The begging question: What is Lomography?

There are many curious souls who are wondering what exactly is Lomography all about. Even a great number of self-proclaimed Lomographers are guilty of not knowing how Lomography originated.

Lomography is an international photography movement first established in Austria, where the founders discovered the Russian made LOMO LC-A camera, which was originally used for spying purposes. The legendary LC-A uses 35mm films and produces charming colorful and sometimes mesmerising blurry images. Traditional photography stressed on sharp, vivid images in accurate framings. However, Lomographs usually possess psychedelic effects like bright and highly saturated and contrasted colors, blurred images, darken edges and mostly randomly framed. Lomographic cameras are never digital and always fun to shoot with, having the mentality of “don’t think, just shoot”.

The Lomographic society gained popularity from the early 90s onwards, having the very first international Lomographic exhibition in Moscow and New York in 1994. The exhibitions displayed vast Lomowalls of thousands of Lomographs side by side to each other, baring amazing images of different cities and countries from around the world. This artistic drive evolved into a cool and trendy hobby for youngsters to experiment in the various kinds of Lomographic cameras and the effects that each individual camera uniquely has. Eventually, Lomographic embassies sprouted in different countries, having the aim of connecting international Lomographers together.

The official Lomography website (http://www.lomography.com) is an interactive online portal for every single Lomographer to mingle with others of the same interest. The website sells cameras, films, accessories, books and apparels related to Lomography as well. If you are new, and would like to embark into this awesome hobby, you can make your way down to the Singapore Lomographic Embassy which is located at Liang Seah Street (near Bugis Junction) to have your inquiries answered.

Now, enjoy the array of fun Lomographs taken by Lomographers from all over the world:

Taken by akeef-lens with a Fisheye2 loaded with black and white film.

Taken by chikapop

Taken by cinzinc with a Lomography Supersampler loaded with Lucky Super 200 (35mm, 200 iso) film. He uses the multiple exposure technique.

Taken by eurydice with a Lomography Supersampler.

Taken by quaisoir with a Vivitar Ultra Wide & Slim loaded with Kodak Ektachrome 160T expired film.

Taken by vicuna with a Lomography Horizon Kompakt. The film was being cross-processed for the queer color feel.

Pre-ORD Prep

I remember back when we were all asked to blog for this site, one of the first entries I read from the other bloggers was one about what to do before your ORD. At that time, I hadn’t even enlisted yet and ORD seemed like such an impossibly far away event that I didn’t even think much about it.

Yet, time seems to have passed in something only slightly slower than a flash in the eye and, in two weeks time, I’ll be collecting my pink IC and stepping back into the civilian world. In my whole personal furore with preparations for ORD, I’ve learnt a few pointers and, to all you ORD-ing personnel or NSF out there waiting for your own day to “step into the light”, here’re some things for you to remember:

1. Plan your leave well

I think I really cannot emphasize this more. Most people (myself included) have the mentality that, throughout our second year of service, we should accumulate all our offs and leaves and spam all of them in the last few weeks before ORD. That’s what I did (and am doing). Take my advice, don’t.

You never know what kind of events might randomly pop up near your ORD that requires you to stay in camp and do preparation or just be there for. Plus, if there’s a mass ORD, usually there’ll be celebrations followed by free offs anyway. So, just spread your offs out a bit more evenly and stretching over a longer period instead of having to burn them at the last minute due to last-minute changes in plan. That way, your “holiday” period can start earlier too right?

2. Clear all you have to clear

This is mostly for the combat-fit personnel who have to clear IPPT, SOC, trainfire shoots and what-nots. Don’t leave it till the last minute. Clear all your tests fast and as early as you can (which means you have to start training early but, hey, no pain no gain right?). If you are excused or on status, make sure you approach your training branch or your superiors to check with them and ensure that your excuse covers you for your entire workyear till your ORD.

3. Clear all your paperwork

Sign all your clearance forms as early as you can to avoid situations where, in the last few days where you’re madly struggling around, the person you need isn’t in camp or there’s a big crowd of people trying to get the same signature. Paperwork also includes any form of clearances that you have to sign for your individual duties and also, very importantly, myORD, which is a package you have to complete on the ns.sg portal and print out on your ORD day.

4. Handover all your duties

If you have an understudy or someone to take over you (lucky you then!), then make sure you begin the shadowing and understudy process as early as possible. This is so your understudy can see you in action for as long a period as possible and learn as much as he can. He can also then see the different situations and issues that might pop up from time to time.

Make sure you are detailed and clear in your handing over and pass him the contingency plans for different situations you have encountered. This way, if you do it well, you won’t be continually buggered after your ORD with questions or pleas for help.

5. Pack your things

In the last few weeks before your ORD, you can start packing your things and planning what to take home each time. Over the course of almost two years, you’d have amassed an amazing number of things in your cupboard (including loads of trash, I’ll assure you) and you should start planning and bringing home stuff early and in batches to avoid having to lug a truckload of stuff on your ORD date.

Of course, make sure you only bring home stuff that you are very sure you won’t need anymore. Don’t run into a situation where you brought home something that you desperately need in-camp one day.

6. Don’t get in trouble!

Last, but definitely not least, don’t get in trouble! Be a good boy, do all your duties faithfully and responsibly and avoid getting into trouble (which leads to extras, punishments and charges) in your last days.

Many people I’ve known or seen have developed an “ORD mood” the weeks before their ORD, whereby they refuse to work much or at their best and their quality of work drops drastically, simply because they are in the holiday mode already. Don’t be like them. It’s blased attitudes like these that often result in last-minute offences that would really sully your ORD-ing, not to mention that it won’t do you any favours with your colleagues or section mates who are trying their best to do what they have to do.

So, Who is the Lomographic Embassy Ambassador?

About a week ago, I was browsing through hundreds of amazing photographs taken by several lomographers on Facebook’s “Lomography in Singapore” interest group. There was a series of multiple exposed photographs that caught my attention. They were taken by an avid lomographer, Caterina Poh, who happens to be the Singapore Lomographic Embassy’s Ambassador. I took the chance to contact her via Facebook and asked various curious questions about this unique alternative photography and about its embassy in Singapore.

Young and cute Caterina discovered her love for lomography some 8 years ago at a flea market where she chanced upon a particular colorful plastic 4-lens camera. That marked the beginning of her craze for this photography “cult”.

Caterina - the Lomographic Embassy Ambassador

To Caterina, Lomography is photography without boundaries. It has no rules and it doesn’t discriminate. She used to carry around a bulky digital camera and attempted what was known as amateur photography. However, the pictures that were taken from that digital camera were mostly dull and unexpressive; sometimes even great Photoshop skills could not save them or revive any life in them. Now, she shoots with a trusty Lomo Compact Automat (LC-A), the legendary original Lomo camera that runs on 35mm films. The LC-A is a “pocketable” robust camera which produces breath-taking vividly colorful photographs.

Lomography photographs are imperfect photographs, so bad that they’re artistically good. Caterina owns 2 kinds of Lomography cameras – Diana F+ and an LC-A, both produces uniquely different effects that made it hard for her to decide which is her favorite. She enjoys the pleasant surprises she gets whenever she develops a roll of film taken by her LC-A and Diana F+. The pictures always turned out with unexpected weirdness in super concentrated colors and she described the phenomenon as “stylo-milo”. The most exciting part about Lomography to Caterina was the spontaneity that accompanied with it. There is a tendency not to think too much when shooting with film cameras as she is not able to review and delete photographs which can be done with digital cameras. She now shoots with her gut feeling.  Lomography is democratic as well. It doesn’t have rigid rules. Thus, multiple-exposures, light leaks, overlapping frames or even occasional finger-in-the-frame shots form the beauty of this flexible photography.

Multi-cross exposures taken by Caterina with the Diana F+ which uses medium format films

To Caterina, Lomography is like photography’s long lost cousin. Lomography is no doubt fun and less technical; there are still some basic photography aspects in it – types of films, film speeds, exposure, how to load a roll of film etc… It is a kind of photography that truly captures the moment and is not deliberate.

taken by Caterina with an LC-A

The Lomographic Embassy in Singapore is a hub of all things related to Lomography. It is the place where curious individuals can go to have their questions regarding Lomography answered or for existing Lomographers to fix their faulty Lomo cameras. The embassy sells all sorts of Lomographic items from cameras to films and accessories. Caterina’s job as an ambassador is to spread the infectious love for Lomography to fellow Singaporeans through activities, events, exhibitions and parties organized that congregates Lomographers from all over the island to celebrate the greatness of Lomography.

Caterina loves her ambassador job where she gets to meet and speak to people of the same passion as she has. To her, Lomography is more than just shooting with plastic cameras, it is a vibrant photography movement. It is an analogue photography at its finest and she feels proud to be responsible in driving this movement in Singapore. She is extremely delighted to spread the interest in shooting with films which is a dying practice ever since digital cameras led the trend of photography.

The Lomographic Embassy - Objectifs (http://www.objectifs.com.sg/lomo.htm)

So what exactly is Lomography? In the next post, I will explain more about it.

Why Coach Liu does not deserve award

Things have gotten really worked up at the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA). I’m not sure if it is a personal stand-off between ex-coach Liu Guodong and STTA, or if it’s something far deeper.

Many Singaporeans spoke up on the ex-coach’s behalf, lamblasting the STTA for not nominating the ex-coach for the Coach of the Year award.

I have a different opinion.

My perception from his actions during the Olympics is that Coach Liu’s values may not be aligned with those of STTA. The association has probably disagreed heavily with the ex-coach’s decision to abandon Gao Ning’s Men’s Singles match in order to concentrate on the women’s team, which had a higher chance of winning a medal during the Beijing Olympics.

And I do agree with STTA on this. There’s nothing worse for a player than to have no coach to turn to for advise or encouragement during his match. While I understand that he cannot be in two places at one go, Coach Liu should have at least assigned a representative for player Gao if he had decided to attend the women’s match instead. In summary, Coach Liu was willing to give up on a player to focus his resources on the women’s team in order to secure a medal for the country.

So, am I proud of the silver medal? Of course I’m happy for the women’s team — after all, they’ve trained very hard to go that far, and their achievement is huge. Similarly, Coach Liu has played a critical role in preparing the women’s team, providing encouragement and pinpointing opponents’ weaknesses. However, candidates cannot rely on their materialistic performance as the sole criterion for the Coach of the Year award; it is also important to take good care of the players placed under their charge. And this is where Coach Liu is lacking.

From what I can see, the reactions by Singaporeans indicate that they are willing to look past the act of abandonment in the consideration for the award. However, the actions of STTA indicate that the association does not condone this act, which is probably largely the reason they have decided not to nominate Coach Liu for the award.

And neither can I. No real army in the world abandons its own men; for you cannot expect the loyalty of your men if you yourself demonstrate a willingness to give up on them.

Avoiding bill surprises

A friend’s girlfriend (let’s call her Alice) got a bill shock recently from her mobile company.

It’s a $44, 000 data usage charge for the month of April. Fortunately, because the provider has a policy of capping data charges, the data component on her bill was limited to $98. But seeing 44k on the monthly bill potentially makes your heart skip beats, especially when you know that you don’t even remotely have near $10, 000 sitting in your bank account.

As for me, I subscribe to one of the data packs from the same provider, so my data charges are capped at a much lower level, around $36 per month. Yet, I still sweat beads whenever that huge $83, 000 appears under the data usage column. It gives me the “grasping at straws” feeling, as if I’m only spared being in university education-sized debt only by the grace of a computer system. Not fun at all.

To make matters worse, the computer system gleefully marks the amount discounted as “Savings”, which is in itself a pathetic practice. It’s almost as if the bill is trying to tell me that I’m actually being severely under-charged by my service provider for the mobile service I consume. Yet these are the retail prices being advertised widely in television advertisements, newspapers and flyers. Is this ethical?

Never mind that. I’m a tech savvy person, which means that I’m still able to figure out the confusing bill details myself. But what about all the Alices out there? They might not know what the hell “HSDPA” is, and why they’re being charged for data access when they are clearly using the Internet from their homes, where they have wireless routers providing unlimited Internet access.

In certain ways, the cellular industry in Singapore has a very confusing subscription model. For instance, the “Free campus calls” promotion being touted by certain telcos come with very small hidden fine-print. If you read that, you would understand that the free campus calls only apply if you have already exhausted that month’s free talktime, and only if you initiate the call while your mobile phone is connected to a mobile base station serving the campus. This means that if you ever get to make use of that promotion, you’ll definitely get charged for any call you make outside campus. And don’t even think that you’re safe when you’re standing inside your school.

Sometimes your phone gets connected to a mobile base station not earmarked under the promotion, and you end up clocking lots of talktime charges, even while you are physically in the school compound. There is no indication whether any call you make is covered under the promotion, except for the bill bombshell you see in the mailbox next month.

What I want to see is an overhaul of the subscription model in Singapore. If I’m on a data plan that limits my data charges to $36, just tell me the amount of data I’ve used, and display the amount charged at $36. Don’t show me that I’ve racked up $83, 000 in data charges, and then give me a $82, 963 discount in the next line as if the company is doing me a favour.

There is a need for front-line staff to explain how data charges work, especially when Internet capable phones are coming out in hordes. Customers need a person to tell them that they get charged whenever their phone accesses the telco’s data network, regardless of where the phone may be. Sales people need to ask their customers whether they wanted data access, and to help them set their phone settings properly.

Lastly, they need to stop coming up with lame promotions like the “Free Campus Call” scheme. It’s a money-spinner being marketed as a value proposition to customers. I feel that the scheme borders on being a scam, and should be avoided at all costs if the company is truly interested in keeping things honest.

On our end, as consumers within an arena of the free market, the onus is upon us to undertake reasonable amounts of research on the products and services we purchase. Catching the gotchas is an important aspect of conducting transactions with businesses. Often, the carrots being dangled in front of consumers come with nicely packaged caveats. Knowing to avoid them is important if we are interested in staying safe.

John O Shea to start for Manchester United against Barce

Sir Alex Ferguson has confirmed that defender John O’Shea will start in next week’s Champions League final against Barcelona. Manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised United’s utility player with a shower of appreciative words - “John deserves his place” and “To my mind John is one of the unsung heroes like we had when Denis Irwin was here”

O’Shea has been used as an utility player for Manchester United - often putting in excellent performances at left-back and right back - he once even played as a goalkeeper for Manchester United.

O Shea playing Goalkeeper when reserve goalkeeper Tomas Kuszack was sent off

I say John O’Shea will score the winner!

Ryan Giggs Omits Cristiano Ronaldo From His Best ManU XI

We spoke a couple of months back when Paul Scholes made a “Best Manchester United” team, and he famously quoted:

“Teddy Sheringham is better than Eric Cantona… he is the best striker I’ve ever played with...”

Every one went “What?”

Well this time, another United legend has come up in the recent news! Ryan Giggs, United’s all time appearance players with more than 700 times for United, has omitted current World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo out of his squad!

His ten outfield were picked with little qualms, but Giggs admits to struggling to select between record-breaking clean-sheet accumulator Edwin van der Sar, and exemplary shot-stopper Peter Schmeichel.

The versatile veteran, who has adapted his game from a hard-to-track dribbling left flanker, to a central midfielder, opted to pick the whole of the midfield treble-winning side of 1999, and reserved notable commendation for Paul Scholes.

“He does things I couldn’t do. The time he has on the ball, his range of passing and ability to score goals make him probably the best I’ve ever seen.”

Up-front, Giggs decided to nominate French legend Eric Cantona, and powerful English workhorse Wayne Rooney, explaining their place in the history of United thus, “They are players who have come through the system. Players from different countries and background that sums up Manchester United.”

Giggs’ XI

Goalkeepr : Schmeichel/Van der Sar (he chose two!)
Defenders : Neville - Stam - Ferdinand - Irwin
Midfield:  Beckham - Scholes - Keane - Giggs
Strikers:  Cantona - Rooney

A Brazilian Night for the UEFA Cup Final

I went to the Singapore Pools and purchase a five dollar ticket on Shakhtar to win the UEFA on a 1X2. When I woke up this morning, I was delighted when I saw the headline flashing on soccernet.com..

“Shakhtar Donetsk 2 Werder Bremen 1 - Jadson’s Joy”

I click on the match report with a smile and while waiting for the screen to load, I pick up the humble Singapore Pools ticket from my wallet. As I saw the returns of my ticket and my smile just got wider.

But what a short lived joy that is.

“Mircea Lucescu’s team also became the first Ukrainian side to win a European trophy thanks to Jadson’s winner in extra-time.” read the screen…

“#@#@#@$!”, I shouted. That Brazilian scored in the 97th minute… can’t he just score one before the ninety minutes?

Well...... the report…

Apparently Werder Goal keeper Tim Weise, a verten of his own standards, did an amazing job in the first ninety minutes, as the Ukrainian side played flowing and attacking football. But then,a tired group of defenders react too late and poor goal keeping by Tim Weise lets in Jadson’s extra time goal. Shakhtar become the first Ukraine side to win the UEFA Cup. Congratulations to them.

It was an all Brazilian show as Luiz Adriano put Shakhtar up in the first half, again latching onto a pass after a defensive breakdown. Weise charged out half heartedly and then inexplicably flopped down while the chip was in the air. Naldo equalized through a straightforward free kick which Andrei Pyatov ended up parrying into his own goal. All the goal action took place in the first half. Regulation time ended with the teams deadlocked.

Link:

On top of the world for Spore women

On 20 May 2009, the Singapore Women’s Everest Team reached the summit of Mt Everest, the highest peak on earth, at 8,850m.

Lee Li Hui age 27, Esther Tan age 26 and Jane Lee age 25 stepped on top of the world at 3.45am, 3.54am and 4.43am (Nepal time) respectively, making them the first Singapore women to reach the summit.

Two days later, Joanne Soo and Lee Peh Gee also reached the top. See coverage of the team’s ascent.

This achievement, after so many years of training and sacrifice, is inspiring to all Singaporeans. A poem I learnt many years ago, explains what drives these people on:

Everest: to all who explore new paths

For what new things should men so strive, so agonise?
Is there some wonder in the remoteness beyond our ken?
Some beauty, some wisdom beyond the dream of the wise?

Nay, not for that we strove, nor any new thing found;
But this truth, ancient and everlasting, did we prove,
This beauty, this wisdom, on the high untrodden ground:
That where the safe ways end, known and unknown divide,
God’s great uncharted passes upward tend,
And the Spirit of man undaunted, is undenied;
And beyond the last campfire man has faith for friend
And beyond all guidance the courage of God for guide.

-- Horace Shipp

Musings on death

As we pass through life, we get to know many people. Friends, peers, students, colleagues, the pizza delivery man, and many, many more. Most will be casual acquaintances, however.

My vocation in the SAF gave me the opportunity to meet many people, and while I can’t say I was very close to everyone there, I did know most of the people in my battalion.

Today, I found out that someone whom I knew in the SAF passed away recently, and upon hearing the news, I had no idea how to react.

You could say there was this queasy “feeling” within me, at the news of his passing. But after that, I didn’t really know what to do.

I wasn’t that close to him, for we were in different branches, back then in the SAF. Yet almost every day I saw him while going about my business, for he was always about the company, doing some sort of work.

Life passed like that. I knew him by sight, by name, and talked to him a few times. He also knew me by sight, by name, and talked to me a few times. After ORD-ing, like many NSFs, I don’t keep in touch with many of the SAF regulars, although I have a few of them on Facebook.

And today, out of the blue, I received the news. Shock? Yes. But there’s also nothing I can do. I didn’t know him that well, and I’m away in the UK. Should I wish that I’ve talked to him a bit more in the SAF? Can one ever express sincerity to someone one isn’t that close to?

I don’t know.

But what I would really want to say is: 1SG Lai Tze Chau, rest in peace.

Overcoming fear

I’m afraid of many things. Speaking in public, speaking out in defence of someone, speaking out when something is clearly wrong, owning up and apologizing when I’ve done something wrong.

Let me rephrase this then: I’m afraid of being embarrassed, having people judge me, and perhaps even then, afraid of ‘rejection’ from the masses. Is that a valid fear? Yes, and surprisingly, no.

There will always be someone that disagrees with what you say, and that is common. After all, you can never have 100% agreement. But people don’t care about your actions most of the time, and even if you do screw up, they’ll forget about it a few minutes later. And frankly, why should I be afraid of the above then? In that case, surely other social interactions will definitely present difficulties, and in that case, what if down the road I would wish to ask a girl out on a date or for lunch in the future?

If someone came up to me and asked if I was afraid of doing the above, my first reaction would be: Yes, I’m afraid! But after thinking and reflection, perhaps I should amend it to: Not really, I’m just uneasy, but I’ll still do it, and in the process of doing so, lose any uneasiness.

Take speaking in front of a large number of people, for example. The thought of this now isn’t necessarily pleasant, but I’ve come a long way, and taken many baby steps towards conquering this fear.

In JC days, I didn’t like speaking in front of crowds, and I would definitely stutter badly. Only gave one to two talks in front of the hall, and that sucked for me.

Strangely, this changed in army. After being arrowed to give out the CRO many times in the first year, I slowly found speaking to a large group of people not a problem at all. Yes, I was rushed, but at least I could deliver the CRO. It also helped that I pictured my uniform having the “suit of authority”, by wearing this, I could say whatever I liked, and no one could do anything.


When I came to University however, talking to crowds of people became a problem again. Perhaps it was just a long hiatus from the army, or perhaps, it was just going up there, in front of people you do not know, and wondering if you’ll stutter or not. I stuttered again, but it was only recently when giving a speech I discovered two things at the same time, which made speaking in front of crowds a whole lot easier, and hopefully, will not make this a problem in the future.

a) I found faces in the crowd that smiled back, looked encouragingly at me, and when I saw that, I didn’t care about everyone else, and went on with my speech, which led to

b) Who ever said you *had* to just give a speech? You’re just constrained by that. Walk about, make funny gestures, engage the audience. Catch a few people’s eyes at the back, nod, smile at them. Nothing is ever static.

Was what I found out true? I think so, for the next few lecture shouts I gave to my lecture group, I bore in mind what I said (though it was now mostly (b)), and yes, that came out smoothly, and strangely, I was comfortable speaking to them. In fact, I was trying not to laugh, because I was focusing at the back, and trying very hard not to make any funny faces, because strangely, I was reminded of my Analysis lecturer.

There are even more examples. What about speaking up for something that you know is right, but other people are afraid to do so?

I am reminded of two people in my life, both who strangely asked hypothetical questions.

One person asked this question in the SAF to the CO, when he wanted to find out everything about the people under him, when the CO was on the topic of USMS suggestions.



“Sir, hypothetically speaking, what happens if we had a superior who refuses to accept our USMS suggestions and evaluate them, and might even use our USMS suggestions under someone else’s name to hit quota?”

I remember the CO going: “Well, if there was such a person, tell me, and I’ll evaluate him.”

Later, there were people going up to the person and telling him that he did a good job, but afterwards when there was a message sent out to the entire company to “Please submit in of USMS suggestions by this Friday, or you cannot book out”, well, most of the people changed from congratulating him to cursing him instead.

So that person didn’t bother any more. After all, at that time, he was also thinking of the time when he tried to help out the people in his unit by giving them forms and the option to cancel the Pioneer magazine subscription, but he was scolded and almost accused of starting a rebellion. (This was the same person I mentioned in my previous blog entry who had problems with his understudy, but had resolved them thankfully)

Another person asked this question during a recent society’s elections at Warwick University. I was sitting in the audience, watching the nominees for President give their speeches. There was an alumni member of this society sitting in the audience as well, and after the first two people gave their speeches, he was shooting them down, and not giving them chances to express their good qualities, aka Simon Cowell style. That’s his right, I thought. But after the third nominee gave his speech, he didn’t ask any difficult questions, and even went to say : “Well, I don’t mind telling you this, but this candidate gets my vote, for he has demonstrated what is needed to be President.” I think at this point in time, many people in the audience were frankly, pissed off, and someone behind me stood up, and raised his hand, about to pose a question to the nominee.

“I have a hypothetical question to ask. Hypothetically speaking, what would you do as President, if there was a member of this society casting a negative influence over it, and that this member of the society has a strong influence over its members?”

The nominee answered the question, and after that, the alumni member who was shooting the questions got up, and left. After he left, many people in the audience (on my side at least), were saluting the guy who asked that hypothetical question, and gave him thumbs up as well.

At that moment in time, I thought that this was extremely familiar, and was reminded of the first person.


You can speak up, and sometimes, there’ll be repercussions, like in the first person’s situation. Sometimes there won’t be.

I suppose, at University, the only time I’ve ever spoken up was via a medium of text, in IRC like games when the situation was clearly unfair, and I felt ‘safe’ in doing so, because well, nothing could happen to me, being on the other side of the keyboard.

But that’s not enough. I should speak up for what is right in real life as well, and perhaps one day, will be sure of myself again, to do what the people I’ve seen do.

I shall wrap up this long blog post now, by simply stating. Go ahead and do what has to be done, and not be afraid of any consequences. Treat it as: If people laugh at you, or disagree with you, they aren’t worth your time. If they don’t, then that’s good, because you know you’ve connected with them. 

Hoshi Restaurant

I guess by now, having read about my visits to several different Japanese restaurants, you’d be pretty sick of hearing about yet another sushi endeavour right? Well, tough luck (if you’re one of the few Singaporeans who dislikes Japanese cuisine).

Earlier tonight I went for a Japanese ala carte buffet with my parents (dinners with parents are always the best times to experiment with new restaurants without worrying about busting a hole in the wallet eh?) and, while the restaurant we visited had a few negatives, the food was of so good I had to recommend it to all of you out there who loves Jap food.

Located on the third floor of IMM at Jurong East, Hoshi restaurant has always been one of those Japanese buffets my parents and I had wanted to try but, due to its high price and the fact that we were always inexplicably full when we passed by the restaurant and thus couldn’t validify paying the price, we always skipped by it.

Today, I finally had the chance to try the ala carte buffet and boy, was it worth it.

For starters (and, well, main courses, I guess), the restaurant’s food was of top quality. Despite their relatively limited buffet menu (the non-buffet menu, which actually wasn’t all that pricey, was more varied), there was the usual selection of favourites bound to satisfy everyone’s Nipponese cravings. Plus, quality over quantity right?

Between my parents and I, we shared a veritable feast of dishes which, while not a lot, definitely justified the buffet’s price in quality. The salmon sashimi we ordered was fresh and tangy, with just the right amount of raw fish taste. The prawn (ebi) tempura were freshly fried, with soft-but-bouncy prawns and crispy batter. The baby octopi was chewy and tasty while the soft-shell crabs were definitely a must-have. The best dish of the night, however, definitely went to the sirloin steak, which was just rightly done and packed a flavourful punch. To top it all of, all these dishes were all-you-can-eat (although I’d advise you to stop after a helping or two to prevent from getting sick of it).

The best part? All the dishes come in small, single-person servings so you don’t end up over-ordering and over-eating.

I’d recommend the place to anybody based purely on food alone.

True, the restaurant does have its faults. Some of the dishes (the breaded prawns and mini udons were pretty lacklustre) were bland and the service staff, although friendly and accomodating, were somewhat harried and disorganised (some of the dishes we ordered never made it to our table). Plus, at about S$40 per person on a Saturday night, it definitely wouldn’t be a choice for the cost-conscious.

Still, for those who can afford it and want to help the ailing economy, Hoshi restaurant is a must-go.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Contented with Happiness

Stalls peddling wares, titbits, toys, household stuff, vegetables, meat and food were spread in a randomly organised fashion on the huge spread of stony sandy land.

Standing in the middle of this market, my sister and I didn’t really know how to function without getting lost. We were visiting our cousin in Kajang, a town about half an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

That morning, she brought us to the market to see what we would like for breakfast and to do some marketing. As she meandered her way familiarly through the stalls, stopping by her usual ones, my sister, mother and I followed her closely in her trail.

Looking after our cute and lively nephews, we were busying ourselves at a particular stall selling household items and some toys. While waiting for the little ones to choose what they wanted, my eyes took a quick tour of the place.

People of all ages and races were standing behind their stalls – some by their vans – selling a variety of items. The market was very much alive at 9.30 a.m.

Slowly sweeping across the bustling marketplace, one girl caught my eye. Wearing a white loose T-shirt with her neck-length hair half tied up, she looked like she was, at the most, in her early 20s. Waving to someone whom I reckoned she knew, she was wearing a smile that attracted my attention. Then she waved again in another direction.

I stood there and observed her on the sly, and I was at once captivated by that energy. The kind of simple bliss and happiness she radiated struck me. I remembered thinking: “Why does she look so happy, and at ease? Is she really happy? Is she forced to come here and sell breakfast by her parents, or did she volunteer? Is she still studying? Is this her full-time job?”

That girl looked contented. And I was perplexed. I found my imagination straying, wondering what she would be doing after she ended her business for the day. Would she be meeting her friends? Would she be helping in the household chores? Would she be reading, or going onto the Internet maybe?

Of course, I wouldn’t be able to get my answers, since I left the place not knowing who she was. Nevertheless, my curiosity remained piqued until now.

Are these teenagers happy with their lives? Are they contented in this routine every day – getting up early in the morning, prepare the food or merchandise to sell then setting up stall in the marketplace?

Is that girl happy because she wasn’t aware of other alternatives, that there is another world that is very different from the one she is living in?

Or is she happy just because life, really, is nothing but being around with your loved ones, staying healthy and having enough to satisfy our basic essentials of living – eating well, sleeping comfortably and dressed nicely?

And guess what? Even though she wasn’t dressed in designer labels or in anything that can be remotely linked to having a sense of fashion, even though she wasn’t wearing any make-up, she actually looked pretty to me.

Are we asking too much, or are they too contented? What do you think?

The Big Amnesia

We had to ditch our names, literally. Reverting to our Chinese names, except for a couple or two who have been using their English names all along, we re-introduced ourselves again to squeals of delight and gasps of astonishment from the two rows of eager adults sitting facing each other at a long rectangle table. 

Welcome to the world of secondary school mates reunion!

If there was a contest of memory, I would have lost hands down. I couldn’t even remember those from the same batch as me, let alone those who were my seniors.

But, forgiveness was graciously given, peppered with some bits of sarcasm, of course (who would let such an opportunity off?) that night as I kept bowing and apologizing (while making lots of excuses for myself) for my poor memory.

In times like this, one really wonders what have we done or not done in the past. Why couldn’t I remember most of the “incidences” so effortlessly described by these ex-school mates as I struggled to put the pieces together in my wretched state of reminiscence? 

One big consolation, however, was even though we haven’t seen each other for more than a decade (yes, I won’t tell you when I graduated, and you’re not to even begin guessing!), there wasn’t any need to play ice-breaking games. The freely-flowing (ahem, not free flow, but it keeps flowing from the repeat orders), nice golden calamari and red hot buffalo wings aptly warmed all of us up.

Plus, the excitement of not seeing each other for so long actually melted away any apprehension all of us would have and brought everyone straight into the most anticipated session – gossip! I mean, catching up, really. We’re just concerned with those who were present, though bits and pieces of information were passed round on those who were unfortunately absent. 

What a nice feeling to be back in good ole’ company once again. 

Hail Facebook! If not for it, the gathering wouldn’t have been orchestrated and played out so smoothly. Looking forward to the next one …

When was your last school gathering? Were there any special or funny moments that you like to share?

Camera - A Visual Time Machine

“A photograph is like the recipe - a memory the finished dish.” ~ Carrie Latet

A camera is one of the most amazing inventions ever. It captures moments that are permanently lost in space and time. And it allows the snapper the possibility of reminiscing passing memories that are irrecoverable. It is like a visual time machine.

In this blog, I will be writing mainly about photography and lomography in every aspect. I hope to turn this into an interactive discussion platform for all who are curious and interested to raise opinions regarding the topics of my blog entries.

+++++

dSLRs - Status Symbols for Current Teenagers?

A recent article on CNET spoke about an interesting trend among teenagers these days – the phenomenon of youth owning dSLRs as a social status symbols.

“Some of these teenagers probably want to be seen as artists. By exhibiting the camera to others, they hope to project such an image. Another possible reason she (a writer of a lifestyle magazine) gave was that dSLRs are like social status symbols.” – Leonard Goh, CNET Asia Writer.

I do not entirely agree to this article that stereotypes teenagers these days who own dSLRs as fashion accessories and social status symbols rather than functional cameras. To me, the reason for the increase in youths carrying dSLRs on the streets is merely the result of technology evolution.

Pre-Internet Time VS Current Era

During the pre-internet time, sharing of photographs was less convenient. Photographs taken were often kept in dusty physical albums that were tucked in the darkest corners of the store rooms, only to be shown to others during home gatherings.

In the current era, sharing of photographs with peers is so much easier in comparison. With an internet connection, and a few clicks of the mouse, one is able to view hundreds and thousands of photographs taken by his/her peers. User-friendly photo storage sites like Flikr, Picassa, Photobucket and Shutterfly allow speedy upload, organization of photographs and online sharing. Viewers of the virtual albums can also leave comments on photographs that interest them.

The interactivity and convenience of online photo-sharing and show casing stir the interest and confidence of current youths to take up photography as a hobby. It spurs their desires to own a better camera as well.

Affordable Prosumer dSLRs

Many of the dSLRs that the current teenagers own are Prosumer (Professional-Consumer) cameras which are less complex than professional dSLRs. Prosumer dSLRs possess better functionalities and produce superior quality pictures compared to normal consumer digital cameras too. They are of course cheaper than professional dSLRs, thus more affordable.

Furthermore, photography is a positively healthy hobby that can stimulate youngsters’ creativity and imaginations. Thus modern and generous parents nowadays shouldn’t mind spending a little more to purchase dSLRs for their children.

Let’s allow the youngsters to search for their identities in life with the aid of the wonderful “time-stopper” that hang around their necks, not through stereotyping narrowed eyes but encouraging approving views.

Watch fat mall cop bumbles around

I love comedies. They’re dependable (if sometimes not terribly good at being funny), lighthearted (mostly) and, at times when most cinemas are packed with high octane action flicks or complicated emo dramas, watching a comedyh is the best way to relax after a long day.

Still, even among comedies, there are the really hilarious ones, and there are the unwatchables . Finally there is a group of movies that are decent but ultimately forgettable. Paul Blart Mall Cop belongs to the last group.

Co-written and co-produced by Kevin James (TV’s King of Queens fame), the movie stars James as Paul Blart, an out-of-shape, lovable born loser of a security officer at a mall. His attempts to get a more serious law enforcement job is twarted by a sugar deficiency and his attempts at wooing a new stall-owner at the mall, pretty Amy (played by Jayma Mays, from Heroes), are best described as inept and embarrassing.

Still, when the mall is invaded by a gang of criminals, and some customers and shop-keepers are taken hostage (including Amy and his own daughter), it’s time for Blart, who’s stuck in the mall due to some fortuitous incidences, to get things right for the first time in his life.

While the story might not be the most refreshing plot ever, it is actually a slight departure from the normal everyday-life-with-gags that most underdog movies seem to do. The hostage situation, which takes up about two thirds of the movie, actually makes the movie much more interesting to watch and keeps it from falling into a boring rut, which the first half an hour threatened to do, complete with the most awkward scene at a bar ever.

The script is decent but not inspired. The characters are mostly one-dimensional (they mostly are, even in the best comedies), the lines are predictable and the jokes, while there are shining moments, fall flat. Still, the climax, which, while incredulous, is engaging.

The acting, though, is very good. James, as Blart, is awkward but endearing, an affable loser who likes to inundate everyone with trivia. Mays, while she doesn’t have the meatiest role, is understatedly funny, with Anna Faris-esque expressions and mannerisms (her face at seeing a heavy metal tattoo on Blart’s back is hilarious), which is a good thing in this business. Keir O’Donnell, as sarcastic villain Veck Sims and Bonny Canavale (most recently seen in TV series Cupid), who makes a cameo here as the SWAT team leader in charge of handling the situation, are both great at their roles.

Paul Blart Mall Cop is definitely not going to be bagging any award or even stay on your mind a day or two after watching it, but it’s still a decent time-killer.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

As certain as death, income tax and the flu

My friend coughed again, discreetly into the back of his hand. It’s been more than two weeks since it had started, and he was getting tired of the under-the-weather bout.

I wondered aloud about the swine flu, and he looked at me in anticipation, the corner of his eye raised.

“Have you thought of going to the doctor’s?” I asked.

“Nope,” came the reply.

“How about vitamins? Have you taken your vitamins?” I pressed the issue.

“Sure, I have. It’s just that this is getting persistent. It’s feels like an average cold, but it’s more irritating because it sticks around for so long.”

With all that ruckus caused by the new influenza virus, nobody’s taking any chances. Asian countries that had a close brush with the SARS virus back in 2003 pulled out all stops to slow down the spread of the new strain if it ever stopped by on their soil.

It can’t be helped. Influenza does kill, and according to the Ministry of Health, it did to the tune of 500+ people last year here. Having a totally new strain, to which nobody has immunity to, run rampant in the world is something we cannot allow. The Spanish influenza outbreak in 1918 claimed 50-100 million lives, and the horrific memory remains preserved in history and medical textbooks. However, even with more enlightened medical technologies, we remain vulnerable to the whims and fancies of virus evolution.

Viruses mutate quickly, selectively developing immunity to the various “miracle” drugs medical researchers discover, and over time turn the entire affair into an expensive war of attrition. The arms race is constantly on-going, and researchers are hard pressed to find new weapons to fight the constantly changing viruses. I sometimes wonder if we would ever come out ahead, because even the new drugs pharmaceutical companies come up with remain effective for only short periods of time before those pesky things develop resistance to the treatment.

Could it be that the war with illnesses is one aspect of life we have to confront? Remember bed bugs? We thought that those pests were eliminated during the age of powerful pesticides like DDT (which were later banned because of their potential harm to the environment and human body). In recent years, we’re seeing the return of these blood suckers. It’s harder to study whether this phenomenon is due to the ban on the super effective pesticide, or whether these insects simply developed immunity to the numerous poisons we try to feed it. Viruses may well exhibit an extension of this trait.

As current technology and health practices go, influenzas and diseases remain thriving entities in the world today, given almost the same status alongside Death and Taxes as the inevitable facts of life. We learn to deal with it through better hygiene practices to limit the transmission of diseases from person to person, but we still hope for the day when the Final Solution to this centuries-old problem would appear.

Choose what you enjoy doing

It’s true we get involved in a job or activity, not because we like it or enjoy doing it, but because “everybody” says it’s such a “nice” thing to do, like manning a flower shop. A flower shop is a pretty sight, especially with a pretty girl inside; but I suspect many of these pretty shopgirls are just bored stiff with the work.

And somewhat perversely, the people who love to handle and arrange flowers are usually much older women who have long since lost the first bloom of youth!

You can’t choose what you do (e.g. working in a dreary job you don’t like, but you need the money, and there are no other more congenial jobs available), but you can certainly choose what you like to do.

You have a choice to spend your leisure time, effort and money in only the activities you enjoy doing, not what you see other people enjoyed doing.

I heard from some young girls who said that after they leave school, they want to be working as a salesgirl in a cosmetic and make-up kiosk in some glitzy, brand-name department store. But when I talked to the actual girls at the kiosk selling Chanel or Revlon or what-nots, these girls complained of aching feet (having to stand for hours) and putting up with grouchy, wrinkled women customers who are the only ones with the cash to buy expensive beauty products.

Life is not a pretty sight for those pretty girls selling beauty products to ugly customers!

Personally, what I enjoy doing is looking at pretty girls, especially if they are complimented by flowers around them. Here’s a popular Chinese New Year Tang poem I’ve translated to share with you (I certainly enjoy translating Tang poetry into fluid English phrases):

Last year this day by the door
Her face rivalled the peach blossoms and more
But when spring returned with the turning year
The flowers were all the bloom I saw.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS - Chelsea vs Barcelona

This is the video highlights of one of the most dramatic game in Champions League Football history! Barcelona had ZERO shots on target up until the very last minute! Andres Iniesta’s screamer ensure the Catalans progress into the competition’s final, and set a meeting with Manchester United FC in late May 2009.

You have no idea how many neighbours I woke when that ball hit the back of the net!

Link:

Drogba is a Loser!

I picked this up from one of the greatest writing blogs.

Drogba spent a lot of times flopping and at the end going ballistic at Tom Hennings Ovrebo, the Norwegian referee. He faces UEFA disciplinary action for that classy move as well as a invective filled tirade facing a camera.

Drogba - A loser then, a loser now

Then there was Michael Ballack who pursued Ovrebo in an apoplectic fit after the referee turned down his appeal for handball. Replays showed that the call was correct, his shot struck Eto’o on back of the shoulder.

The only clearly wrong call was Anelka’s flick that Pique blocked with his hand.

Yes, football is a cruel sport and cuts both ways. Eric Abidal can attest to that. Ovrebo gave the Frenchman marching orders for allegedly tripping up Anelka on his way to goal. Replays showed that it was very doubtful whether he had anything to do with it. Barca was a goal down and reduced to ten men.

Darren Flecther of Manchester United can contest that as well… His perfectly legitimate tackle on Arsenal Captain Cesc Fabregas made the referee send him off, leading to him missing the biggest game of his life!

Yes, it is a conspiracy to keep English clubs out of the finals. Cry me a river. This is just a lot of projection at the golden opportunities that Chelsea missed to put the game away. The chief culprit was Drogba himself who muffed two clear chances. Then cried the hardest.

Its a reminder that money can buy titles but not grace.

Man Utd to defend their Champions League Title

Manchester United are through to Rome to defend their Champions League title, the first time a team had a chance to since the creation of the competition.

With the quintuple out of reach when United lost to Everton in a penalty shoot out, the Champions League is the only cup trophy that Manchester United are in at the moment, giving that the league title is almost a certainty for them, the Red Devils had no mercy and gave their opponents, fellow English team Arsenal, no chance, when South Korean International Park Ji Sung capitalise on a mistake by young gamble Kieran Gibbs, where he slipped at the crucial moment and allowed the Asian to take advantage and score the away goal that the London Club dreaded. Five minutes later, a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick extended United leads to 2-0. A magnificent goal it is. Arsenal now need FOUR goals to overcome United.

In the second half, Arsenal pushed and pushed knowing that an early goal is what they really needed. In the 61st minute, Manchester United produced the finest counter attack I’ve seen in years. With United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar having the ball, 10 seconds later, Ronaldo scored at the other end, thanks to great link up play by Park Ji Sung, Wayne Rooney, and finisher Cristiano Ronaldo. 3-0, and Arsenal now need FIVE goals! Smiles were seen all over the United bench, but it wasn’t a perfect night for United after all. Superb play by Spanish National Cesc Fabregas forced United midfielder Darren Flecther to make a tackle, and hence the Scottish captain is awarded a Red Card, and Robin van Persie converted the penalty. 3-1.

And before long, the final whistle blew. United is through, and eagerly awaiting who their opponent will be. From the looks of it, I think it is going to be a Man United and Barcelona final.

University Exams

As the exams draw nearer, there is always the feeling of dread. It’s the same kind of feeling before any major exams, and perhaps, even the same one before any outfield experience like ATEC or FTX.

It doesn’t help that you made it through the O levels, A levels, even NS. You still feel that perhaps, maybe this time, you won’t make it through University examinations. After all, the higher you go, the greater the chance to fail.

And when you consider you’ll be tested across many disciplines at the end of the academic year, from Economics to Mathematics, to Operational Research to Statistics, you wonder how you’ll cope.

With nine end of year papers, covering different subjects/modules, it is even worse than the A levels.

The only consolation, I suppose, is that everything is all mostly mathematics, and enough understanding and practice will see one through the exams. There are no essays, thankfully, so it is possible to get full marks. On the other hand, it is also easy to get zero marks.

Which comes back to: studying. How do you study for nine EOY papers? With much difficulty, indeed.

Thankfully, all I need to do now is to practice. Not much studying, so I don’t need to absorb much (thankfully).

I’m quite lazy, and I don’t think I can stand studying for 5-6 hours straight. At least, not without mini breaks in between. However, I can stand practicing questions for 5-6 hours straight.

And of course, is this enough? For O levels and A levels, it definitely was. But for University? I’ll only know in seven weeks time.

Singapore Day

Singapore Day is a cuisine based cultural event held each year in a different overseas country (since 2007), aimed at attracting the Overseas Singaporean community. This year, Singapore day was held on 25th April 2009, at Hampton Court Palace in London.

In other words, it is a chance for Singaporeans in the UK to go and queue up for free Singaporean food (a national pastime!), as well as to be entertained by local artistes like Mr Brown and Mark Lee.

Everything at Singapore Day will remind us Singaporeans of home, like the very entrance into Hampton Court Palace.

There’s even a NS booth, giving out free goodies.

I thought these were not even supposed to be taken out of camp.

Free camou cream, for Singaporeans in the UK who miss the outfield experience.

Now there is even Mentos in the accessory pack.

Even the IPPT stations to test the fitness of us all. I still can do 42 situps.

Videos created by overseas Singaporeans shown on the big screen.

Original video is here.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1045814717494

NS40.

Hossan Leong and the Dim Sum Dollies.

Definitely a day not to be missed, as it brings back memories of Singapore.