We’ve been hit by more and more worrying news everyday as the financial crisis takes its toll on the economy.  All we can do is to have hope in a better tomorrow and do the best that we can today.  Try to spend some time with the loved ones and do the things that you love to do. Remember life is not about the destination; its to enjoy the journey.

Strange as it seems I don’t practise what I preach and I am guilty of working too hard this month and maybe because we tend to get caught up with our dreams that we don’t realise the people and friendships we’re neglecting.  I love what I do though, just gotta remember to have a good work life balance.

I don’t fish, but I like looking at fishermen with their buckets full of fish and crabs. Once I was at Bedok Jetty and I saw a fisherman catching a fully bloated puffer fish and that was a sight.

Get ready for the Great Singapore Mountain Bike Carnival 2009 happening from the 27th of February till the 1st of March 2009! Its going to be a wicked filthy weekend of fun regardless whether you’re an elite racer, weekend warrior, mountain biker, downhiller, roadie, cross-country runner, tri-athlete, duathlete, adventure racer, or someone looking to try something new. These events are what’s in store for you.

1. 100km MTB Marathon
2. Dirty Duathlon
3. Super D Race
4. Short Track Race
5. Speed Dual Trials
6. Schools Challenge Kids Race
7. SummerEast Night Festival

Most of the events and races will be held at the Tampines Mountain Bike Park, located north of the Tampines Ave 7 and Tampines Ave 9 T-junction, opposite Sun Plaza park. To get there, the nearest expressway access is via TPE (Tampines Expressway).Turn off @ Pasir Ris Drive, turn into Tampines Ave 12, turn right at Tampines Ave 9 T-junction. You can view the location of the Bike Park here in Google Maps.

You could get involved as the organisers need dedicated people to form the race crew and these need to be either good leaders or good team players to help make their long endurance event a success. The race crew may have to struggle through harsh weather conditions, tropical bugs and long hours, pushing the limit of one’s adventure in the wilder side of Singapore.

All race crew will receive catered meals, T-shirt  and some cash to tide you over. You can also get a chance to be part of the dirty weekend in the history of mountain biking in Singapore.

Its a great opportunity to take photos of Singapore mountain bikers battling out to take top spot in the various races. It can and will get muddy, so try to keep your gear protected with these from the grime and dirt and don’t forget to enjoy the races cuz thats what matters the most! This would be the perfect companion for the long day alone out at the dirt track.

There has recently been a lot of debate with regards to removing examinations for Primary 1 students since they are probably too young and would benefit more through continuous learning rather than cramming for exams. Kids should have more time to learn through experience and practise. They should go out to the Botanical Gardens and spend more time outside to learn about trees and flowers rather than from books. They should have stints in the zoo where they learn to take care of animals for a week or two and that would give them more appreciation for wildlife and responsibility.

Otherwise, in the current society that we live in, they might grow up failing to realise that they have to be responsible for eco-diversity and sustainability. By then it will be too late.

Many years ago I was doing my usual walkabout with my photography kit when i stumbled upon this telematch at Jurong Green Community Centre. I liked the excitement and enthusiasm that was displayed by the kids that day as they competed to win not as individuals but as a team.

Sometimes in life if you really want something you’ve got to go there and get it yourself. As much as you’d like to be entitled to something, privileges are few and far between and it pays at times to be a little thick skinned. There could be a risk to bear, be it to face total failure or ridicule, that is where risk management kicks in. Sometimes you got to face total failure to taste success.

Sorry, I didn’t want to sound so naggy but its something i need to remind myself occasionally. Have you ever had that moment when you felt you deserved more than you should?

This boy probably doesn’t understand what we’re talking about. Lets hope it stays that way for the next few years. Kids should be kids and enjoy growing up with new friends to make, new toys to play and new places to visit. He’s certainly having a good time in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, where there’s plenty of space for him to run around chasing the bigger kids and get dirty.

This shot was taken on a lazy Saturday morning. Senior citizens mainly the old chinese men ( otherwise locally known as ah-pek) spent their morning playing chinese chess. This was my favourite shot as pointed out by my good friend… A very typical scene found in Chinatown. I loved the different expressions found at each of their faces with regards to the game. Most importantly, the background is a very local setting of the provision shop. Very Singaporean lor..:)

The river located at Raffles place mrt station is always full of activities. One of the popular activities that we locals look forward to would be the Dragon Boat races. Dragon boat racing is similiar to canoeing at a fast pace. ” The challenge of dragon boat racing lies not in the paddling technique but rather in synchronizing with 19 other paddlers on the boat through all phases of the stroke (catch-pull-finish-reach) and through the entire race course. The challenge is even greater for a mixed team of paddlers of different sizes and strength levels. ” as quoted by the Singapore dragon boat association. For more details of the sport, click on http://www.sdba.org.sg/.

This is one of the races that I managed to get hold of during one of the weekends in the afternoon. Right after I had my cup of coffee by the river in one of the cafes. Raffles place is indeed a good place to chill out after a hard day at work with all the cafes, pubs and bistro restaurants located along the river.

Continuing on from the previous posting, this is another photo taken minutes after.

By the way, I came across this Pro Power 4GB SD Card which i think is way cool. I will probably buy 2 of these for my upcoming trip to Malaysia, enough to last me at least 3 days.

Exposure Settings

iso200, 1/500, f2.8, 145mm

Walking is one of my favourite hobbies. I used to walk around Singapore within 3 days with a permanent 20kg load in my backpack (stuffed with phonebooks and sandbags) to train for a gruelling mountain climbing expedition. I have to admit I’m very out of shape now, and I envy these guys who did their grafity defying stunts with relative ease.

This dirt track requires a little walking before you get to the entrance. It was raining the whole day and we were so worried that our stuff would be soaked. But we did it anyway. I didn’t want to miss the fun.

How i took the shoot

I stood somewhere at an adjacent hill with my AF-D 80-200mm at f2.8. To shoot a fast moving object at this speed, i had to prefocus at the tip of the hill and anticipate for the stunt rider coming in. Before firing off, i spent 15 minutes observing how high and fast the guys rolled in. I started when i knew that 145mm would do it for me.

Exposure Settings
iso200, 1/500, f2.8, 145mm

A little kid enjoys playing at the Singapore Botanical Gardens.

Exposure Settings

Coming soon.

Inch gives her heart out during the memorable set at Baybeats 2007.

Allura is one of the better bands in Singapore to catch. I like them because of their good guitar riffs and progressive song writing. Allura played at Baybeats 2007 alongside other great bands like Plain Sunset, Stentorian, March Twelve, Monofone and more.

Exposure Settings
1/250 f2.8 iso800 @ 92mm