Raison d'Etre

Sometimes I wonder
if I was made for swimming

Singapore

So, I was back in Singapore to attend friend's wedding, but I also want to go around and see what has changed in a year since I left it.

Out I go to visit my old haunts; The Botanic Garden is one of my favorites, where people seem to have life. Where they have enjoyable talk with friends, lover, or their dog, while appreciating nature... or so I thought. The reality is, at this rate, not much private space left for an individual. A lot of foreign workers are sprawling across the place. Quite understandable really, given that they have no other means of entertainment. But still, its quite annoying when you want to take photo, a lot of people is in the way. I spot a couple photo ops, few wedding photoshoot, among other things.

For a while, Singaporeans have deemed their fellow countrymen as not creative. Without a quiet place to think, its not that surprising. That's why I look for quaint, sometimes rustic cafés to read and ponder. But at $15 for a latte and a slice of cake, I'm afraid I'd soon be broke before even producing a substantial work. Some of the nice place to relax is Tiong Bahru Bakery in Raffles City, but get there before lunch hour, preferable from 10-11 am.

What is disturbing is the fact that even in a vacation, I find myself quite busy. I'm not sure what was the cause. Inadequate public transportation, or just lousy planning on my side? But I did wait an hour for a bus when half the island was flooded. And lets not forget its raining the whole time I was there. That made me think that I took the right decision to leave. Is this modern day lifestyle, which must be paid in hefty sum, worth it?

But its not all in vain, I did get a few good photos, discover interesting places, and experience a unique wedding procession. I found some old trading companies still doing business in the middle of the modern city state, along Hong Kong St road. They still trade spices, grains, and a bunch of other things, run by middle aged people.

Another area of interest is Mohamed Sultan Road, the place is teeming with cafes and restaurants. I did try a few places, but like I said above, I couldn't afford it too often. After all, its in the posh area of the city, surrounded by high class private apartments. But there is a small Thai restaurant which name I can't remember now (sorry!). For $8, you can get an olive fried rice, with fish cakes and tom yam soup. You won't be disappointed. 

Death

Yesterday my long time neighbor died. I used to play to their house when I was still in primary school.. that was more than 20 years ago. From what I heard, her death was caused by illness. What saddened me is that she died alone.. not one of her children was present. Where one can find filial piety in this day and age?

I also remember a few years ago, a man who lived nearby also died. He worked as a tyre inflator on the streets. He died at night on a rickshaw. What makes me remember that night is that just the day before, I was going to give the poor guy extra food that I got from my friend's birthday party.

Well.. such is life.. rest in peace, neighbor

Batman

At night, when I lie down in bed, trying to sleep, my mind will be full of creative imagination and wonderful ideas. Whether its work related, life inspiration, or whatever. It seems like it work best when I try to think of nothing. Or perhaps its the quietness of the night.

Or maybe I should be Batman... but then I'll have to hit the gym..

Coffee

After resettling in my hometown, I get to know my distant nephew whom I recently met. Well..  I might have met him in the past, but just forgot. The fact is, I've been away from here for the past seven years, and so did he. Alright, that sounds as a valid excuse :)
Anyway, I'm just five years older than him. Now, my nephew is into coffee, drinking, roasting, grinding, the whole nine yards. Me, I just drink it. I couldn't tell the difference between a good coffee and a superb one, just like with wine. For me, what makes the difference is the whole experience of drinking it. You got to have a good reading material, and nice bread/pastries to go with it. I wouldn't mind music or radio in the background (my current favorite is BBC London).

Roasted coffee beans

Grinder

Slightly coarse grind

I've been looking for a decent (read: inexpensive) French press. I'm not going to pay more than 30 bucks for a French press. My excuse is.. so I can get a decent tasting coffee without burning a hole in my wallet. My standard does not include the regular freeze dried (instant) coffee from Nescafe. It just tastes sucks.

Premium brands taste better, but they costs a lot, compared to ground coffee. 

What I don't like about ground coffee is the coffee residue. That is why I need a French press. The other method is to use coffee drip, but its hard to find the filter here. So I settled with the press for the moment.

Update : Finally.. got it. And thank God the resulting brew is good.

Freedom press in action

(*okay that's a bit lame)

Memories

I always wonder how people write their own memoirs or biography. I seem to have a short term memory. I already forgot past distant travels. I'm not sure if this is common, or that I'm the only one with this shortcoming. Some people seems to be able to recall old memories vividly, just like it was yesterday.
I envy them. Maybe this is partly why I became a photographer, and writing this blog. To record fleeting moments.

Well, after idling for some time, I did something useful today. I got an acceptance for my offer for IT consultancy. Albeit the low rate, at least its a start. Which prompt me to fix my laptop due to its slowness. After five years, I was wondering whether its time for a replacement. Usually I don't like working on a laptop, since at a comparable cost, its performance is far from a desktop. But if I need to travel, there is no other option.
So I began to Google the web and try to find what causing its slowness. It turns out that the IDE transfer mode is set to PIO instead of UDMA, for some puzzling reason (maybe a crash). So after a few restarts, it was fixed. It seems I still get to keep my notebook for at least another year.

New Year List

I have a few list for 2013. I think the first is my wish list
- a Kindle paper white perhaps
- the legendary Nikkor 70-200 VRII
- a travel trip to Japan / Europe / New Zealand / America
and lastly.. maybe a steady stream of income, or a job.. without which all of the above would be unaffordable (browser spell checker suggest that the word is non-existent.. seriously?!).
But I have learnt that I have been very privileged to live in this life. We have to put our self in perspective, looking at those who is less fortunate, and learn from the history.

I just bought free books (is there such paradox?) from Amazon Kindle store for new year's reading (although I suspect some of the books can go as far as the next new year)

     

Its quite odd that some of the books have actually changed price during this writing, which is just an hour afterwards, so be warned, and grab the free or bargain books while you can (not necessarily the above).

Another list I which passed my mind is of course, the usual goal and resolutions..
but I'm not putting myself on burden this time.. well.. at least not today. I do have TWO days left.

Change

The only constant is change

- Heraclitus, 500 B.C.

People always resist change and try to cling to what feels familiar to them. Reading about European painters in the 19th century, a lot of them were inspired by those changes. The industrial revolution and Franco-Prussian war that took place around that time was causing uneasyness to everyone, including the artists.
The truth is, everything changes all the time, even now, maybe even more so. This century witnessed man on the moon, the advent of the internet, computers, airplanes. People need the familiar, something that they can hang on to. But the reality is that things change faster nowadays, with the inventions and technology around us. Those who don't keep up will be left in the dust.

Actually I wanted to write something else, but never did. And just yesterday I attended a seminar about Christian youth at my church. It was talking about how they are radically different from the previous generation. And this is partly caused by the pace of change around them. A very insightful revelation. The seminar is largely influenced by the latest David Kinnaman's book, titled You Lost Me, which I'm reading right now.

PS: this post is written on Blogger app on iPad, which is long overdue..finally ;)

Immortality

Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
Why don't they stay young
It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fading horse
Youth is like diamonds in the sun
And diamonds are forever
So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams are swinging out of the blue
We let them come true

Forever young, I want to be forever young
Do you really want to live forever

Forever Young - Alphaville

There are so many things a person can do, and could never do in their lifetime. I always wonder why people run out of things to do. I personally need more than 24 hours in a day. There are so much to learn, to read, to do, places to visit. The thought that you can learn about everything in this world is both ridiculous and arrogant.


Meanwhile, I want to share a good testimony from the late dr. Richard Teo

Five years is long enough to call a place home.. sometimes I just miss it.

I finally found a vague familiarity in this city, after a few back and forth in several months. I love cities that are still pulsating in late night, Paris, London... and now this city. But without close friends and relatives, I won't make it here. Not mentioning the bad management at work. It seems that nothing is moving in the last four months.
As my impending return gets closer, I do feel some anxiety.... for the unknown.

In an attempt to divert my thoughts from life, work, and relationship.. I shall write a post now.. LoL
I've been into printing in the recent year, trying at least to print a picture each week. And these past view days I have reviewed Vivian Maier's work one more time, and somehow I have come to appreciate it more than before. I suspect I will have the same experience flipping the other photobook in my collection. It just dawned on me what makes them special. I will try to achieve that look in the future prints. Or maybe its just this :

Vivian Maier represents an extreme instance of posthumous discovery of someone who exists entirely in terms of what she saw. Not only was she entirely unknown to the photographic world, hardly anyone seemed to know that she even took photographs. While this seems unfortunate, perhaps even cruel-a symptom or side effect of the fact that she never married or had children, and apparently had no close fiends-it also says something about the unknowable potential of all human beings. As Wislawa Szymborska writes of Homer in her poem "Census" :"No one knows what he does in his spare time."

- Geoff Dyer

Anyway.. for someone who has experiencing the bankruptcy of several of my favorites food stall, I now made the effort to legally buy whichever software I find really useful. Granted that Microsoft and Adobe might not be that vulnerable now, but lets say its better to take... some precautions. Just sayin..

Ok so the bomb is dropped. I have to relocate for work, otherwise my boss will let me go.
Well, in a way, its a good thing because I need to move forward with my life.
I've been stuck for quite a long time in my current job. I see no advancement nor work satisfaction in terms of meaningful achievement. In other words, I just work for money, and my boss' money. I don't feel like I have helped anyone in a meaningful way.
Now I have a chance to do real work again, meet new challenges. I have a lot of options in front of me, but I can say that I'm a bit afraid. And uncomfortable with the changes that lies ahead of me.

Anyway, in this slow and boring weekend with nothing to do, I'm kind of in the middle of two good books.

End This NOW!

Quiet

Who knows economist is so important. Since my college days, I thought that economist does nothing but talking and promoting their opinions. Which.. sort of true in a way. What I didn't realize is that how much impact they make on peoples' life when some world leaders or monetary authority listen to them. (PS: I went to the Economics faculty myself, being an accountant by education.)

The second book is about introverts, their traits, and how to use their "power". The author thinks that the world tends to be 'extroverted'.. or in favour for extroverts. I've read only the opening chapters.. but its a very interesting one.

Google

Today I found this on Google search page

which reminds me I have a book about Doisneau coming this week.

And while reorganizing my room, I found my Chinese class handout, which has finished last week. That means six months have passed. I remember the first day in class like it was yesterday... man.. time flies. *sigh*

Wonderful World (Be an Optimist)

My watch just arrived this week. I love it to bits! The design is not exceptional.. but the workmanship is. It has a rectangular case with classic roman numerals.The dial have subtle sunray brush pattern with guilloché on the center. Just lovely!

Sure the world is not in a good condition now, I read it every morning in the news... But has it ever been in a good condition, really?  I don't think so.

So we should enjoy life and not take it too seriously. Sure a little planning would help a lot, but over thinking is not (well.. your mileage may vary).

I printed few of my pictures from Europe trip over the long weekend. Honestly I'm a little bit disappointed with Harman Gloss Baryta papers. Its a waay cheaper alternative (at least locally) from Ilford Gold Fibre Silk, but the paper has major flaking problem.

Its printed using QuadTone RIP. I haven't tried the Epson ABW mode for comparison.

The good news is that I'm now free on weekends to do photography, most probably street photography. Also eyeing on a messenger bag for more convenient walk around. =)

PS: I know its late.. but... HAPPY EASTER!

Back to work (or first post! (of 2012 :))

After a week of Christmas-New Year holiday I finally get back to work. I now practically have zero time for my personal muse. 


Two good books I recommend reading :

Who's in Charge?
Free Will and the Science of the Brain

Rational Optimist
by Matt Ridley

Rational Optimist
I've always been a pessimist, so naturally I have reservations about this book heheh. Early chapters of this book explains about the exchange of ideas, and later on, trade, which send me asleep. What can I say, I get bored easily, so I ventured to read other books, which brought me to the next book. Matt is sort of against the green movement, but given the facts, I think is justifiable. I must say this is a good book to start a year with optimistic outlook (hurry.. before 21st December LoL)


Who's in Charge
But after reading few chapters Mike's book, I can't help being fascinated on how our brain works and relate to Matt's explanation about how ideas exchange evolution. The fact that our brain consist of multiple processing centers working autonomously in parallel is rather amazing.


But as usual.. I haven't finish both books, and few others. So I'll write another time.


In other news, I got a new phone with my plan re-contract. Cost me $0, and it works great

Of Art.. and Politics and everything in between..

I managed to move my ass for a stroll this morning. I wanted to go to a place where my old office used to be, but then I missed one train station and ended up in marina area.

It was bustling with tourists. One particular shop bring back my memories, I remember back in 2003 when I first came to this country, and just visiting as a tourist, my tour guide brought me to this shop.

 But I don't remember them having a $6.888 wooden statue.

GAS

I want a compact camera. Preferably a rugged mechanical one. Not film though. Something Leica-ish but not as big, and definitely not as expen$$i$ve! I was thinking about the new Fuji x100 but upon reading that the focus allegedly fly-by-wire, I was put off.
Okay.. enough daydreaming. I should go out more and shoot instead of buying more gears and books.

Chinatown

Went on an outing this morning in Chinatown. I want to go to a lot of places but I don't have time to visit them all. So now at least I can write off this place from the list :) I find the place quite interesting, but to get better pictures, I guess I have to engage my subject more closely.

Chinese new year is two weeks from now. So naturally the place was bustling with people looking for gifts.

Trinkets

Curious Onlooker


Drawing Artist

Old and New

My Cozy Little Corner

10.000 Buddhas
I didn't count it by the way

Writing

Writing a book is not as hard as I imagine it would be. Especially if you really like the subject. Plus there are 1700+ shots with EXIF information to help me remember the time-line and stories.
Anyway.. at last I bought Peter Turnley's Parisian and Ara Güler's Istanbul. Talk about astronomical prices. If they ever decided to reprint the books I shall whack them on their heads XD But I guess its pretty much justified because they are both accomplished photographers. Ara Güler is a Magnum Photographer, and a friend of the late Henri Cartier-Bresson. I wish I knew about him prior to my vacation to Turkey last year. I'd visit him in his cafe. :(

PS: Ara Guler's is out of stock now. I bought the last edition on Amazon.