Perceptions are the truth

http://singaporeseen.stomp.com.sg/singaporeseen/viewContent.jsp?id=43933

And im convinced that i have a very journalistic style of photography...
Well, its good that i belong to a particular category.

Regards
Photojournalist.

Two special commercial flights to bring stranded S'poreans home from Thailand
By Zhang Tingjun & Satish Cheney, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 29 November 2008 0115 hrs

Im just thinking aloud...

Would singaporeans be able to buy single way tickets to Thailand via these 2 flights at a very cheap price?
It doesnt make sense to fly an empty aircraft there?

Why not fly some Merry Making Singaporeans to Thailand for a nominal fee of $1...

Regards
The other side of the coin.

About a month ago,
I was talking to this friend of mine who was away in Promiseland for some work (lets call her Silver to protect her real identity)

Inevitably, the topic of photography came up (thats really what occupies me all the time nowadays..)

I causually mentioned that when she gets married.. I wanna be her Actual Wedding Day photographer. She said she will consider and that her other option is her cousin... who happens to be very good at photography too.

So being the desperate for opportunities budding AD wedding photographer, i tried to convince her that im a better choice...
But she 'brushed' me off by saying that her cousin was better because he won some award for his photographs.

I was obviously dejected because despite submitting my entries for numerous competition, i never got to win any... (for my avid viewers, case in point is the 'Unyielding shelter' which i still think is a very good photo.)

However, im glad to say that all that changed this morning..

http://sgauto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1231

I hope i would be able to help Silver take her wedding photos when the time comes. =)
Anything award would do rite?

Regards
Budding Photographer

P/s : For the record... i submitted ONE entry for the competition.

"S'pore govt will not implement measures to stimulate property sector
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 26 November 2008 2159 hrs

SINGAPORE : The Singapore government will not introduce measures to stimulate demand or prop up prices artificially in the property sector.

Speaking at an industry event on Wednesday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said such efforts are not sustainable. "

Yesyes...no policy.
Not going to help anyone. We are not charity.
Cut back on the building of these properties if you have to.
.
.
.
.
.
We'll just barricade up ours and wait for good times to come again before selling them at market prices.

Regards
Let the good times roll.

She said i can go pursue my dreams.
And thats good enough for me.

Regards
Lukas

After hyper ventilating for so many times..
Im now officially declaring that hyperventilating is the norm. I've got to stop hyperventilating.

Regards
Shutter Bug.

You know that you have lost your sensing between reality and friction when you get into trouble even in your dreams.

I woke up this morning and went... 'Oh no' and immediately wonder if its real. HAhaah...

Regards
Not good to be a dreamer.

Dear Readers..

i was bumming around at Robertson walk this afternoon and happened to saw someone who looks like beatrice chia.



However...i cannot be very very sure because i recognise her by her eyes and her eyes was shut. =(

It was only later that i found out the reason why her eyes was shut.



I think im going to have sore eyes tomorrow.

Regards
Potential Sore eyes Patient.

Im hyperventilating still...but i figure i shouldnt stop blogging..

Parents disagree with suggestion to only recruit graduate teachers
By Pearl Forss, Channel NewsAsia Posted: 23 November 2008 1843 hrs

Im not sure why the parents are disagree-ing. Its a win win situation. The graduates would be able to impart the ABCs in a better and more efficient manner as compared to those non-grads.

And

We really have to do something with the large number of graduates singapore is churning out each year...

Moment of truth
Do you know that fundings to schools are based on the NUMBER of PhDs residing in the school and not by the QUALITY of these PhDs?

Regards
Elite of the Elites' society.

Im hyperventilating again...

Regards
Shutter Bug.

Im not choosey with petrol. My fav is Caltax but recently...

Shell tempted me with free petrol. As such, i drove till my tank was almost empty (yes, its alittle harder to pump $50 of petrol because prices has dropped by about 25% since start of the year) ...and went to a shell petrol station hoping to get my car filled with $50 of petrol.

To qualify... i have to register myself at the Shell website.



I didnt feel lucky for very long...



Im so sure...i wont be winning free petrol. =(

Regards
Petrol Whore.

Taxi drivers don't despair, outlook for transport industry positive in long term: Raymond Lim - Fresh 938

PEOPLE!
Dont despair. The long term outlook for the stock market is positive. Stock Market moves in a up-trending fashion. This has always happened since the 1800s.
All you have to do is to find some ways to survive between now and the next boom!

Regards
Optimistic.

Parliament: HDB homes affordable due to high government subsidies - Fresh 938

More than 90 per cent of HDB flats are affordable to Singaporeans due to subsidies from the government, says National Development Minister, Mah Bow Tan.

- Shouldnt all HDB flats be affordable to every singaporean?
The 500-600K flats is unaffordable to people with household income of 8K amonth vis a vis The 200-300K HDB flats is unaffordable to people with household income of 2-3K.

Quoting a friend of mine (lets call him Porket to protect his identity)....
I can buy a BMW with my pay.... <-- thats affordable.
But my monthly expenses would sky rocket and i would have to cut back on alot of expenditure.


For example, a typical 4-room flat in Punggol and Seng Kang today, cost more than $300,000 to develop, taking into account land, building and other cost. This is much higher than the subsidised price of between $200,000 and $250,000 on new flats in Punggol and Sengkang.

-Hmmm.... 1000m square of land housing 100+households in a verticle plane in Punggol/Sengkang.. Thats economy of scale. Still no discount?

Quoting unknow sources from the ST forum pages...
"We need a breakdown of the costs"

What is more encouraging is that 70% of new flat buyers service their mortgage installments entirely using their CPF monies, without having to touch their cash."

- Yes.. the very same 70% who after spreading the loan over 25 years and ultimately doesnt meet the min withdrawal limit when they hit 55...or is it 60? or is it 65??
Nevermind the other 30% who cant meet their monthly payment with CPF and still need cash topup.

On a side note...
A typical singaporean male starts work at 27... after slogging for 3-4 years, at 31 decides to get married and buy a 300K HDB flat. He exhausts all his accumulated CPF at 31 for the downpayment of the HDB flat and spends the next 20 years repaying the loan... Hes 51 by the time hes done with the loan. He can now...start to accumulate his CPF retirement nest fund.....if he is still employable at 51.

Regards
Trying very hard to understand my govt...

Sigh...
Some people are not born with very big brains.

Regards
Amused.

I do not imply anything in the following post... Your opinion might vary from mine and i am (and will always be) a loyal supporter of the PAP Monarchy.





Overheard from the coffee shop below my house...
"6 years of incredible growth and you were satisfied with 3% of annual returns?
Congrats.
No wonder my leaders thinks that they are the best man for the job."

Frankly, im not very sure why these old folks are so disgruntled.

Regards
Puzzled.

"Australian navy orders two-month Christmas stand-down
Posted: 18 November 2008 1134 hrs - CNA

SYDNEY: Australia's navy has ordered a two-month stand-down over the Christmas period as part of its strategy to recruit and retain sailors, Defence Minister Joel Fitzgibbon said Tuesday.

The minister said the move - which will see sailors who might otherwise have been at sea for exercises at home for Christmas - was designed to stem staff losses in the armed forces.

"These people have been facing a high period, an extended period of operational tempo, and it's just a way of saying thank you and encouraging them to stay in the service, rather than leave," Fitzgibbon said.

"We can invest billions in capability, warships and fast jets... but they're not much use to us if we don't have the people to man them," he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "

Im truely inspired.
Actions really speaks louder than words.

Regards
Loves the Aussie Approach.

Im truely inspired..

"The simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression... . In photography, the smallest thing can be a great subject. The little human detail can become a leitmotif." — Henri Cartier-Bresson

Regards
Photography is also arty farty okie?!

Im very troubled.
Im balding.



And im not even human.
Totally unfair. Humph!

Regards
Birdie.

Im hyperventilating...
They called and offered me another shoot. They must love me alot..


Anyone has a template for resignation letter?


Regards
Shutter Bug

Labour chief Lim Swee Say disappointed with DBS' sudden retrenchments
Posted: 14 November 2008 1708 hrs

Im also disappointed with many issues. Where can i air my views?

Regards
Unfair...just because im a peasant.

They came on a Sat morning and went home finally on a tuesday evening...
The determined one took home a car worth 80K.

Looking at it... i think its tougher than running. Suddenly, Im inspired to join the Subaru Challenge next year...but i need company.

Regards
Potential Subaru WRX Winner 2009

If you need me so much... why did you let go in the first place?
And now that im gone, why are you spoiling the relationship between us?

You are just selfish and myopic. Thats why i hate working for you.

Regards
East Side Worker.

The other reason why i was so caught up over the weekend was because after getting 'lucky' with Irene Ang and En Lai... i had another date the next day.

I was off to cover Audrey & Weeliang's wedding... at 0430hrs the next day.
Normally, thats not a problem but when Irene Ang needs you till 2300hrs the previous day...it makes waking up at 0300hrs alittle bit harder.

Anyway...
Heres the photos. Im praying that both of them dont stumble upon this blog.. Hahahah...



Waiting for the Groom.



Here comes the Groom!



Johan obviously thinks the drawing sucks.



Off with the bride.



Make up before dinner!

Alrite... thats all the decent shots i have from the entire day. Im obviously not a very good photographer.
Hahahahah......

Regards
Needs Medicine.

I think im getting very good at photoshop...

Regards
Job Seeker.

Love is....

Regards
Love cannot cure headaches...

Its been a very busy weekend.
In fact, i dont remember having a weekend at all and im suffering from a very bad headache now as a result of all these exertion.

I was so exhausted just now that i knowingly took a wrong turn and end up at chomp chomp. Dont ask me how did that happen.. hahaha... Im contemplating to call in sick tomorrow for my well paying part time job.

On a brighter note, i was somehow given free tickets to 'The Return of the V' by Irene Ang and Chua En Lai.



It was at Movida, St James. Being a noob when it comes to clubbing...i decided to be there before everyone else. There wasnt even a que yet.



I was so early...and had this very enthusiastic look. Sooo they rewarded me and allow me entry early. and i caught both Irene and Eng Lai rehersing.

And by a stroke of luck, i got 2 drinks free during the performance..
Strangely enough...they allowed me to bring my camera to the show too.
And everyone attending the show was strangely cooperating when i took pics of them..
And if that wasnt enough, Irene Ang asked me for my number..

We all know who Irene Ang is... but who is En Lai?



He actually one of the cast acting in 'Noose'.. and hes almost as funny as Irene. hahah..

I seldom find people genuinely funny but these 2 are just incredible.








These people obviously thought they were funny too. The lady in the 3rd pic looks strangely like Patricia Mok.

Throughout the show, they touched on lesbians, TT Durai, Govt, GP, SP Power and a host of other topics which i didnt really catch because i was laughing soo hard.





Even Edison made a special appearance... I wonder if he brought his camera phone.. hahaha..

Oh well.. I wonder if i'll be invited to another show next weekend.

Regards
Loves Jokes.

A friend of mine asked me if i've made it big in photography.

Yes... i guess so.

Didnt get paid though. =(

Regards
Shutter Bug

Its coming.

Regards

I wrote on my MSN
" Almost at the end of the road"
and a friend pop by to ask what it means?

I explain that im looking forward to walk a different path.

Then my friend said
"What if its a dead end??"

I really need some supportive friends.

Regards
Loner

Destiny Beckons today!!


Will he or will he not?
OBAMA as the United States of America President?

After Hamilton... its time now for OBAMA to fulfil his destiny.
Yes... im very convinced that OBAMA would win. All that is left to do now is for him to live up to his promises.
And we all know that its so easy to get carried away during elections. One million and one promises...but nothing ever ends up getting done!

You know what they say... NEVER COUNT your chickens before they hatch. =)

Regards
Chicks counter

Let me blog about how dramatic the race was this morning.

If the race standing had stayed the same as it was when Massa crossed the line to take the Brazilian GP win.. He would have won both the Race and the Championship.

But as fate would have it... Hamilton, who was in 6th position and needed a 5th position finish was able to overtake a Toyota (which did not pit and instead drove around with dry tyres when it started to rain over the last 7 laps) at the last bend of the season and he clinched 5th position as a result.

For 30 secs (the length of time that Hamilton was behind Massa)... the ferrari team celebrated believing they got both the Constructors and Driver Championship but then the camera shifted to the Mclaren team who also
started celebrating.

As you can see... The lesson behind this is dont count your chickens before they hatch.

For Massa..
He fought and he thought he won only to be let down again. Hopefully, he will have better luck next year. Hes a decent driver and he only needed to have the right tools to start winning races.

For Hamilton..
He really didnt deserve the championship because he wasnt even able to defend his 5th position from Vettal (who incidentally overtook him on the 2nd last lap) but he stayed true to his cause and thankfully, won the championship by a stroke of luck.

As i laid in bed after the race last evening, i thought to myself...Im 29 and going 30 next year. I wonder if my aging heart can take the surprises that life would present to me in time to come.

Regards
Have had a wonderful life thus far.

By a cruel twist of fate, Hamilton is the World Champ.
Massa deserves better. Damn..

Regards
Massa's supporter.

Alrite, let me blog about the SCC 07 Rugby games.

Im not fan of rugby but because of photography, i drag myself out of bed early over the weekend and went down to padang to watch them play.

And frankly, it didnt turn out very bad. It was exciting to say the least but definately too intense for a wuss like me. Hahah.. Im scared that i will break my neck if i ever try rugby.

If you think soccer is for men.. then rugby is for super heroes? Hahaha...

The thing about rugby is that i didnt for once over the weekend (thats 5 hours of action spread over 2 days) did i see any injury play acting or any un-gentlemanly fist fight. I guess.. the mindset of these players are already skewed towards the 'get the ball to touchdown, nevermind if i get whacked along the way'.

Anyway, i had fun. Next year, i'll be back with a more expensive longer zoom.

Check out what i've got..



This was the fall that lead to that bleeding earlier. Ouch...



I swear this can pass off as some wrestling move.



I swear he was airborne at some point..



Go away...go away!



He didnt get very far with the ball.



And the funniest of them all... Hahaha... Why is he being pinched on the cheeks??

Regards
Loves Sports.

If words cannot convince my girlfriend to let me buy more camera stuff...i hope a pic will.



Taken at the games this morning.

Camera equipments are so darn cheap nowadays....you can afford to have a big arse camera, a telephoto lens with a large aperture and still have a flash!

Must have brought it during a sale and decide to showhand this morning. Hahahah...

On the other side of the pitch, i saw another photographer looking very disturbed. I heard him commenting to his friend.
"A flash & telephoto lens combo? The flash can reach where the lens can reach anot?"

After hearing this, i left the pitch feeling disturbed. These old folks are obviously jealous. Humph.

Regards
Shutter Bug.

Okoki, im too old for rugby.

Regards
Softie.

Am i too old for rugby?

Regards
Tough boy

Vios is a very good car.
Its also very fast.

In the last 2 odd years, i have (with my superior driving skills) beaten several WRXs, Souped up Civics, 2.0 Madza 3s and EVO wannabes.
Inevitably, this has caused some owners of these very expensive cars to be both red faced and very very angry.

However, this morning... I must have pissed off a ferrari convertible driver big time. Very very big time.
We are talking about a 1million dollar car here. His petrol bill and road tax over 10 years is most prob enough to buy my vios with some loose change.

How did i do it?

I activated my wipers when he drove up beside me at a traffic light.
I swear it was unintentional. =)

Regards
Roof over my head driver.

IF

Im a hardworking teenager in primary/secondary school.
My only hobby is to go to the library and the occasional trip to the bookstores after my sunday tuition class.

Some sundays ago, i stumble upon this whole shelf of sex books.



I cant wait to go back this weekend. Maybe i will now know what the fuss is all about..and i'll be as experience as everyone else.
=)

Regards
Goody 2 Shoes.