At the PAP headquarters in Hougang. Scores of activists watching the live telecast of the By Election and cheering everytime Desmond Choo is on TV.

DPM Teo arriving at the PAP headquarters. He went on to speak to the activists briefly before leaving. I left about the same time to cover the WP’s side at a coffeeshop a few blocks away while the other TOC photographer covered the PAP side.

Something’s on TV… doesn’t look like positive news.

Whatever the outcome, we are all Singaporeans. OK?

A signed hammer!!

The folks at the coffeeshop going crazy everytime Png Eng Huat or anything related to WP comes on TV.

And the opposite reaction whenever Desmond Choo came on TV.

The crowd’s reaction when Mr Png Eng Huat was announced to have won the By Election.

Emotions ran high for some of WP’s most faithful supporters.

And we had a little tap dancing on the table too.

As with all happy occasions, three toasts of yum seng were proposed for the victory.

WP supporters began to move towards the road in anticipation for Mr Png Eng Huat to arrive.

While waiting, the folks cheered on every other car that passed by, especially police cars, buses and any other car with a WP flag or umbrella stuck out of their windows. It was party atmosphere for sure.

WIN.

“W”in!

The crowd.

Like me, they waited along the road for the WP folks to arrive. But we were wrong, they came in from the carpark at the back to the coffeeshop.

All of sudden, everyone rushed towards the coffeeshop. Even the police couldn’t stop people from crossing the roads. This was as close as I could get to them. It was SERIOUSLY crazy!

I had to anticipate where they were heading and waited there. Good thing there was a little traffic jam at the carpark exit and that gave me a small time frame to try to get a shot through the human chain surrounding the car.

Voters of  Hougang go to the polls. Everyone.

A voter fresh from the polling station.

I couldn’t get a shot of the polling station at Hougang Central because the authorities refused to let us point our camera anywhere near it. So I loitered around the area and had a chat with some happy voters. Many of them have been staying in Hougang for ages.

Mr Png Eng Huat from Worker’s Party leaving the polling station after a brief inspection. Guess who’s at the back? Felix!! I shot his ROM afew years back and he called me when he saw me snooping around the polling station, trying to get a shot of Mr Png.

Back at the PAP HQ, Mr Desmond Choo talking to supporter before leaving for the polling stations in the rain.

The “Elderly Corner” under Block 831. After spending some time talking to the folks who finished voting, they asked me which news agency I was from, which I replied I was helping out a web publication. Then he asked if I could help him ask why their requests for toilets at Block 831’s elderly corner are not approved over so many years. He pointed out that this corner was put in place in 2002 (see date above TV) and their MP told them that their requests have repeatedly been denied.  Yet, the block right opposite the road, Block 513 has a toilet. The difference was that Block 513 was under Aljunied GRC back then when the toilets were built. I can’t help but feel sorry for them. While the place doesn’t look like it has had a makeover, it was pretty well maintained, but without a toilet, an elderly corner is like a house without a roof. I can imagine the kind of inconvenience when you desperately need to answer the calls of nature while having a chat with friends.

Now that the polls are over, I hope both parties work together and give the elderly residents at Block 831 a decent toilet. It’s not that hard to have it approved, or is it?

The tale of two constituencies (pre-GE11).

The rally was pretty charged up, much more than the previous one. The crowd seem to respond to the speakers right from the start, unlike Tuesday’s rally where they took quite awhile to warm up. I enjoyed this rally alot more than the last. As for the rain I hoped for, it came the moment the last member left the stage. While walking back, I heard a conversation between two old folks.  Loosely translated,

A: It’s raining…

B: Ya, rained right after the rally.

A: It’s like “ang huay chui” (flower water, typically used to “wash” away bad luck) for the party

B: Yes! Wishing everyone good health! Huat ah!

Hougang reminded me of my childhood here (after all, I spent a considerable number of years schooling here) and in some ways the “kampung spirit” which we’ve been desperately trying to find seems to be present here. As WP’s Low Thia Khiang said, although Hougang doesn’t have the best amenities compared to other constituencies, but it has the charm of a “cosy village” (that’s my translation:D). I often complained that Singapore does not put in much effort in preserving history, tearing down every single old building that is standing on “expensive land” and “facelifting” anything that looks aged. Hougang is probably one of the last piece of land that still looked the same 20 years ago.  Taking a walk in Hougang is like a walk down memory lane. Like fine wine, it aged gracefully.

And yes! Finally tonight I’ll be at PAP domain. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some nice pictures there. Camera set… +2 EV.

The pre-rally cheer leading.

I saw this chap in the last rally and he came empty handed. But this time, he shouted, “I came with all my “家私” (meaning, props)”!

And he found a cheer mate.

One of his many “家私”. He asked Pauline (the other TOC photographer) if he wrote everything correctly. And yes he did.

The front row folks. Most if not all of them were very nice to photographers.

So it begins…

A fiery hokkien speech to start the rally rolling!

Today, we get 2 guys blowing the trumpet. The guy in red is the apprentice.

One of the few I caught out of 50 odd attempts. It pretty much sums up this rally.

Folks watching the rally from the block. It took me a long time to get up there because the lift stops at every single level. But it was well worth it to see what the crowd was like from 12 floors above.

It’s gotta be “HUAT AH!”

One of things that WP said they agree with the government was the budget which was “inclusive”. Mr Low said they do not oppose for the sake of opposing.

click more to read on…

People were still streaming in even though you can pretty much see nothing from that distance. Because of the uneven ground, some can’t even see the stage. But they still go anyway.

I said close but under 10k, but I might be wrong. Wild guess:)

The turnout. The next time will be in 4 years time.

Mr Chen Show Mao.

The flag party.

Someone brought an massive LED lit banner with the words “VOTE” and a hammer . That got everyone’s attention for awhile.

Even Pritam Singh was impressed that he stopped for a minute and acknowledged the effort.

Pritam Singh giving candidate Png Eng Huat a hug after his speech.

Party Secretary General Mr Low Thia Khiang delivering the first of his 3 part speech (Mandarin, Teochew and English).

Huat ah! Proudly brought to you by Panasonic:D

Yes! Eye contact!:D Ok, maybe not at me, but good enough.

I have to say, he’s got a vantage point I’d love to have. Mr Chen, I’m sure you have a kickass shot there!

Mr Png Eng Huat delivering his speech. This speech was alot better than the last. I guess the rain and the rain soaked script in the last rally didn’t help.

Not the most flattering picture, but I like the contrast in their expressions.

Mr Low gets amused by shouts from the crowd sometimes. Some are really quite funny.

The closing note. He reminded everyone to pick up the litter before they leave and to watch the news on cooling off day.

Mr Png Eng Huat waving to his supporters… who probably just saw all our backsides. That’s where my height becomes an advantage for his supporters.

Mr Low addressing the supporters.

And this was the LED banner I was talking about earlier.

Drumming up support. Pretty effective.

The crowd coming in after dinner. And I missed mine… adrenaline took over:)

The catchphrase for Hougang this month. It kinda dominated afew weddings that I’ve shot too:D

These ladies have been here since early afternoon. They asked if I was from 联合早报. I said no, I’m from “网报”… because I have no idea how to translate The Online Citizen.

As for her, she said she’s been here since morning. I was like… “what?” Especially if you know how scorching hot it was that day.

Pritam Singh meeting the people. He’s quite popular with the supporters.

And so the Rally begins…

Chairman of WP, Sylvia Lim. She must be wondering, who’s this new guy?:D

I salute this.

MIB: Man in Blue

Glenda Han!! I like her, because she talks about HDB for singles and she’s pretty and single too. But hey, that’s a serious topic. We get penalized like single travelers.

Pritam Singh. The crowd favourite. He has a good sense of humour, a little like Russell Peters.

WP heavyweight Chen Show Mao. His chinese speech delivery was awesome.

The crowd going crazy when the next speaker was announced.

The “pause”. It’s as powerful as the speech itself.

And the rain got heavier as he spoke.

And all the scripts got wet. I wonder what ink they used, it seems to hold up well. Good thing Chen Show Mao’s turn was over, otherwise his Ipad would’ve been Iwet.

She said “HUAT AH!”

Sylvia Lim took the stage.

Hammer time!

Hougang candidate Mr Png Eng Huat laughing heartily at the chants of HUAT AH!

A nice moment between the party members in the rain.

A quiet moment for Png Eng Huat.

Png Eng Huat acknowledging cheers from the crowd.

Party Secretary Mr Low Thia Khiang closing the rally. Rain or Shine…

The supporters.

Will Hougang be united? We’ll see on 26th May 2012

Ever seen someone so funny that you can’t crack jokes after that? I just met one yesterday. In fact, two. Russell and his opening act, Angelo. It was way too funny. Best part is, this show contains all brand new materials.

 

Sitting in the front row, yes, it’s an experience, but I think it can get rather stressful especially when his eyes scans towards your area. He looked straight into my eyes and said, “white guy, what’s you name?” For a moment, I was totally stunned, so stunned I can’t even remember the color of my skin. He was actually pointing to the white guy seated behind me. A sigh of relief… man, if I’m white, he’d be neon white!

 

All in all, two thumbs up for the great show!! Love it to bits.

 

After that, we headed for some durians at 717. For the guys who called me this morning, this explains why the voice sounded a little sexier.

.

No BBQ tonight. I was lying on the sofa, watching the race with the 2 uninterested dogs (they can’t understand what’s so fascinating about cars going round the circuit… like some people) :P. Ordered a couple meal from KFC for myself and drank 1 litre of orange juice.

 

Even though the rain I was hoping didn’t come, we still see drama after drama. Funniest one being “Massa’s tail”. Classic example of how technology fails when it matters most. Some engineer’s ass gonna hurt real bad after this.

 

I was quite surprised to see PM Lee presenting the trophy. While he’s always at the edge of the podium, I was hoping that Alonso or Hamilton will spray the champagne at him. Didn’t happen… damn… otherwise it’ll be a great photo opportunity for the photographers. And +1 for drama:D

.

It’s the first ever night race in sunny Singapore. I’ve heard alot about the sounds those machines make, so I decided to hear it for myself. Some people say it’s louder than our army range, some say it makes your heart beat faster… the office workers said it’s damn irritating. When I first hear it after alighting from the cab at Chijmes, I thought it wasn’t too bad (till I got to stand 10 meters away from it at MS).

 

The crowd in town was amazing. Imagine, the crowd of 4 PC shows combined. Everywhere, I see people, on the sidewalks, slopes, bridges, stairways of hotels, rooftops, fences… etc. My friend told me about spidermans all over the place. “Did you see this ang moh woman in skirt climbing up the fence?” Erm… nope… but I hope she doesn’t cause any car crash.

 

It was a very nice experience, not just to see/HEAR the powerful machines zoom past, but to soak up the atmosphere and all the happenings. It’s actually quite entertaining to see the lady next to you trying to catch the car zooming past on the camera… I know I’m not exactly kind because I laugh everytime she misses (which meant I laughed throughout). And the whole bunch of people who are trying to take pictures/videos of the race at one particular section (see below). I guess they didn’t know the qualifying was televised on Star Sports.

 

 

I hope there will be drama tonight. The more drama, the better it is. I’m praying for rain for the last 15 laps. The heavier, the better.

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Hsin Yeow from  A little dream told me that Bevlyn will be performing at the Esplanade today for the launch of her new EP, Lonely Afternoon. Although I’m feeling a little sick, but I know that this is one event I shouldn’t miss. True enough, I wasn’t disappointed. I have heard Bevlyn sing on a number of occasions during weddings, but this is different. The setting, the ambience and a quieter surrounding made the entire experience alot better.

 

She belted out all the songs from the EP in two sets. Lovely, very lovely. I particularly like “Anymore”, whom she said she wrote it for a friend. I guess, like photographers, writers often write through their life experiences as photographers see the world with a certain level of emotional attachment. While she sang, my heart wandered. Thank you for this truly wonderful experience. You can get a copy of her EP at Gramophone music stores. I got myself 2 autographed copies… she wrote “To: Super Photographer”. Well, that’s definitely something special:) All the best to you Bevlyn!:D

 

 

 

 

While I was there, I met familiar faces from the A little dream team, like Hsin Yeow, Matthew, Ein Ein and a couple of very young and talented musicians (who formed up the 3 piece band) whom I’ve never worked with, but would definitely look forward to in the future. You guys rock!!:D Oh, I met Eadwine too. Goodness, you grown taller:) And nice to know that you bought two copies too:P

 

So what do I do on a lonely afternoon? I think about the people and places that left footprints in my heart.

 

[tags]A little dream, Bevlyn Khoo, Lonely Afternoon, Esplanade[/tags]

 

Ron, the shutterbug and his long time girlfriend, Serene just tied the knot, or as the paster say, solemnized today. I was honoured to be invited to his small and intimate solemnization at One (degree) 15 at Sentosa Cove. Man, that place is beautiful. The whole place was nicely decorated with a very relaxed atmosphere, not cluttered, plenty use of space. Somehow, that reminds me about his photography:)

 

With me was Ead and Heng (who was… erm LATE!! yes!! you ARE LATE!!:P hehehe). There I met fellow LJ-er Daniel aka Silver-CRV and his wife Judy as well. Eh, they didn’t bring baby Edgar! Ron and Serene were dressed very casually, Ron especially in berms. And believe it or not, we took GROUP photos!! woohoo!!:) It was really funny as most of us probably would frown when asked to take group photos during assignments, but there we were… smiling at the camera. But of course, it’s all with our own cameras. Mine was the state of the art two-point-one-mega-pixel SONY ERICSSON W850i mobile phone:) Heng brought is newly acquired G9 while Ead got his under utilized GX100. But we found ourselves shooting in video mode instead.

 

During the ceremony, after they kissed, the photographer (Ron’s friend) signalled to Ron to do it once more. As he reached out, the pastor stopped him and said, “only first one is free”. That’s damn funny.

 

Overall, it’s a great party, I love it. Small and cosy. Food was great, champagne was fab! And the cupcakes… woohoo!!:) K guys, I know I took a fair bit, but what to do… I just wish I could lick the colourful toppings off those little cupcakes. Yum yum.

 

To the lovebirds, Congrats and enjoy your holidays! Catch up with you guys real soon!:)

 

 

Today I finally met Sio Hui, the person who put together the travel guide “graffiti“. Few months back, I received an email from Sio Hui asking for contributions to this travel guide by “people who live in the country (basically, we eat, sleep, etc here)”. That was when she saw a posting on my blog on Thaipusam, which I sorta participated (without any piercings of course!) when invited by my friend, Indren. So after a few rounds of drafts and grammer corrections, I finally submitted my piece.

 

The book was published some time in August and there was a graffiti party at the launch, which I had to miss due to a wedding shoot. I bet they had fun there, ah well, nevermind. So finally, we met up today and got my complimentary copies. Sweet!:) I can’t seriously write, let alone having it published. So I must say, I’m really happy!:) Ok ok, back to the book, it’s a pretty neat guide, for travelers or locals who wants a little piece of Singapore, from Singaporean’s personal experiences.

 

[tags]Thaipusam, graffiti, travel guide, Singapore[/tags]

 

Just a couple of days back, I attended a wedding, yes, as a guest. Can’t remember when was the last time I attended one. The feeling seem so strange. The moment I walked into the hotel, I knew I lost it… everything seemed to be on autopilot mode:P

 

1) I asked for parking tickets at the reception

2) I asked, “what’s the room number? where’s the bride?”

3) I asked to go to the bridal suite… yes I did.

4) I took a drink and stood near to the couple, waiting for the next piece of action.

5) I forgot about the ang pows (well, eventually I remembered:P)

6) I walked into the ballroom, checking the setup and complained that the lighting’s too dark!

7) I almost went to the photographer and told him “during the march in, I’ll take the left, you take the right…” (and the only camera with me was my mobile phone)

8) I attempted to follow the couple up for change of evening gown.

9) After the 2nd dish, I stopped eating.

10) I stayed till the last guest left…

 

Anyway, during the wedding dinner, I found this waiter who’s serving our table really funny. It all started when my friend asked for a glass of red wine.

 

friend: Can I have a glass of wine?

waiter: yes, would you like red or white?

friend: red please.

me: you have white wine? I’d like a glass please.

*left the table and came back with a glass of red wine*

waiter: I’m sorry sir, we only have red wine.

me: *bewildered* ok, it’s alrite. (then why the hell did he ask if we wanted red or white?)

Anyway, that’s not all. Gradually, the table was filled with other guests. So they decided to ask for a round of drinks as well… the same waiter came…

guest: Can we have 5 beers and 5 wines?

waiter: would you like red or white wine?

guest: red thank you.

*waiter left…*

So we shared what happened earlier and everyone had a good laugh, so we decided to test him again. When he came back with the drinks…

guest: *pointing at me* Can you get him a glass of white wine?

waiter: Sorry, we don’t serve white wine…

 

I was thinking… what the hell, you don’t like me is it?!?

 

 

This morning started rather uneventfully, with the lightning from the thunderstorm screwing up the cable points of the house, leaving me disconnected with the (cyber)world. Luckily Starhub fixed it before I got home, else the night will be so unbearable.

 

Met up with some clients before heading down to Bedok Reservoir for the HSBC Wakeboard Championships. Instead of meeting clients, Dennis and Anne at Coffeebeans, we decided to do it under the hot sun at Bedok Reservoir. Quite an interesting way to meet clients I thought. Imagine world class wakeboarders doing their stuff while you ask “where are you getting your gowns from?” I must say, you guys rock:) And I hope you got some nice photos of the wakeboard action and… erm birds:P

 

As the action was going on, I saw Theng Wei and Suping appearing just a couple of meters away from me!!! Earlier on, I was still wondering if they will be there. Singapore is not too big I know, but still, it’s not everyday that you meet your previous wedding couples. And I just found out Theng Wei gets weekdays off now… he he he… time to hit the swamps!!:P woohoo!!:)

 

Later in the evening, I caught up with my cousin who brought me some green tea from Japan. Sweet:) Just realized I haven’t seen her for 2 years already? Overall, it was a great day away from KMM (Keyboard/Mouse/Monitor).

 

As for the wakeboard event, I have to say, the ratio between photographers (with HUGE cameras) to wakeboarders must be like 2:1. I know there’s a photography competition, but where did these guys come from?! It’s too freaking amazing… For a moment, I thought the photography competition was the main event.

 

 

Although I’m very sure he won’t remember any of these, but I’m sure the rest of the guys there enjoyed them. Hey! isnt’ that why photography is so important?!:P Okie, sales bug struck again:P We all had fun that day, and everyone had a “piece” of him, even I did!:) But knowing I’m absolutely hopeless with babies… Aidan cried within secs in my arms. I know I suck, cause no one else had this problem!! Better stick to taking pictures instead:) The setup was based on a pirate’s theme. Here’s a little slideshow of the event, check out grand dad’s matching top!!

 

After the party, we headed for the Newton Circus of Penang after failing to get a reservation at Rice and Spice. Food was alright, but I very much preferred the ones I had the following day. Best Chendol in Penang. Best Chestnuts (Gao Lak) I’ve ever had. Best Laksa in Penang. Best Char Kway Teow (they used duck eggs instead… it’s fantastic!) in Penang. Not to forget, best stunt of the day, by nearly missing my flight back home.

 

[tags]Photography, Aidan, Portraits, Event, Birthday, Penang[/tags] 

 

Didn’t realized APEC was on over this week until I arrived. Over the past week, the city’s security was significantly beefed up and a huge fence was erected from the area where the VVVVIP were staying to the Opera House where the summit will be held. Police were also deployed all over city to step up security. Even alot of dustbins were sealed, yes with police tapes and all to, presumably to reduce chances of bomb attacks.

 

Here are some images,

 

    

Intercontinental Hotel (the background), which houses some of the most important people for this summit, including Mr. Bush. The fence covered all roads leading to the hotel, including those to the Opera House. Snipers were also deployed on some rooftops of nearby buildings.

 

The fence stretches across the roads at Circular Quay. Traffic were diverted, including buses.

 

A wharf at Circular Quay. Nothing to do with APEC, but after looking at all the barricades and security fences, can’t help but take a shot at another. Ferry services were also changed or disrupted for security reasons.

 

An onlooker watching the dozens of helicopters that circled the city constantly, while the sounds of their whirring rotors resonate throughout the entire city. (can’t they use helis with more rotor blades?)

 

I think most travelers here are like me, not knowing the inconveniences, especially when the Opera House is being blocked for the rest of the week. People were seen taking photos through the fence, some even approached the guards and asked them to help them with the pictures. Should’ve just engaged a photographer there:P

 

 

Here’s the end of my little update on APEC 2007. Pity I’m too sick to walk out of the house today, else I think it’d be interesting to catch some demonstration today before the full blown one tomorrow. Read the news the expected turnout is about 5000 – 10000 people. Sounds like a big party to me!  I shall be patient, tomorrow I’ll go have a look:) 

 

[tags]Photography, Sydney, 2007, APEC, Opera House, Travel, Security[/tags] 

 

Just thought I’d write something about my experience on the NDP fireworks. We found ourselves a place at Swissotel Singapore, somewhere in the 30+ level. The view was nothing short of fantastic. We could see the bay area, as well as the Padang, where hundreds of people formed up a Singapore flag with red and white umbrellas. When night fell, they waved torches which gave the normally empty field a starry look. The flypast was great too as the planes broke formation and flew right into our direction. Nothing I can complain about the view really.

 

But when the fireworks started, I realized that I had overestimated the height of where the fireworks will (land?). Anyway, that wasn’t a big problem as slight cropping will take care of that. After the 3rd burst, the combination of smoke and wind started to cloud our vision. We can’t really see anything anymore. By the end of the display (or lack of it), the entire scene looked like an aftermath from a terrorist attack. Anyway, here are some lessons learned from this trip,

 

1) look for a location on the side of the main audience or directly opposite to get the best view.

2) get a sturdy tripod. The higher you go, the more wind you get. Trust me, the camera can get blown away.

3) when smoke gets into your eyes… screw the fireworks, just enjoy the company:)

 

[tags]Fireworks, NDP, 2007, Swissotel[/tags]