A reminder to exercise more

Was hanging around Marina Bay Sands mall while waiting for a late evening appointment last weekend, and decided to sit outside the mall at the promenade facing the bay, where it’s quiet and breezy.

I’d just found my spot and started reading a book I’d just bought from Kinokuniya when a woman cycled through and shouted to people walking about, “Please move to the side! Please move to the side!” I was wondering what the fuss was about, until a couple of people wearing number tags ran past me. I thought, nah, just a few runners, and continued sitting there and reading my book.

About five minutes later, more and more runners ran past me. I started getting a little comfortable. It was impossible to read with sweating people running past you every few seconds. Then the runners started turning up in packs. I knew it was time to move.

Trying to make the best of the situation, I decided to take out my camera and take some shots of the runners. Admittedly, the route they were running on was very poorly lit – I’m not sure how the organisers got away with that – which made it impossible to shoot on anything lower than ISO 6400. But the X-Pro 1 has great ISO performance, and coupled with the bright lights from the mall and hotel blocks, I managed to snap a few shots.

EVENING JOG: The buggers who disturbed my peace. Well at least they made me get up and take some photos. I later found out that it was called Run Happy Singapore 2012, a rather peculiar turn of phrase. Never understood why anyone would pay to run on public property though.

Which reminds me, it has been 5 years since I went for a long run. I took part in the Army Half-marathon in 2007, which I’d taken months to prepare for. It was quite a unique (and may I add, healthy) experience. My friends and I didn’t sign up though – we just joined in as unregistered participants. As I mentioned above, I always thought it was silly to pay to take part in a run. Unless of course, the money goes to a charitable cause.

These days, I find it hard to even go for a short jog. I really should start doing so…

Singapore’s new concrete jungle

Like many other Singaporeans, I lament the lack of interesting places to go on my days off work. But with the opening of the Bay South Gardens last month, there is a new place to check out.

As with any new national attraction, the park was flooded with visitors in the first days after its opening. Naturally, I avoided the place the first couple of weeks. But earlier this week, a couple of university friends wanted to meet there for dinner. As I finished work early, I went down two hours ahead of time for a little walk (in spite of the heat and humidity).

A BREATH OF FRESH AIR: A jogger at the Gardens, with the Supertree Grove in the background. Seen in the distant background are the Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer.

 

L’Arc-en-Ciel in Singapore

Japanese rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel, or Laruku in short, is probably the only band I’ve followed over the years.

I first got hooked on their music when I heard their theme song for the popular anime series Rurouni Kenshin back in the late 1990s, when it was shown on TV. I was still in secondary school then, and I must have heard it through an online download, because from what I understand, it was used as a theme song only for a short run due to a drugs problem with the former drummer.

At the time, Japanese popular culture (dramas, anime and music) was all the rage in Singapore, and Laruku’s songs were regularly played on the Japanese music segments on the Chinese radio stations. It was also the time when HMV was the multi-storey anchor tenant at the Heeren Shops in Orchard Road, and Japanese artistes had a major section on the third storey devoted to their music, with many listening stations featuring the latest albums. (Today, there is only one shelf of Japanese music in HMV’s single-storey premises at Somerset 313.)

It was also the time when people still burnt CDs to listen on their discmans. For me, L’Arc-en-Ciel became an important part of my memories of my time in junior college, as a CD with 13 of their songs provided my study music for the all-important A-level examinations. (With mp3s having taken over space-constrained CDs now, such a small set of songs probably seems unimaginable)

The atmosphere was electrifying throughout the concert! A great setlist (though like all fans, I wished they played more songs), a smooth, near-perfect delivery by frontman hyde and a very obliging audience made it a night to remember.

Labrador Park

I visit parks less often than I would like to, but some time last month, I decided to brave the heat and humidity for the first time in a while to get away from the usual mall crawling.

This time, I chose to go to Labrador Park, which is now easily accessible via its very own MRT station on the Circle Line. I had gone for a little gathering at a colleague’s place just a stone’s throw away a couple of weeks before, so somehow it was the natural choice for this outing.

The weather was quite hot that evening, but at least there was a slight breeze to moderate the heat. Not many people were at the park even though it was the weekend, thankfully, which made the walk quite a pleasant one.

I’M GONNA GET YOU: An angler casting his line into the sea as the sun sets. (Admittedly, the sunset colours don’t quite come out in black and white photography.)

Photos taken with the Nikon F6 and Kodak T-max 400 film, using the Nikkor AIS 24mm f2 and Carl Zeiss 100mm f2 ZF lenses.

A little bit of Mosaic

Was wondering what to do last Sunday, so I checked out the Esplanade website for some ideas. So it happens, the annual Mosaic Music Festival is on, and there are many free performances at the venue.

Incidentally, I’d found a very decent offer for a second-hand Carl Zeiss Makro-Planar T* 2/100 lens on a local photography forum, and bought it just before heading down to the Esplanade.

Armed with my latest acquisition (I’d added the Nikkor AIS 24mm f2 just the week before too), I took some photos of the performances at the cosy HTC Living Room, a free venue, while enjoying the music at the same time.

I hadn’t been shooting gigs for quite a while (not since the Brown Eyed Girls in 2010 and a mini J-rock concert in 2009), but I think I might get started on doing more of this…

Nicholas Tan of jazz sextet V-v-v-voyager in his element at the HTC Living Room. The group is one of the few groups under the "Bright Young Things” programme to mentor young jazz musicians in Singapore.

My 2011 in pictures

2011 was certainly an eventful year, but I still can’t say for sure if I could call it a good year.

Work-wise, it was by far the toughest year since I started work. Had to deal with the disappointment and anguish of not getting the reports when I went to Japan to cover the March 11 disasters. Tougher though, was coping with the change to local news reporting, which has made work-life a little more colourful but infinitely more stressful. (I’m still debating if it was the right move)

PICTURE OF THE YEAR: The Workers’ Party’s historic capture of a GRC at the May 7 General Election is easily one of the biggest events of the year, and I had the privilege of witnessing and capturing the electrifying atmosphere that night. The real bonus was submitting it to my paper’s photo desk and having it selected for our front-page the following day. It doesn’t get bigger than that for me.

On the other hand, I think little has changed in terms of my personal life. Still dating the same (wonderful) Joanne, still hanging out with the same friends. Went on two holidays – both of which were to places I have visited before (Hong Kong and Tohoku, Japan).

As with the previous couple of years, I guess the bright spots are the good photos I managed to take during the course of the year. The May 7 General Election was arguably the biggest event of the year in Singapore – not just because of the result but also the socio-political changes it brought on, and I was glad I used my time off work to visit the various rallies, as well as the results announcement at Serangoon Stadium.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Something a little different for a change – I’m writing about the police and kids.

Have you seen the latest Singapore Police Force commercials? I happened to see one of them on TV the other day, and Joanne pointed out that she and her female colleagues recently crowded around one computer swooning over this particular one for ten minutes:

For more, you can go to the Singapore Police Force Facebook page or their YouTube channel  for the rest of the 2011 recruitment drive vids.

Coincidentally, I was actually planning to write a post about something I’d spotted a month ago during my visit to the National Museum, and it’s related to the police as well.

There was this activity corner on the second storey, where kids were invited to draw out their personal hopes and vision for Singapore, and put it up as part of an interactive exhibition. And one common thread I found was that many of kids wanted to be policemen and women when they grow up!

Farewell, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

The last train rolled into Tanjong Pagar Railway Station last night  (June 30). Hundreds of people crowded the historic building yesterday, for their last chance to see trains arriving at the tracks. If we count the many others who have streamed in over the past month, the figure would probably be closer to thousands, or even tens of thousands.

Although I was on afternoon duty yesterday, I’d toyed with the idea of heading out to the King Albert Park area to grab some shots of the 8am train headed for Johor. However, I had worked the late shift the night before, and stayed up till late to finish up the previous blog post. I decided that I would be too tired to work if I went. As it turned out, it rained cats and dogs in the morning, and I would have been drenched from head to toe, and dead like zombie at the office if I had gone.

Anyway, here’s the best of the other photos I took during my visit there earlier this week. All photos on Kodak Portra 160VC, taken with the Nikon F6 and AFS 24mm f1.4.

A train driver on the walkie talkie as the train pulls out of Tanjong Pagar Railway Station.

A photo guide to taking a train from Tanjong Pagar Railway Station

How time flies. I visited the Tanjong Pagar Railway Station about half a year ago to take some photographs, and before I knew it, the day when a KTM train leaves the station for the last time – June 30, 2011 – is almost here.

Joanne and I had been planning to take the train from the station for just one time, before the chance is over, but in typical fashion we procrastinated for a bit. It was June 26 when it finally struck me – there was less than a week to go. By then, Joanne had left for a holiday to New York, so I would have to go alone, I thought. But my mother, who last took the train more than 20 years ago, wanted to join me (perhaps driven by the hype in the media?). As it happened, I was off duty the following day – Jul 27 (Monday). We were set.

One of the train station workers preparing for departure on June 27. The train was bound for Kuala Lumpur. I took the train to Johor Sentral Station, the first stop in Malaysia, and then returned by the next earliest train.

This month, Singaporeans have flocked to the station in droves to take photographs, enjoy the food at the two canteens and take a ride from there for the last time. The tickets for the last day, if I didn’t hear wrongly, were sold out weeks in advance. KTM must have made quite a killing in recent days, I suspect!

Since the train station closes today, I thought it might be interesting to show how the experience of taking a train from there is like, using some of the shots I have taken. Especially for those who have never done it before. Here goes!

The park in my backyard

Some of you might have read about Ang Mo Kio Town West Garden park in the news recently – a 64-year-old man was allegedly killed by a teenager who was under the influence of drugs. Subsequent news reports highlighted that teenagers, sometimes in their school uniforms, are occasionally seen glue-sniffing in the bushes there.

Well, I happen to live close by, but I'm ashamed to say that I rarely pass by and have never seen the plastic bags used by the sniffers littered on the grass there. Not that I want to see them though.

A loving elderly couple taking a stroll in the park on a sunny Thursday morning in the Ang Mo Kio Town West Garden park.

I did actually go for a morning walk there in April, in a bid to finish using up a roll of film. There weren’t a lot of people around, but just enough activity to keep me snapping the 13 frames I had to expend.

It starts with a mini project at Serangoon

Two weeks ago, I attended a four-day course on “Visual Journalism”. I had been looking forward to this course, because I have always been interested in visual design.

And I came away inspired to do more photographic work.

The course, which revolved around the effective use of photographs and graphics in print design, was conducted by Mr Peter Ong, a former journalist who now runs his own consultancy. He is a guru at newspaper and magazine design, and has worked with publications all over the world, including in China, India and South Africa. He writes a blog about media trends and his work here. 

A “No Peddling” sign at the old Serangoon Bus Interchange. Until I visited the place that day, I don’t think I had seen such a sign in Singapore! In a way I think it shows the age of the place.

On the last day of the course, we were assigned in groups of 4 to 5 people to do a simple report, with the use of graphics and photos. We had the whole morning to do it. My group was given the task of doing a photo essay on something around Serangoon Central.

May 7 – A Historic Day for Singapore

Singapore’s General Election 2011 would go down in the history of the country as the first election where an opposition party won a Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since the scheme began in 1988. As a result, the opposition won six Parliamentary seats – the highest number since independence in 1965. (The previous high was four.) Also, it was the first time the opposition had contested so many seats – all but five of the total – to begin with.

Workers’ Party leader Low Thia Khiang (middle) and his fellow Aljunied GRC MP-elects Chen Show Mao (bespectacled man behind him) and Pritam Singh (to Chen’s right) shaking hands with delirious supporters at Hougang stadium in the early hours of May 8, 2011, after their historic win in the 2011 General Election. (The colour version of this picture appeared on page 1 of The Straits Time’s special noon edition on May 8!)

GRCs are a unique system whereby Members of Parliament are elected in teams of three to six. The main reason behind this system, said the government, was to ensure minority representation in Parliament, because each GRC must include one MP from a minority race. There were 15 GRCs and 12 single seats up for grabs in the 2011 election, for a total of 87 places. 

The Workers’ Party (WP) had staged a strong challenge to the long-ruling People’s Action Party (PAP) in Aljunied GRC in the 2006 election, winning over 40 per cent of votes. The PAP’s Aljunied team, led by Foreign Minister George Yeo, fared the worse in terms of vote share among all winning PAP teams and single candidates.

This year, the WP threw in all its best candidates in the Aljunied GRC team, with Secretary-General Low Thia Khiang leaving his longtime stronghold, Hougang constituency, to his protégé Yaw Shin Leong, and personally leading the charge in Aljunied. Their ranks were further boosted by top corporate lawyer Chen Show Mao, who advised the Agricultural Bank of China on its world-record US$22 billion IPO last August. WP Chairman Sylvia Lim, postgraduate law student Pritam Singh and freelance counsellor Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap made up the rest of the five-man ‘A’ team.

How Marina Bay has changed!

As mentioned here, I went to Forlino’s at One Fullerton for my Valentine’s dinner on Feb 13. Part of the reason why I was hunting for a place near the Marina Bay area, was that Joanne told me on a couple of occasions that it is great for an evening stroll.

So that helped me narrow down the search, which was always going to be hard given my lack of expertise in this area.

I believed my last time here was more than a year ago – when the Marina Bay Sands was still under construction! And I was really impressed by the transformation the area has undergone since then.

Marina Bay Sands, with the iconic three towers (aka ancestral tablets) and the sky park (aka banana boat or space ship) on top. I think the lotus inspired design of the ArtScience Museum looks like a hand pointing the middle finger at Singapore, but don’t quote me on this… The Helix Bridge is on the left, while the complex on the right is the shopping arcade of Bay Sands.

The whole bayfront area is now linked by walkways and bridges, which means you can now walk a full round about the bay area. It was really breezy that evening, which made it a pleasant walk. (though in the end, we had to quicken our footsteps to make it to Forlino in time for our sitting)

In fact, it felt as if I was in another country. Which is quite cool because Singapore doesn’t have too many interesting places to visit.

The famous Merlion undergoing a transformation… to become a five-star hotel room during the 2011 Singapore Biennale. The Esplanade is in the background, but you can’t really see it here.

With the area buzzing now, there’s more reason than ever to consider a stay-cation at the Bay Sands. The hotel’s infinity pool, in case you haven’t heard about it, looks absolutely stunning.

Valentine’s Day Dinner at Forlino

It’s been a while since I actually celebrated Valentine’s Day. I suppose that’s lucky in a way, as I avoided spending on over-priced flowers and wrecking my brains over a good place to dine out.

Well I ran out of luck this year thanks to Joanne, so for the first time in years the day actually had some meaning! Kind of, anyway. As they say, every day is Valentine’s Day, right?

In any case, I wanted to go to a nice restaurant, and since I don’t read magazines and food reviews I was out of ideas, as usual. In the end, I stumbled upon a place called Forlino at One Fullerton, which I later discovered to be quite a well-known place. For me, only two things mattered though – good food and good location. Based on popular food rating site hungrygowhere, this place has generally good reviews. And I wanted to go to the Marina Bay area. That settled it.

This year’s Valentine’s Menu:

Apertura (Amuse Bouche)

Insalta di Astice con Asparagi, Aria al Coriandolo e Frutto della Passione (Lobster Salad with Asparagus, Coriander Air and Passion Fruit Sauce)

Flan di Zucca con Salsa di Fegato d’Oca (Pumpkin Flan with Goose Liver Sauce)

Ravioli di Bietole Rosse con Salsa al Taleggio (Beetroot Ravioli with Taleggio Cheese Sauce)

For our main, I chose the Merluzzo Nero Arrostito su Orzotto con Funghi Porcini e Salsa di Piselli (Black Cod Filet with Barley Risotto, Porcini Mushrooms and Sweet Pea Sauce)

While Joanne had the Controfiletto di Manzo con Timballino di Melanzanee e Salsa Aromatica (Grilled US Beef Sirloin with Eggplant Timbale and Aromatic Sauce)

Morbida di Fragole al Profumo di Lime con Cuore di Cioccolato (Lime Scented Strawberry Mousse with Chocolate Heart)

Sorry that the photos aren’t fantastic, as 1) It wasn’t a photography outing to begin with and 2) the restaurant was very dimly lit.

The meal cost me quite a bit, but unfortunately, we both didn’t find the food outstanding. Quite disappointing, as I was expecting a lot more. The service was good, however.

At the end of the day, I was happy that we had a good evening out.

But maybe I won’t be so extravagant next year!

Gone Bananas

Yes, because I took two days of medical leave for the first time since I started working in June 2009.

Ok, but that’s not the point of the post. Falling sick (viral cough,  doctor says) gave me some time to write this post as I’m supposed to stay home and rest.

In keeping with the festive theme of the previous post, I’m talking about bananas and good fortune for the Chinese. Singaporean Chinese, at least, because I do not know if the same applies to other Hokkien-speaking Chinese elsewhere in the world, such as those in China’s Fujian province or in Taiwan.

Anyway, my mother bought a bunch of small bananas and hung them at our kitchen window for Chinese New Year. That’s uncharacteristic because our family prefer eat only the bigger varieties such as those from Del Monte, so I asked her why she bought them...

Why are you hanging at my window, Mr Banana?

“You mean you don’t know? Hokkiens believe bananas bring good fortune. Gim jiou! Gim jiou! Kuai dian zhao, kuai dian zhao!” she replied enthusiastically. (My mum is Cantonese though)

Gim jiou is Hokkien for banana, which is read the same way as “bringing in gold”. The latter bit, in Mandarin, means to hurry up and bring in (the gold). There was something about the way my mother said it that made me and my sister burst out laughing, but I guess that explains why some Chinese in Singapore hang banana-themed ornaments in their cars and houses.

Hmmm maybe that’s part of the reason why I had a relatively good Year of the Tiger. Work-wise I had the chance to go to Pakistan and Japan for work assignments, and also got a chance to write my first opinion piece. And last month, I got promoted and collected my first proper bonus (along with the rest of the company, of course). As for my personal life, I met Joanne and so far had some wonderful times with her both here and on our overseas vacations (three so far, and much more to look forward to this year). To Joanne’s sisters: nope, I really didn’t have to sell my organs to pay for the trips so far. Haha.

You see, I’d bought a new watch last June as a birthday present to myself, from a shop in Ion shopping mall in Orchard Road:

I call it my “banana watch”, and I wear it every time I go out. The design is apparently based on a famous banana painting done by the father of pop art.

From what I understand, the painting was featured on a legendary rock album by Velvet Underground, and that was probably part of the reason why it became so famous.

While I would have loved to get a Jaeger LeCoultre from a luxury watch shop, I figured it was not the right time yet and settled for something slightly cheaper. Actually I was attracted initially to another Andy Warhol watch at the same shop in Ion but settled on the simple but elegant design of the banana watch. I also like it that it’s quite thin and light, which makes it less uncomfortable to wear throughout the day. Get it here if you want! (Please don’t wear it when you meet me though, it’ll be awkward.)

Oh hey, there is a banana on the watch dial too!

Yes, yes, this is all superstitious nonsense, you may say. I’d be a fool to count on my watch for good luck too, but every little bit helps, I suppose? :)

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PS: I’d discovered a good Hokkien online dictionary as I was confirming the Hokkien pun, since I know only a little of my dialect. For those who are keen to become Hokkien experts, click here.

Happy Lunar New Year

To all my Chinese readers (I’m guessing there’re at least a couple), Happy Lunar New Year! I wish you and your loved ones all good health and prosperity in the year of the Rabbit. May you advance in the workplace or in your studies, and overcome all the troubles that may come your way. (And I hope you will continue reading my blog too, and let me know if you do!)

Actually I haven’t had the habit of making festive greetings on my blog, but a comment a friend made about Chinese New Year recently got me thinking, and I would like to share my thoughts here.

 

My reunion dinner is taken at home with my family every year. We usually have steamboat, with a variety of simple but delicious items. Let me share with you what we have this year. Here, we have tofu, crabsticks and cocktail sausages.

Basically, my friend made the comment the other day on Facebook, saying that he felt embarrassed when he explained the various Chinese New Year greetings to his foreign friends. I was actually quite perplexed by that comment, and asked for some examples. I didn’t quite agree with what he said though!

 

Chicken, pork and pork liver! Liver always look a little bloody, but I love the texture.

To the uninitiated, many CNY greetings revolve around wishing people good luck and prosperity. The most common 恭喜发财 (gong xi fa cai) means literally congratulations for getting rich. 心想事成，万事如意 (xin xiang shi cheng, wan shi ru yi) means to get what one wishes for; the often punned upon 年年有余 (nian nian you yu) means to have surpluses every year, with the pun on 鱼 (yu), or fish. 金玉满堂 (jin yu man tang) means to have a house full of gold and jade, which means a house of wealth. 福星高照 (fu xing gao zhao) means to have the god of fortune shine on you.

 

Yummy and healthy greens and mushrooms. Golden mushrooms, or enoki, is probably my favourite mushroom for steamboats, as they absorb the soup and maintain their crunchiness.

Not all of the greetings directly has to do with luck and money, of course. For working adults who are more junior than us, we wish them 步步高升 (bu bu gao sheng), or to rise up step by step. We wish students 学业进步 (xue ye jin bu) or to advance in one’s studies.  Of course, if any one really wishes to advance in the workplace or in one’s studies, one has to put in hard work. But we wish that their efforts pay off.

 

Fish and squid. So that we can have surpluses (余) – a pun on 鱼, or fish – every year.

As you can see, many of these greetings basically express goodwill towards others. We wish the best for others; they wish the same for us. While in Chinese we have a term for this – 礼尚往来 (li shang wang lai), which means to reciprocate courtesy – but I believe it’s very much a universal thing. During the CNY period, which is the most important celebration of the year, naturally we amplify the goodwill we express to others. Everyone wants a good year, and by wishing others the best, we ultimately also wish the best for ourselves.

 

All balls: plain ones made of fish paste, those with mushroom bits added in, chicken balls, cuttlefish balls… Always a delight to have, they add colour and shapes to the steamboat concoction, and cook extremely quickly as well. Kids love them.

Well, that’s it from me. Many of our Chinese traditions are slowly dying out in modern society. And soon I can foresee that Western traditions and festivals will dominate, if they haven’t already. That is sad, because there is very little to define what a Singaporean is to begin with. The erosion of what makes the Chinese here Chinese, seems to be an erosion of part of what makes Singapore unique – our racial/ethnical fabric. There is some revival of interest in Chinese language and culture now, but that is purely driven by commercial interest in the economic juggernaut of China. But I shall not be too pessimistic.

 

Steamboat is incomplete, however, without my favourite – prawns. Nothing like shelled prawns cooked in soup. This retains the natural sweetness and juiciness of the prawn – the way prawn should be enjoyed. (The de-shelled ones were prepared for my sis, who doesn’t like peeling them)

Actually I have a distaste for Western traditions because they are mostly heavily commercialised. Christmas,  Valentine’s Day, Thanks-giving, Halloween, etc… While they are interesting to celebrate they mean absolutely nothing to me. (No offense to Christians intended. I fully understand Christmas’ importance to you, you probably have to admit it is dominated by commercialism in many places these days.)

It’s also somewhat telling that most popular images of these traditions/festivals are about wild partying, getting drunk and shopping. I’ll take exchanging mandarin oranges and saying happy and fluffy things to family and loved ones any day.

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On a separate note…

Lunar New Year has never truly had any special meaning for me. In fact, for the longest time my feelings towards it had been more negative.

It definitely has got to do with my family background. Because of my father’s irresponsible ways, we were more or less cut off from both sides of the extended family through my formative years. So instead of visiting relatives and family friends like most of my peers do, I usually just stayed at home throughout the two- or three-day holiday. Of course this wasn’t a problem in itself, but when I went back to school the following day, people would be talking about what they did during the holidays, how many red packets they had received and perhaps more critical to teenagers like I was then, how much was the haul for the year. (Coming from a top secondary school when most people came from well-to-do families, the sums naturally were quite significant.)

Things have changed since he died about 8 years ago. We have renewed contact with the extended family, and I do join my relatives for CNY gatherings these days. I guess that restores some “normality” to my CNY’s.

Now that I think about it, missing out on CNY in the past have probably contributed to my reclusive nature.

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (Part 2)

If you missed it, Part 1 can be found here.

As mentioned in the first part, this shoot was done entirely on film. As I went through the process of having to go to a photo lab to develop and scan the two rolls of film, I couldn’t help but lament the inconveniences of film. Yet there is something distinctively satisfying about shooting with film. Good thing I’ve decided to hang on to my F6, I guess.

 

Workers on the tracks examining the Orient Express train.

Seats for waiting passengers just outside the platform. You can see how aged they are.

Some of the shops at the station. I peered into Quick Baggage and found that they are apparently still in operation. Not sure what they do though…

A man drinking his morning teh in the station’s main hall. He turned away when he saw me approaching, unfortunately.

Some graffiti on the station’s wall.

There is a resting area with bunk beds inside the station. I’m not sure who stays here, but I’m guessing that the lodging is fairly cheap.

A row of pay phones in the station. Always a treat to see these in Singapore – so many people here own mobile phones that they are very rare to find these days.

Not a great shot, but thought I should include a shot of the station’s exterior. This was the only time I wished I had a wider lens – namely my AIS 28m f2.8 – on me that morning. (I only had the 35mm that morning.)

After I got home that day, I went online to check out more information about the eateries at the station. I was just a little puzzled whether many Singaporeans visit the place for food. According to some blogs I came across, the satay there is supposedly quite good. But there are differing opinions on that, so I shall probably give it a miss.

Tanjong Pagar Railway Station (Part 1)

After the successful conclusion of talks between the Prime Ministers of Singapore and Malaysia last year, Tanjong Pagar Railway Station would cease operations this July. The new station, which will be the new terminus for trains coming from Malaysia, is to be located at Woodlands checkpoint.

I’d been wanting to visit the station for a long time, but never got down to it. In fact, the announcement of the breakthrough talks gave me fresh impetus to visit it, but it took me till December before I finally made my way down for a quick morning shoot.

This was also the first time I shot with my new Nikon AIS 35mm f1.4 lens, paired with the F6. As expected, manual focusing with the F6 was easy. The image quality was excellent too, judging from the scans. It could be my one-lens travel solution with the F6 (if I ever dare to venture with just a film camera in hand, that is). More reading material about the lens here.

I sneaked onto the platform, not knowing that I was not allowed in. I actually walked all the way to the end (I think the platform is about 200m long) before a station master rode his bicycle down the platform and asked me to leave. I managed to get a concession from him though – to take this picture and the next.

There were people inside the police post, and I think they saw me walk down the platform, but didn’t stop me. Haha. So much for security.

Welcome to Singapura! This is probably my favourite shot of the day. I’d actually wanted to take it from the inside, but as mentioned, I got chased out. I took it from the road that runs parallel to the platform. The blurry black marks are there because I shot through the fence.

A lazy cat trying to sleep on the platform. In the background is the Orient Express, the luxury train that runs all the way to Bangkok. I hope to take it one day.

One of the two coffeeshops located inside the station. I don’t know why there are two though. Both seemed to be filled with customers when I visited.

A man buying a train ticket from the counter.

Travellers dressed in spiffy suits and dresses enquiring about their Orient Express trip.

The check-in sign at the station entrance. You don’t want the Orient Express customers to get lost! They paid good money for their ride.

Colour photos to come in the second part… ;)

Addendum: Part 2 can be found here.

Blazing 28 debut

I bought the Ricoh GXR 28mm f2.5 today. Finally! Ever since it was announced in March, I had been very curious about this lens. After I bought the GXR in September for my Pakistan trip, I was even more eager to try it out – while the 24-72mm zoom unit gave me a taste of the wonderful features of the GXR, from the many customisable settings to the advanced shooting options, I was never entirely convinced of its image quality at ISO 400 and above. (As a side note, I believe the pictures ST used for my Pakistan article were shot at ISO100 or 200)

I got to try out the 28mm unit when I visited Japan in October, at Ricoh’s Ringcube showroom in Ginza, Tokyo, and I was quite impressed. It was a pre-production model, however.

Last month, the lens was finally released in Japan, and two weeks later, it has arrived in Singapore. I was so excited to hear that my neighbourhood camera store (MS Color at Ang Mo Kio Hub) had it in stock, and I rushed down to the store after I attended a function Wednesday night. Alas, it turned out that I had used up the available funds in my current account because I’d spent a pretty penny on a pair of sunglasses earlier in the day, and I couldn’t pay up! So I paid a S$100 deposit and went there during my lunch time today and snapped it up.

When I slid the unit into my GXR and turned it on, I could immediately feel its tremendous quality. What has impressed me about the 28mm:

1. Impressive ISO performance all the way to ISO 3200. Thanks to the large APS-C sized sensor. It easily trumps my 3-year-old Nikon D40X, even though the sensor size is the same.
2. Very sharp lens. I was very impressed when I looked at the LCD of the Panasonic GF1 in Japan. With the 28mm on the GXR, I have nothing left to envy.
3. Fast AF. Ok it wouldn’t be fair to compare to my Nikon lenses on this, but for a compact camera, the 28mm is very fast and responsive. Definitely good enough for most shooting conditions, except for action/sports.

What could have been better:

1. An even faster lens, say f2? (I think f1.4 might be a bit too much to as for in a compact camera)
2. 43mm filter size instead? Why on earth does the 24-72mm unit use a 43mm filter while the 50mm and 28mm use 40.5mm?
3. A gold ring instead of a red one? Ok that’s just the Nikonian in me. Haha.

The lens was put to use on the very same day, as I attended a long-awaited gathering of my primary school class. It wasn’t exactly a snapfest, as 1) I was late and 2) I think I was better off trying to catch up with the rest. But I got a few good shots, and I think I can expect plenty more for the lens.

More to come!

Eating dinner while everyone else was finishing dessert… Hehe.

Haw Par Hoppin’ (Part 2)

As mentioned in Part 1, there are many downright grotesque statues in Haw Par Villa, many of which I do not quite understand the relevance to the overall theme of the place. There was one particular exhibit that got me quite fascinated.

A rat in a suit drags a rabbit onto the wedding bed, as another rat-like creature, who appears to be the wheeler dealer who arranged the marriage, chats on the phone, perhaps to seal his next deal?

“Hello Mr Dog, do you want to order a rabbit too?”

And we have a deer drinking tea served by a tortoise.

It appears humans don’t quite have a place here, except to help hold the flower vase.

What do you make out of that?

Unfortunately, it was too dark to take any pictures inside the Ten Courts of Hell exhibit, as it was indoors. But here’s a preview of what’s inside:

A beheaded corrupt official greets you on the way in.

I noticed the poor state of affairs at the park. The exhibits are generally in various states of disrepair, with paint peeling off and spider webs everywhere.

As I was walking about I spoke to a Malay lady, who told me that she showing her extended family from Malaysia around the place. She said she lived nearby and come by often when she was younger, but it was so different then. Back then, the statues were very well-maintained, and the paint was always fresh and colourful. And people were not allowed to touch the statues. (She pointed that out as the kids crawled up the platform and chased each other around the statues in one exhibit.)

Leftover lanterns at the canteen. I wonder from when?

The shops and the canteen are now closed as well, but I was relieved to see vending machines in operation as I was dying of thirst after walking about since early morning. Another surprise – the toilets were actually quite well-maintained, with proper lighting. (I definitely can’t say the same for some coffeeshops elsewhere.)

I think I’m grateful that the current owners of Haw Par Villa are still keeping it alive. No doubt they are minimising all costs of maintenance, but hey, there aren’t many places of interest in Singapore that have free admission. May the place remain open for years to come – it’s truly a place that is unlike any theme park I have ever heard of or been to.

See you again!