One of the things I used to do in my younger (and idle) days was cloud-watching. Just laying at the beach, watching the clouds go by, and trying to see what shape each cloud most resembles was such a simple but engaging activity. The wonder never ceased from admiring God's creation in the changing hues of the sky and each fluffy textured cloud.
Nowadays, life is so complicated. Why has it come to this?
I gotta find some time to go cloud-watching again one day soon.
If the past two weeks is anything to go by, the most interesting things seem to happen to me around lunch time.
I was heading back to the office from White Sands when 3 young backpackers asked for directions to Wild Wild Wet (at Downtown East - looks like I can't avoid this wretched place). I was embarassingly gorging on a yummy McSundae at that moment but I played it smooth to make it look like it's what all decent Singaporeans do. Then I offered to walk them there since it was much easier than giving complicated directions with my mouth jam packed with gooey ice-cream.
I quickly finished the rest of the McSundae as discreetly as I could and turned to the trio for some small talk. There was a long way to go still so it would have been plain rude to just ignore them. Turns out two of them were from England while the 3rd was Canadian. I started chatting with the English guy who had asked for directions in the first place and ended up having a really nice conversation with him the rest of the way.
Apparantly they have been making their way down from several SE Asian countries like Vietman, Thailand...etc. They were glad to finally make it here because, for once, everything was in a language they could understand!
He gushed a little about our country, which was a nice change from the bad publicity we've been receiving over the hanging of the Australian drug trafficker. Apparantly where he comes from people aren't friendly and helpful like in Singapore (I raised an internal eyebrow at that statement but kept up with my unflappable facade to avoid ruining the illusion for him) and he's been so amazed at the warmth he's experienced (warmth from the people, not the weather) that he's gladly willing to try to find work here when this trip is finally over.
Now I thought that really was the ultimate compliment anyone can pay in this situation and felt proud at that moment to be Singaporean. Of course, being a tourist he's not really seen the ugly side of our culture yet, but I'll leave that nasty reality check to time.
Finally we arrived right outside Wild Wild Wet. He asked me,
"Have you been inside before?"
"Nope.", I replied.
Looking around at all the Barney and friends posters and cut outs, he wrinkled up his face and said,
"It looks kinda... kiddish."
"Yes. That's why I've never been in there."
"Shiiiiiiiit!"
Still, being the nice guy that he was, I'm sure he'll find something to like. I sure hope he enjoys the rest of his stay, and that he'll make it back here again someday. Singapore can never get too many fans!
I know I just posted, but I couldn't resist adding this!
Thanks to Rui, who scored as the passé Neo (yawn), I followed the link on his blog to determine the action hero I would be and it turns out I'm Gotham's Dark Knight (who just happens to be my FAV super hero)! Woot!
This is quite a fun little distraction. You answer a list of questions pertaining to your likes/dislikes and character traits. Based on your answers, a percentage score is awarded to each of the heroes in the line up.
Here is the list of the other heroes I could have become and their corresponding scores:
88% Batman
83% James Bond
83% Captain Jack Sparrow
67% Spider Man
63% Indiana Jones
54% Maximus
54% Neo
50% Lara Croft
50% William Wallace
46% The Terminator
33% El Zorro
The site describes Batman, I mean, me as such:
As the Dark Knight of Gotham, Batman is a vigilante who deals out his own brand of justice to the criminals and corrupt of the city. He follows his own codes and is often misunderstood. He has few friends or allies, but finds comfort in his cause.
Such profound statements of sagely truth - it's so me! Now fear me as I flap about in the dead of night!
I'm not the sort who dreams a lot, but when I do, my dreams are so completely out of this world (which is, I suppose, befitting for me) that I usually wake up briefly with a gamut of questions before going right back to sleep. I mean, they're not going to really be answered there and then, right, so why waste precious sleep time agonizing over them?
Let's take last night, for instance; I dreamt that I was this person by the name of Ninoto Sale (pronounced as 'sah-lay'). It continued with me dreaming that I woke up and asked my mother who Ninoto Sale was and she said that it was probably the King of Spain. Then I woke up (for real this time) and wondered how on earth I came up with the name Ninoto Sale?
I fell back to sleep almost immediately after that and when I was finally forced out of bed because, you know, work calls, the name was still lingering in my foggy mind so I reasoned it must be some vastly important sign sent cryptically to me.
Dreams are usually a manifestation of an event or triggered memory the person experienced recently. Select bits of information mingle with the dreamers' latent creativity (or psychotic tendencies if you're refering to me) and produce a little B-grade short film. Well, mine are B-grade, I can't vouch for yours.
Now in this case of the Nonoto Sale identity mystery, there is no such prior real-life basis from which it can spring from. I did a search online for 'Ninoto' and, as expected, it's not much help because it only appears within the context of foreign languages.
Great. More weirditude (yes, I made this word up) to add to my resume of life!
To be fair, my other dreams are usually also downright strange and even scary; but this is probably the first that has me scratching my head (or is that because the pillow case needs changing?) and going "Whaaat?!" (but then again I have that same reaction to every other warped thought I have)
Oh well, I will stop pondering over this mystery with no exciting conclusion in sight and take it that this new name heralds the beginning of a new facet in my life: a spilt personality.
Now if anything goes wrong I can always say,
"It wasn't me! Ninoto made me do it!"
T'was an ordinarily hot day like any other. I was shuffling my way to good 'ole Downtown east for a predictably unimaginative lunch when I saw a screaming man being swallowed whole by a glistening python.
Fortunately the shock of the spectacle didn't hit me till I had finished lunch and was ambling back the way I came. As a helpful and concerned fellow human being, I raced toward the hapless man though I didn't have the foggiest idea how to disarm a python in the middle of its meal. I mean, I totally hate it when I get bothered while eating. Then a road sign which I had seen countless times caught my eye and the light bulb of understanding finally went off in my head in a blazing flare of illumination. 
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Like a law-abiding Singaporean I observed the rest of the show and went on my way, satiated and entertained. Burp.
My 'trusty' Casio digital cam failed me for the first time today. I whipped it out for some quick shots and it simply refused to work while flashing a 'card error' notice. Since I had never encountered this before I didn't know how to solve it quickly despite my best frantic (and embarassed) efforts - suffice to say, the moment passed, leaving me in its dust and the opportunity was lost forever!
*fume*
Well, I take it as a clear-as-day sign that my time to progress to greater cameras has come! What could be more obvious? Haha, well, I'm sure you've heard of how people sometimes see only what they want to see in life, right (kinda like Bruce Wilis in the Sixth Sense)? So here I am giving you a living, working example of how this works! This is important, children, did you notice how I was able to slyly manipulate this disasterous event to fit my personal agenda?
Oh, the things I do against my will for YOUR benefit...
Now back to devising other ways to rationalize purchases on my die-die-must-get list.
If you were curious as to which car I was refering to in my previous post in which I gushed about how amazed I was to have survived, here it is:
If you're already a certified car enthusiast you'd already know all the pertinant details regarding this baby, but if you're not, well, you probably couldn't care less.
Anyway, just to set the record straight, it's not my car. And even if I could afford one just like that I still wouldn't own it. Having lived in the US has spoilt me for life regarding the exhorbitant cost of owning a car here in sunny Singapore. I paid about US$900 for my 2nd hand Mazda and when I left I sold it for that exact same amount. Now tell me, how could I possibly spend nearly 10 times that amount just to own one here?
And speaking of ownership, you don't even get to truly OWN the car that you cough up fresh blood to pay for every month. It's like donating blood to the Red Cross except this time it's mostly wasted. You Singaporeans will know what I'm talking about. In effect you're only renting it for 10 years. Try as I might, I just can't see how owning a vehicle here makes economic sense for me.
Don't get me wrong though. I've nothing against people who do own them; especially since I get the occasional lift here and there for which I'm always thankful and grateful (and less sweaty at the end of it). I guess it's a matter of prioities, and this is one of those things in which I'll have no qualms about living vicariously through others - sort of like the recent camera issue.
However, with the camera I know I will get one real soon. With the car? Naw, don't see it in the crystal ball.
And if, for some unforseen reason, I will need to own one in the distant future, I can always delete this post and deny everything.
Mulling over where to go for lunch today, we hit upon the idea of Geylang's famous beef kway teow. That's always a good idea so we made the trecherous journey there from Pasir Ris.
Side note: trecherous because the driver was going at 120km in FIRST gear! That is an uber powerful car and no matter your level of admiration (or disdain) for 4-wheeled toys you can't help but be fully impressed from the tips of your toes to the last split end on your head. 
Fortunately we arrived at our intended destination without mishap. Lunch time is probably the best hour to come because of the ease of finding suitable parking spots and you'll also be mercifully missing out on a noisy crowd for a change. This place is usually packed till late at night so be prepared to wait (and starve) if you can only make it after dark.
If you've never tried the beef kway teow here before then do make a point to do so very, very soon because only then will your eyes be opened and you'll finally understand the meaning of life.
Just kidding, of course, but it's no joke that they've been famous for over 30 years for good reason.
And here is that reason in all it's temptingly savory glory:
'Nuff said. Now go, eat and be merry. You can thank me later.
I was helping my mother with some grocery shopping this afternoon at a well-known local supermart. After squeezing and weaving past countless bodies amongst the narrowly claustrophobic aisles, we finally got all we needed and proceeded to the row of checkout counters guarding the entrance.
As the efficient checkout lady was ringing up the items I started to space out. So I was rather taken aback when I heard her announce the total amount due in a robotic drone:
"Twen. Ty. Eight. Four. Ty. Five."
I turned to her in surprise; then realized that it was the cash register that had talked. When my mom paid the cashier and the transaction was completed, the amazing register again droned:
"Thank. You. Have. A. Nice. Day. "
It reminded me of cabs in New York City which have built-in recordings that greet and thank passengers. I was amused by them when I first experienced them, but I wasn't impressed with how impersonal it was.
I suppose every consumer likes to hear a cheery welcome and then a heartfelt thank you at the end. Getting machines to do the dirty work is a stroke of genius since it relieves front line staff of having to cramp their faces with fake smiles all day long. But why has the principle of customer service degraded to such a state? Is it really so much to ask for one in this line to be welcoming and courteous?
I should program an "Excuse me!" voice into my phone and play it in a loop whenever I'm back at the supermart. I should fit right in with the store philosophy.
The full-tilt jungle madness, sometimes also known as 'children's camp' in more PC circles, concluded yesterday leaving in its wake a trail littered with exhausted youths and adults who had helped in running the camp. It's one thing to have 150 screaming kids running amok, some uptight people would get into a frothy lather about it, but it's quite another to see the fun art work they come up with.
I was invited to be a judge for the art & craft segment in which the various groups were supposed to construct an ark that could float in water, as well as an artistic mural depicting a Bible story or event.
Here are some pics of Noah's Ark as conjured up in a manner only young minds could have the freedom to do so...
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Oh, how I love performing!
Last night, I was part of a recital organized by my voice teacher for his students. The small audience comprised of cheering family members and supportive friends who showed up with camcorders, flashing cameras and bouquets of flowers.
I sang one of the pieces from my voice exam in July so I didn't really have to prepare very much for it. But I thoroughly enjoyed the thrilling process leading up to the recital - the practices with the professional pianist that my teacher hired, revising my song lyrics, taking out my neglected suit, meeting all the other students and going through the full dress rehearsal with them and, finally, experiencing the hushed and nail-biting moments backstage before the curtains parted for my entrance and I stepped out into the harsh blinding lights.
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I have always loved the stage. During my previous years in various choirs I was able to perform in many locations in and out of Singapore, and I was always eager to be a good ambassador of the group I represented to those who took the time to attend our concerts. While it's true that there's always an element of nervousness just before any performance, I think a deep love for music-making and a strong desire to share this gift with other music lovers should overcome that.
Now that I'm in the role of music director I seldom have such an opportunity to sing and perform - and I realized just how much I miss it. So I'm glad to have had this chance - I will cherish the memories till the next recital comes around!
Today was one of those days where I had to dine all by my lonesome self (and in total misery, too) because all my colleagues had someone else better to dine with. So after forcing some food down between dramatic self-pitying sighs at the food court at Downtown East, I was dragging my feet back to the office when a wee long-haired girl of about 8 meandered close by.
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
I wasn't sure if she was even talking to me so I slowed down and looked around. Ok, so no one else was nearby; then I looked at her quizzically.
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
This time I ascertained she was looking at me, but I still couldn't figure out what she was mumbling about. Her older brother, I'd say he was about 10, was hovering behind her. Both were wearing black t-shirts, jeans, and had tags on lanyards around their necks.
Me: I'm sorry?
Wee Girl: Cane Lane Tendons?
I thought, I must be getting deaf or the generation gap is wider than I previously assumed.
Me: I don't understand what you're saying.
Wee Girl, a little bolder: Can you lend us ten dollars?
Good, I understood that! I'm not a dinosaur yet!
Me: Ten dollars? Why do you need ten dollars?
Wee Girl: We want to get home.
Me: Why do you need ten dollars to get home?
Wee Girl glances away: ...
Me: Where do you live?
Wee Girl: Ang Mo Kio.
Me: How did you get here in the first place?
Wee Girl: ...
Me: What happened to your money?
Wee Girl: Just now we had money, but now, I don't know.
Is this some sort of scam, I thought.
Me: What do you mean, you don't know?
Wee Girl: ...
Her big brother stops hovering and sort of saunters into the conversation now.
Me: Why do you need ten dollars to get home? If you take the MRT to Ang Mo Kio it won't cost that much.
Big Brother: Where is the MRT station?
Me: If you walk out of here in this direction (I indicate it with my arm) you'll see it. It's walking distance.
Big Brother turns to Wee Girl: Ok, we'll go to the MRT.
They both turned away from me in a bid to inform me that my presence was no longer required.
What a strange episode!
I’m sitting here in front of my dusty laptop, trying to sieve through the muck in my head for a shining nugget of significance to blog about. Well, needless to say, I’m not even close to succeeding.
Someone once told me, and very seriously too, that I was frequently in a world of my own. When my thoughts start to move inwards and I get caught up in the whirlwind of my experiences and fantasies, I get quickly (and gleefully) transported to fantastical far-flung locales that probably don't exist.
Now that I think about it, my thought patterns seem to vacillate between fulfilling a singular task with great concentration and letting a violent flood of random ideas overcome me. Left on my own, my thoughts pile atop each other and amalgamate into a swirling mesh of conflicting emotions – maybe that’s why I’m known to be moody (or psychotic depending on whom you ask).
Right now the babble in my head has somewhat abated into a low genteel murmur. I suspect it has to do with the comforting quiet of an overcast but cool Monday afternoon at home. Only a few issues stand out – the upcoming Christmas program, my Romans assignment, the videogame I’m currently engaged in, where to go for dinner…
So here’s to savoring a moment of respite before the madness starts up again.
I was SO looking forward to having the spanking new camera in my grubby hands by now, but let's just say the transaction didn't sail through.
I am quite disappointed; but it's because it's hard to come down from my own excitement at what I thought would be a straightforward purchase. However, I have no qualms about patiently waiting and looking out for a good deal to come my way.
It's not like I absolutely have to have it this instant.
In the meantime, I guess it's back to living vicariously through those who do own the camera I want - and I suppose more research can't hurt, right? :)
Well, I've gone and done it.
After the past weeks of reading every bit of information I could scour from the Net till the wee hours of the morning (now you know the truth behind why I'm taking so long to recover from this dumb flu), I've made arrangements to purchase a new camera tomorrow evening.
The past months with my Casio have been very rewarding. I've enjoyed taking nearly 2000 shots with it already! But it's time to expand my knowledge and skill beyond what this little camera can offer. So it's finally off to the big bad world of dSLR where the big boys play.
A new experience beckons - and I can't wait to take my first fledging step!
Sounds suspiciously like health-nuttism propaganda, doesn't it? Unfortunately, it's nothing quite so dramatic, but rather, just great food that's priced just right.
This little hang-out, located on the second floor of Century Square at Tampines, is tucked away at the corner of the 'Exclusively Hers' segment. Yes, I know, I know; I never knew about the existance of this gem myself since guys won't be caught dead in this part of the mall on their own, but I was shown the light by Nita so I no longer have any fear of treading onto the female domain.
The premises are small, but cosy and neat. The menu is not very varied but serves quality and innovative concoctions. Essential oils, dried fruits and nuts, and very clever homemade sauces feature prominantly on the attractive menu - everything edible is all organic, of course.
The starter of the ironically-named 'Diet Salad' already set the tone for the meal. Fresh greens tossed with bell peppers, nuts, dried fruits, tomatoes, cucumbers, alfafa sprouts and fresh strawberries in a creamy yoghurt and cottage cheese dressing all came together beautifully in a deliciously hearty and substantial serving. This ain't no fine dining stalk-of-celery-drizzled-with-olive-oil. It's a complete meal in itself.
The grilled salmon was served in a creamy sweet mango sauce with fresh cubed fruits and vegetables. My compliments to the chef! It sounds strange, but there's nothing strange about good tasting food. And when it's also healthy, well, that's a rare experience you shouldn't turn down.
Ambience: 4 out of 5
Food: 4.5 out of 5
Price: 4 out of 5
Overall: Highly Recommended!
The Internet is a dangerous entity.
For instance, my continuing research for a suitable camera to upgrade to has led me down paths I had no wish to tread, and from which I can't turn back from either (that's just a fancy way of saying I'll need to spend more than what I had originally intended).
In the same breath, if not for the dastardly Internet, I would probably have made some very uninformed choices which would have resulted in some undeserved usage of some very precious (and scarce) dollar bills.
Can't live with it, can't live without it... *sigh*
Sounds familiar eh?
Lunch today was at a faux-luxurious Chinese restaurant by the Harborfront. Like all buffet lunches it was a typical exercise in unnecessary bloatism (yes I made this word up) but that's not the focus of today's entry.
After we had waddled back to the car between burps and made our way down countless dizzying ramps to the exit, we discovered that there was a long line. Actually there were two lines since there were two exit points, but for some reason, both cars were just sitting at the cashcard reader. Either the system was down, or both the drivers had not topped up their cashcards. This resulted in a scenerio that looked something like this:
Goodness knows how long those in front of us had been there. We were too far back to be put into the diagram. There wasn't much we could do except to watch, wait, speculate and talk about our next meal. After a while, irate truck driver, as indicated in above expertly-sketched diagram, got out of his vehicle in a rage. We obviously couldn't hear anything he was saying since we were miles back, but from his body language it was pretty clear that he was seething. Oh, and that he slammed the door probably suggested that, too. He jabbed the air forcefully with his arms and his face was blacker than deepest space. He strode up to the front and, presumably, yelled some instructions at the drivers who, surprisingly, complied by performing some little maneuvering tricks to get out of the way. Both of the red-faced (I'm assuming) drivers sped off and the choke was finally cleared. Looks like both of them had not been monitoring their cashcard values after all.
Ah, hurray for technology.
Hurray for convenience because of technology.
And hurray for a lack of patience because of convenience.
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Drumming the table, the seconds tick by.
I'm thinking of Japanese food even though I've just had lunch.
A jumble of music notes wades through my mind's clutter.
I pick at my nails.
My 'To-Do' list stares back at me expectantly with a measure of repressed panic.
I avert my gaze, and walk defiantly away.
For now.
I found this dead butterfly on the way to work this morning. Somehow I felt a pang of sadness to see its lifeless body on the hard grey path.
Its outstretched wings caught the slight breeze and was dragged across the pavement in uneven little jerks. Even in death, it was still proud of the intricate beauty of its delicate wings.
At the very least, it caught my eye and made a final impression.
No agenda. No schedule.
Just meandering to where the moment leads.
Good food and company. A day to be savored and remembered.
Thanks.
We were at Temasek Polytechnic for lunch today, lured by the promise of cheap and good eats at one of their many food courts littered all over the campus. Lunch for me turned out to be a disappointing pseudo-Japanese meal, but I was impressed by the spacious school grounds, lush greenary and unique building designs.
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