Reflection...noitcelfeR

Awesome Reflection as rendered by a Nikon D700

In case you are wondering what the second word in the subject header means, it is "Reflection"spelt backwards. Hmmm.....that did not go very well. The human mind is a funny thing. It can sometimes spot minute details in a split second but other times, it stares us in the face and we still don't get it.

Such was my experience some weeks back when I trekked to Punggol end at 5:30 am to photograph the sunrise. It was pitch dark when I arrived at the beach and armed with my tactical torchlight, I could barely make my way along the rock strewn beach. I set up my camera and sat, perched on a rock waiting for mother nature to turn on the lights :) Yup, she turned it on alright, but there was no oomph. The sky lit up gradually, as with every morning for the last I don't know how many thousand years. That morning, there was no pizazz. The lights came on and there was no drama of daylight erupting into life. I took more than 100 shots in the hope that I would catch something. Alas, this was not to be.

OK, if you want to see the best photo of the lot, it would probably be this:

Not worth Printing ... don't waste paper

Sad eh? Only one barely usable photo from the pile. I would not even print it on paper as I feel it is a waste of photo paper :p

Dejected that I had voluntarily deprived myself of sleep that morning, I decided to cut my losses and reward myself with a well deserved Dosa Masala. On my way to the car park, I chanced upon one of the most beautiful reflections I have seen for a long time. (That's the photo at the top of the page.) My son has a better rendition of it because he used an ND (Neutral Density) filter (see below). I thought it looked great. I have never been a big fan of filters, thinking that most things can be fixed post production. I am a convert now :)

Reflection with ND filter as rendered by a Nikon D800

What was my reflection of this Reflection? I was reminded of two quotes:
 "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." - Forrest Gump
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." - Dale Carnegie
I have since come up with my own:
"While you are making lemonade, don't forget to smell the roses."

Remember, life is what we make of our journey on earth and not about the destination. Have a good life, everyone :)

A Special Watch

I have a modest collection of watches which were acquired since the 1980s. Some watches were bought while others were presents. I wished I had watches from earlier on. However, being an "engineer" at heart, I developed a curious knack for dismantling anything mechanical just so that I could see the inner workings. Some of the time, I ended up with some spare parts after I try to put it back together :p I have always been fascinated with the intricate inner workings of mechanical watches.
I would like to dedicate this blog to my trusty Casio watch. As it states on the face, it is a Casio Digi Graph 100m. This watch was a present from my wife in the late 1980's. I loved the unusual graphical display. I wore this watch on weekends and during my National Service stints (it was known as reservist during my time). Oh yes, this was the watch I used to time all my 2.4 km run during my IPPT (Individual Physical Proficiency Test). I must have taken at least 15 IPPTs during my reservist stint.
As you can see, it has taken its fair share of wear and tear. However it still works like a charm. All it needs is a battery every 3 to 4 years -  yes, the battery lasts that long. It has never broken down in the last 25 years. The interesting thing is it is a perpetual calendar. This watch knows which are the leap years and that there will be 29 days in February during the leap year.
This watch has a special place in my heart because my son loved to put it on when he went swimming as a young child. He must have been around 5 years old then. He was amazed that this watch could stay submerged without sustaining any damage while is Mickey Mouse watch stops working whenever he accidentally (so he says) plunges it under a running tap while washing his hands.
I started to collect watches formally in the late 1990's. I am not one of those with hundreds of watches. I collect reasonably priced signature pieces from major watch brands. These are some of my personal rules for collecting watches:
1/ They must be mechanical (I do not buy quartz watches)
2/ They must be made by true-blue watch companies and not fashion houses
3/ They should be signature pieces (i.e. the model should pop into you mind when the watch brand is named. This makes it easier to resell the watch.)
4/ I must like the face and feel of the watch
If I were to run my Casio watch through this checklist, it only qualifies under item (4) mentioned above. Technically, it does not make the cut as a collectible watch in my books, yet it I have grown a strong sentimental attachment to the watch.
I realise that the things we truly treasure are not the expensive things we own, but the simple items that have seen us through our journey in life. It is the same with friends - those we value are the ones who gave us a helping hand or a leg up when it was needed.
Life is not about seeking perfection but about experiencing and appreciating the journey, no matter how pleasant or difficult. If we get too caught up with our personal setbacks, we will miss the forest for the trees. (...or as one of my former bosses would say, miss the trees for the forest :p .... that's a story for another day :)

I'm Scooting (Away)

My wife and I were lucky enough to win a pair of tickets on a budget airline to the Gold Coast, or so we thought. I have never been a big fan of budget airlines but decided to give them a try anyway. Being  a true blue Singaporean, the prospect of free tickets was quite appealing :)
When we received the letter awarding the prize ticket, there were a list of terms and conditions. I have always believed that if you wanted to give anything away (especially a prize), please be gracious and not attach conditions which make the award seem like a half hearted gesture. I guess the folks at the airline are on a different page here.
Anyway, our adventure began when we went online to make the bookings. I realised that there were several "options". As this was a budget airline, we decided to pamper ourselves a little bit. We were not allowed to upgrade the economy class tickets to business class.....sigh. Anyway, we purchased meals, blankets, pillows, extra legroom and even checked in luggage! After adding up the extras, my wife and I paid more than S$800 for the trip. Oh, there is also an option to reserve iPads for entertainment but none were available at the time of booking. After looking st these extras, I was almost fearful that if I pressed the call bell during the flight, I would be charged extra for the cabin crew to attend to me :p.
For the uninitiated, I hope to share my experience so that you can benefit from it and save a few dollars in the process. To put it bluntly, I hope it will save you from disappointment too :)
As it was a red-eye (night) flight, we ordered breakfast. Immediately after the flight was airborne, the cabin crew came round dishing out our meal, which was a sandwich. I told the cabin crew that we ordered it for breakfast but she checked her list and said told me that we ordered the sandwich.....duh? Maybe it was her way to telling me,"Look pal, just take the sandwich now and you can eat it whenever you want." It was a weird tasting cold chicken sandwich - almost like eating cold chicken otah sandwich which had been sitting in the fridge for a day.
We also ordered blankets and pillows for both legs of the flight. Thinking that the blankets and pillows were hired items (like the iPads), we ordered a set each for both legs of the journey. I found out that we actually bought the items, like you would buy meals, checked luggage, etc. I only realised this when I saw the passenger next to me pack the blanket into his cabin bag when we landed at the Gold Coast. The blanket was small (smaller than the one provided by its full-serviced elder sibling airline) and the pillow was not even a regular pillow but an inflatable travel pillow. The eye shades were nice though. The blanket and pillow set was not cheap. On hindsight, I expected at least a regular pillow for the price we paid.
We bought 20 kg of luggage each for each way. Way overkill. Both of us could have done away with a total of 25kg on the outbound trip and possibly 40 kg on the return to buy the wonderful Australian chocolates, nougats and other shopping :) Chocolates are very heavy, but their weight is worth every calorie.
The extra legroom was really handy. It made the trip more bearable. Oh, by the way, don't expect lots of legroom. When you buy the extra legroom, you get a that of regular economy class seats, like on Etihad (not SIA). The seat was unfortunately not that good. The cushion was tired and had collapsed. I could almost feel the bottom of the seat frame. Dear Airline, if you charge passengers for the extra legroom, please ensure the seat cushions are of decent standard. Otherwise, I suggest that you sell an option for fresh seat cushions, but do tell your customer if they are allowed to take it with them at the end of the flight :p
The cabin crew were nothing to shout about. Frankly, I find SIA crew more warm and friendly despite having to do alot more during the flight. Do we have to pay extra for them to be warm and hospitable?
Overall, the flight was uneventful, thankfully.
Personally, I think budget airlines have carried this option thing too far. On medium to long haul flights, they ought to provide some basic creature comfort rather than take the approach of passengers having to buy extras, including water!
I'm scooting off ....... to another airline :p

The Sky is our Canvas

As I get older, I have begun to appreciate the wonders of this world, and my life. I first took up photography in my late teens. As I got into the army, studies, career, family, etc, I put it aside. Sometime around Christmas 2003, as I was rushing around with my son to buy Christmas presents, we were sitting at a traffic light waiting for the light to change. My son remarked that the sky was beautiful. I acknowledged with a "Uh huh" without even glancing at the sky. He made another comment about the cloud formation and when I glanced at it, I was in awe. It was a awesome looking evening sky. It then dawned on me that nature provides - We sometimes look but not see :)

That was when I decided to pick up my old hobby. Over the years, I allowwd the various priorities to overcome this  hobby and I had become a "rat" in the rat race of life. I got myself a DSLR and reignited my passion for photography once again. I dabble in all types of photography - scenery, macros and the odd social event. I am usually the unofficial photorapher at family and company events :) "Unofficial" so there is no pressure and I can enjoy what I do.

I decided to dedicated this blog to the scene that rekindled the joy of photography - the beautiful sky. As I said, I am no expert and all feedback is welcomed. Some of the photographs may have appeared in some of my earlier blogs.

One afternoon in London - Love the looming clouds

Ominous looking clouds over Trafalgar Square

Arc du Triomphe seem to be the centre of cloud activity

Ray of Hope

Early morning at Seletar

Something's brewing

Crack of Dawn

Like a splash of water colours

Not a Fisherman



This scene remind me of the childhood story - A Fly Went By

Another Day in Paradise

A Church

At the junction of Coleman Street and Hill Street sits an understated white church called the Armenian Church. It has been around for as long as I can remember. I have passed this church ever since I was a boy, but never entered the compound.
Last weekend, I armed myself with my trusty camera and decided to pay this church a visit. As I approached the church, I expected to see an elaborate worhip hall with stained glass, paintings and European architecture.
Instead, what greeted me was a plain hall with simple wooden pews. I was in awe of its understated elegance. As I entered the church, there was a visitors' logbook and was prompted to pen a few lines in the book. I wrote something like "Beautiful church. May God bless everyone."

God Bless Everyone

As I wandered around the compound, there were some memorial stones and statues. Some of the statues took my breath away.

He loves children

This angel looks like it is about to spring into action

He sacrificed for us

A Better Life

We have a domestic help who has been with us for more than 14 years. When she came to work for us, my son was about 10 years old. How time flies. One of the reasons she came to Singapore was to send money home to rebuild her family home.

From what I gather, her family owns a farm and her mother runs a provision shop in their village. Her father passed away quite some time ago. She returns on home leave every two years and I understand that there is a big party where all her neighbours are invited for a feast. The preparation for the feast begins 2 years in advance. I am told that her mother would buy a piglet during her home leave so that it would be fattened sufficiently for the feast on her next return! Talk about planning. I don't envy the pig :p

Over the years, she has become an indespensible part of our lives. The household chores are taken care of and we are blessed that she is a wonderful worker - conscientious and caring. Each time she goes on home leave, we scramble with the housework - sweeping and mopping the floor, washing the bathrooms, washing the clothes, cooking, ironing, etc. I have tremendous respect for housewives who do this day in day out, year in year out without complain. I find some chores therapeutic, but the routine and daily grind is a challenge for me.

I am not complaining, but I wonder what kept her working here all this time. After she rebuilt the family home, she supported her younger brother through college. I found out later that her younger brother is the same age as my son. I did not know it earlier but later found out that her brother studied to be a Civil Engineer, like my son. Her brother got married about 2 years ago.

Some time in 2011, her brother made a trip to Singapore to visit her. At the same time, he came to look for a job in Singapore. He found one and I understand that he is an engineer with a Civil Engineering firm. What a brave move.
I am reminded of our forefathers who came to Singapore to seek a better life. Many of them left families in China to make a living here. They suceeded and we are the product of their adventure :) Are we better than our forefathers? Perhaps in education but not in worldly experience. It takes alot to decide to leave one's homeland to seek a better life. I am a little ashamed that I have become so comfortable and have lost the spirit to venture out. I am reminded of a documentary I watched on television about rehabilating Orang Utans. In a certain asian country, the wild life trade is quite rampant and poachers shoot adult Orang Utans with babies so that they can sell the babies in the black market as pets. Often, these pets are kept in cages and before long, they lose their ability to climb trees or pick up the life skills from their mother. A baby Orang Utan spends about 7 to 8 years with the mother before he/she is independent. These rescued Orang Utans need to be rehabilated before they can be released back into the wild. I cannot help but wonder if we are in a state of constant rehabilitation :P There is sometimes a tendency to depend on the establishment to solve our problems - high COEs, high cost of housing, high cost of medical care, etc...hmm....didn't they create these in the first place :P

Coming back to the point, it is about a better life. I just found out that our domestic help's sister in law is also seeking a job here as an Accountant. As I reflect on this, I am amazed that a humble foreign domestic help who has toiled in Singapore for 14 years has enabled her siblings and relatives a better life - in Singapore and in her home land. I salute her sacrifice and dedication to the cause. I am sure her story is not unique. Each foreign worker in Singapore probably strives to do the same, and as a result, we are richer because we have gotten to know them as a person and not a mere statistic.

Look and See - Is There a Difference?

A learned friend once asked me if I understood the difference between "look" and "see". My response was , "It is the same difference." Yes, I decided to counter one oxymoron with another....or so I thought.
As I approach mid-life, I ponder over such subtlties and it dawned on me that there is indeed a difference. People look at things day in and day out but they do not necessarily see the things around them. In our haste to get on with our own lives, we sometimes miss the beauty at our doorstep.
You see, my neighbout has a chiku tree in the front yard and I have been telling everyone at home that the fruits must be awful. There are many fruits, but I have never seen any birds eating the fruits. My son told me that he had seen many birds at the tree. I wondered why I had not observed this while he had. One day, I sat in the garden and decided to wait for the birds. After about 10 minutes (it seemed an eternity when you are out there waiting for soemthing to happen....now I kinow what a scarecrow feels like :p. Anyway, I spotted several birds. It then realised that the reason I had not seen the birds was because I was always in a rush and simply glanced at the tree and decided that there was nothing to see.
I grabbed my camera and in a matter of 30 minutes, took the followng photographs. Enjoy :)

Starling

Starling

Green Pigeon

Bulbul

Flamebacks

Starlings