nocturne in light

Well after sucha long long time (3 months) since my last post, I'm finally back. You can call this an extended coverage of the NDP 07 I guess. It has pics all the way from Combined Rehearsal 1 way back in June. Never had I thought I would be given sucha opportunity to cover the nation's birthday!

So let this be a tribute to all those people out there who worked really hard to get this National Day Parade 07 @ Marina Bay a resounding sucess!

It's been a good one month since I last visited this place. I wonder how many people actually bother to come. But there aren't the point I guess, this is just a place for me to pen down my thoughts. Just suddenly felt like coming back to just pen down some of my thoughts in these couple of days.

Just yesterday alone left me wondering on some things. Was at Holland V when I saw this 3 kittens. Just the normal black and white patched ones, but they were really cute. Playing on top a covered walkway, it was by chance i saw them. At first, one of them saw a branch there and started fiddling with it, curious and playful I suppose. Then the other two joined in as well. It was quite nice to see them just playing around. There were two other larger cats not far away, but were peacefully asleep.

It just struck me how simple live could get. How pure and innocent live can be.

It left me wondering why humans make things so complicated. Are all these things that we do really necessary. Okie, you might say the cats are fed, they have nothing else to worry about. But the thing is, why do we need to have an endless chase on things. The rat race never seems to end. At times, people even do stupid and evil things just to get their goals. Are this really called for?

Just watching the news for the first time in the past week left me thinking more. It somehow seemed that the news on tv has lost its purpose. It somehow has turned into more of a orbituary. In this part of the world a bomb was set off, killing 25. In that part of the world, someone was killed. Is there really nothing else that the world needs to know?

I always have this thought in me. You attack me, I go your house attack you. I don't get out of your house you attack me. I attack you back and stay longer because you attack me and your house is not safe for your family. So you continue to attack me to chase me away, but I won't leave because you are dangerous, I want to make this place safe.

Sounds confusing? It's like a never ending cycle. A vicious one.

More recently, everybody is upset over the Taiwan fighter crash incident. Everybody are so concerned about the dead, the injured. Blame starts to pile up on why an old plane was used, why the pilot this and that. No doubt, the incident is uncalled for and totally regretable. I know the heartache of the people. But how many people took to notice some details in the reports?

The plane came into trouble over very populated area. If the plane came into trouble, the pilots could always choose to eject. But why is it that they chose not to. They could have abandoned the doomed plane and let it crash to save their own life. But they chose to fly away towards the military camp where it was less populated with civilians. They gave up the chance to save themselves, to reduce the casualty toll. No doubt, they sacrificed their lives and two others. But would it have been more if the plane went down over much more densely populated areas? Would we feel the pain then? Would we pay so much attention if our fellow people weren't affected? Are we really that self-centered?

(That's my own personal opinion. My own take on the incident. Not necessarily true or factual.)

Just to end this post on a lighter note, couple of Saturdays back, Khee Ling and Steve Tan finally tied the knot, in what I thought was a really simple wedding. Simple it may be, but it certainly was meaningful. To see friends and familiar faces all gathered back at exactly the same ballroom where our church service was held. To see a once together worship team gathered together to worship at their wedding. It really is heartwarming. So I did some shooting, to capture this wonderful occasion moment by moment. 144 pics in total, all in the album below.

It has been a tiring week. A long week. A fruitful week. Just my third week into the job, I had something to cover everyday. It was from interviews to visits, from courtesy calls to static displays. The highlight of the week got to be the NS40 launch.

This year we celebrate 40 years of NS. To commemorate this meaningful event, an exhibition was launched and held over the weekends at Ngee Ann City. It was the first time I had the taste of Full Media Coverage . In simple terms, everybody from the media were there. Ranging from CNA to Straits Times, from Pioneer to Air Force News. It was kind of a chaotic to me initially. Just had to simply fight for space to find a good angle to shoot. In school, I had the comfort of shooting with just me alone or at most one more. But here, we have say at least a dozen of us trying to get the shot. The greatest challenge was not to cross the path of the video cameras (or you will see your head on tv later in the night).

Another exciting thing was I actually got to see fighters take off infront of me! They were just a couple of hundred meters away as they zoomed down the runway and lifting off into the sky. At first, there were only 2 and that got me quite excited. The boom from the take-off is certainly deafening. It's even louder than thunder. So for that couple of seconds, you just have to press your eye shut. Everybody in the shed does that, so you aren't alone.

However, soon enough, they were followed by 10 more. Okie, LDMU settling in. Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility that is. Too much of a good thing at one single go is just boring. Hahaz. Go on and say I'm hard to please.

Anyway this week will be back to articles and just a couple of events to cover. Did I mention that my articles are in the 101th issue of Air Force News! Yeay! One month into the job and my articles are going to be up. Will show it to you people when its all published and distributed.

By the way, come next week there'll be a photo exhibition at Objectifs School of Photography. It's near Bugis. Nothing really much. It's just a mini exhibition of some works of the students there. Needless to say, I'm one as well. Judging from what my instructor said, it's going to be a little different than just having one A4 pic on the wall. Our works will be printed in large format to cover the entire wall. The wonders of Conceptual Photography. Will be sending out invites to those interested!

Here's one to keep you want to see more.

sweet as it is. our 1st anniversary. just me and my dardAr! (minus the hair of mine that is -.-)

Basically after my last entry about BMT, I think my life has pretty much changed in a way. The next 2 years (or rather 101weeks) will not be as meaningless as I thought it would be. As of last monday, I was hoping for maybe something that has got to do with planning or something like that, instead of just pure paper work. This was my hope when I was posted to HQ RSAF at Mindef (at some other end of the island -.-). Not until I was told that I'll be posted to Air Force Information Management Center (AFIMC). It sounds bombastic with such a long name. In short, it's the newsletter department.

My jobscope? Photojournalist for the next 2 years. I was shocked. Yes I was. It was too good to be true. Initially I had second thoughts about the job, because it was a combination of being the Staff Writer and Photographer. Not just a photographer like what I really am. That means I've to write articles. Writing for the newsletter seemed so far fetch for me. Simply lost touch with english for quite some time, and now I'm expected to come up with articles with perfect English.

There was an interview by the assistant editor when she asked if I'm allergic to writing. I really could have said yes, and probably end up doing paper work in some other department. But I guess to me at that point in time I decided to give it a go. After all, PJ is what I've been longing to do. And now I have been presented with the perfect opportunity. To my horror, the first task was 4 articles. Yes, 4 articles that I need to come up with. This was to test my Analytical, Organisation, Creative Writing and Language skills. Nightmare.

Through the week, with very much encouragement from dardAr (thanks), my perception has pretty much changed. 5 days into the job, I had to do a one-to-one interview to gather information for another article. First ever for me. Sixth day into the job, I was asked to attend a media brief. In short, an event where you see all the big shots from the media there. CNA, Channel 5, Straits Times etc. It was really an eye opening experience. And very much, I've gained new meaning and new passion about this job.

I really want to thank God that He has given me such a wonderful path. Never did I dare to dream about doing photography during my NS, but now? It's my duty to do so. Oh, did I mention that I'll have much opportunities to travel overseas with the Air Force as well to do reports. Hope that day will come, and more often too. (",)

'And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.'
-Romans 8:28

Another piece of work from the conceptual photography class. One of the most meaningful works I've ever done.


The earth is covered by oceans which make up 70% of the earth's total surface. Ocean is big. Put into this context, the Ocean no longer seem as big. It's surrounded by something bigger. There's something bigger than what we perceive to be already huge.

The same applies to humans. Are we really as big as what we think we are?

Yeay! I'm finally back from Chalet @ Tekong. And yes i mean chalet. It's so beautiful. Get to watch sun rise and sun sets and the fabulous morning skys. Its like the perfect place to take scenery! If only I had my camera and they allowed photography there. All the time i had images coming out in my mind. Picturing in my head how to exectue the shot and how i want the effect to be. It's like a perfect place, given all my free time too.

Oh wells. I'm only there once, and not like they'll ever allow me to shoot there anyway. Chalet was reallie reallie beyond my expectations (as in fall short by tons in terms of discipline of my company). Shall not go on with that. Just got to put down my high expectations as a DI in NCC. No doubt i can say even the sec 1s i took last time can out perform them in every single way. Not to mention we are toking about 18-20 year old men here.

So 2 days before i entered, some friends gave me a "farewell party". More for my hair i guess. (I was in tekong for only 5 days, nothing wrong with the dates of the posts. =p) They even made me this board with farewell speeches and all. I was reallie touched. (reallie) It'll now have a place right infront of me on my wall.


And hugging this huge board around, we went to Pitstop to play boardgames. Though it wasn't as fantastic as settler's cafe. ut its the company that matters most. Thanks people.

Lastly... Last photos of me with hair...


(don't rush me for pics of me with no hair)

My very first post at my very new blog. But it'll also be the last post for this entire week. I'm off to chalet @ tekong! Yup, getting enlisted first thing in the morning tmr. And guess wad? I received my enlistment call (not letter) just 11 days ago! Tok about sudden surge in effectiveness.

So here i am procastinating my packing (there isn't much actually) and testing out my new blog and how this Picasa thingy works with blogger. Think its quite cool, but still gotta figure out how to use it right.

Picture of Gaga on a Nissan headlight @ Marina South.


This is supposed to be a picture for Conceptual Photography, with a theme of Body. So go figure out wad it is.

Note: If u dont like the pic or dont get wad it's trying to show, u r too shallow. Conceptual photography is more than a snapshot. HA!