Finally Went to (near) Orchard

Okay, I finally did it!!  Well, Tanglin is still within Orchard......  I still can't get myself to go to Orchard road to get the shots of the Christmas lights.  But on Christmas eve I brought the kids to Tanglin Mall for their annual snow avalanche.  More like soap really.....  But they do have the best "snow" show in Singapore.   

Anticipating a big crowd, I went with no tripod, my D750 and Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 and Nikkor 20mm F1.8.  The Tokina 16-28mm F2.8 was usable in the beginning when the "snow" started spawning.  But as I can't attach a filter onto the lens, I had to change to the Nikkor 20mm F/1.8.  At first I thought of bringing a tripod along to lose some of the crowd in the photos but I decided not to, and it proved quite a right decision.

We arrived early at about one and a half hour before the snow show starts.  I spent some time taking test photos while waiting for the blue hour to arrive.  So we went around the mall, had dinner and the kids played around in kiddy rides.  It was a nostalgic visit for me.  The first time I came to Singapore when I was 12, I stayed in Traders Hotel (now it's Jen Hotel Tanglin) which was right next to the mall.  Even when I attended English courses at the British Council I sometimes went to the mall for meals.

Before the show started the area was already packed with crowds waiting in anticipation.  I managed to went around and snapped some photos of the decorations, the mall and the crowd.  

The main decoration right outside the mall - D750 + Tokina 16-28mm F2.8

A Nice Weekend Brunch at Spathe

[UPDATE: Spathe has since been closed]

I don't usually do "reviews" of places I ate in since I don't consider myself some fancy foodie.  Delicious food is just plain delicious food, and great food should be shared.  As I haven't made good on my intention to go to Orchard road this week, I still don't have anything to write on the Christmas lighting.  BTW, there's fire again in Lucky Plaza this time and rat infestation in Orchard Central - Orchard road is extremely jinxed this year.

Since "Tri juga suka makan" (Tri also likes to eat), I think I will make a slightly different entry this time.  :)

Inside Spathe

Christmas Carnival at Gardens by The Bay

Well don't be so surprised, I did say I'm going to do this right?  I think by now you'd think I'm on their payroll (which I swear I'm not!!).

Anyway, my next entry will be on Orchard Road's Christmas decorations.  I've been trying to schedule a visit but the weather hasn't been permitting as of late.  And with the strings of crazy incidents in Orchard road (from burning trees, decorations, falling trees and man in a shopping mall and roofs in Hilton) I think I'd really pay attention to the weather.

And oh yeah, I pestered my wife to create a signature for me so I can put them on my photos.  After deliberations we finally decided on "Tri Suka Moto" = Tri likes to take photos.  Sounds Japanese, but really, its Indonesian.  ;)  

Okay, so Gardens by The Bay is in FULL Christmas mood.  I didn't have time to go to the entrance because when we reached the meadow area the bazaar caught the kids' attention and we ended up spending almost 3 hours there.  But the area was really fun and beautifully decorated.

When we arrived the kids were immediately drawn to the large carousel.  While it's not the first time they rode one, it certainly is bigger than the last one they rode and they simply had to go on it.  The cost for each child and accompanying adult was 3 tokens.  And so very quickly we parted with a good $12 there.

The Carousel - first attraction we tried in the carnival

Fairy Tale Display at Gardens by The Bay

Okay, another Gardens by The Bay entry, it almost seems like there's nowhere else to go here in Singapore.  In fact I'm planning another visit there sometime this month for the Christmas display.  Hahaha...

Overview of the Display Centerpiece

New Template Again

For the past 3-4 days I've been tampering with the template of my blog again.  The previous template encountered an error where the number of posts on the home page was limited to 4.  There was a problem with the code that I couldn't solve.

So I searched for new themes again, but in the end the same designer who created the 1st theme I used is the one providing the new template.  I must say thank you to Iksandi Lojaya who provided this gorgeous "Putih Pekat" template, which I have slightly modified.  

After applying the new template then it was time to fix all the widgets and re-organize them.  I also went through the HTML codes to re-size photos and re-align some headers/post body.  There's even a popular post slider widget that makes my blog look more dynamic now.

I'm really quite satisfied with the new look.  :)

Balinese Holiday 2015

We really enjoyed our Bali trip back in 2014, we decided to have another holiday there in 2015.  This time we brought Lindsay along to join in the fun.  The holiday lasted 6 days and 5 nights, we stayed 3 days 2 nights in Jimbaran, 2 days 1 night in Nusa dua and another 3 days 2 nights in Kuta.

This time I decided to travel light and brought only my X-T1 and 3 lenses: XF 18-55mm F2.8-4.0 R, XF 14mm F2.8R & XF 23mm F1.4R. I could fit them into a medium sized National Geographic sling bag - it was surreal that the bag felt lighter when compared to bringing my 5D Mark III and just one EF 24mm F1.4L lens....  I definitely got wider focal length and longer range at lesser weight although I had to sacrifice DOF, AF speed & accuracy (esp at low light) and some ISO.

I also love the colour and white balance from the X-T1, I almost didn't have to adjust any saturation, brightness or contrast of all my photos; only a select few which were taken under harsh sunlight or extreme dark conditions. 

For the first part we stayed in Ayana Jimbaran.  This resort is absolutely stunning.  One of the best we have ever stayed in.  The pools here are absolutely amazing and the Rock Bar offers quite an amazing sight - its almost impossible to get a table during sunset.

 

One of the pools with the best view in Ayana

Purwokerto Trip

Every year at around October or November we always take a family trip to Purwokerto where my wife comes from.  Its a time for the kids to visit their grandparents and for us to take a short break.  This time though I didn't stay long as I didn't have much leave days remaining.

Pukis, my favourite snack from the days I was still in Surabaya, on sale in a roadside stall in Purwokerto

Actual Day Wedding Photographer

I hadn't written for quite some time as I was quite busy.  Just last Sunday on 18th Oct I was the actual day photographer for a good friend's wedding reception.  We have known each other from back then in NTU and he's from Surabaya too just like me.  That means we have known each other for a good 15 years now.

I was really somewhat honored that he trusted me to be the photographer for his wedding.  I'm usually a landscape photographer, not much for events.  There was also another university mate covering the wedding so in total there were two photographers and one videographer.  I used my D750 + Tokina 16-28mm and the X-T1 + 55-200mm.

VIP Table

Underwater World Sentosa Visit - 2014

Let's break the monotony of Gardens by The Bay entries and have a little of variety, so I looked thru my photo library and I think I'll write on a visit to Underwater World in Sentosa at 2014 (http://www.underwaterworld.com.sg/) - Underwater World has since ceased operation from 27 June 2016.

A large freshwater fish, I can't remember if this is a Sturgeon or another kind

Children's Garden on D5300

Well, seems like I'm writing a series on Gardens by The Bay now....  This time around, instead of bringing a mirrorless I decided to use a DSLR to photograph the kids.  In my opinion, Nikon makes some of the best APS-C DSLR cameras.

Overview of the Children Garden

Mid-Autumn Festival 2015

Just last Sunday on 27th September was the Mid-Autumn festival.  Families would gather to have moon cake, tea and lit some fireworks.  On Saturday which is 26th September, where else would we be if not at Gardens by The Bay looking at various lanterns and enjoying the festive atmosphere?

One of the lantern gates right before sunset

Children's Garden at Gardens by The Bay

Gardens by The Bay is a new favourite haunt for my family; we absolutely love the Children's Garden where the kids can have great fun playing in the water.  There were times where children oriented performances would be held there as well, ensuring great time for the whole family.

A stage performance of fairy tale medley using puppets and mimes - X-T1 + XF23mm F1.4R

A Little Trip to Botanical Gardens

Singapore is well known as a garden city and one of the most famous garden is the Singapore Botanical Gardens which was recently granted a Unesco World Heritage site.  But me, Lincoln and my wife visited sometime before the garden got the award.  It was a very nostalgic visit for me and my wife as we had our pre-wedding photographs taken there back in 2008. 

Display at Visitors' Center

Legoland Trip 2014

Back in November 2014, we decided to go on an impromptu trip to Legoland Malaysia.  Lindsay was still in Purwokerto and it was just the three of us (me, my wife & Lincoln) in Singapore.  Since we had some time together, we thought it would be good to give Legoland a try since Lincoln had never been to a theme park before.  We bought a tour package from a travel agent and took a bus ride from Singapore to Johor.

The bus ride lasted almost 3 hours including immigration waiting time per trip.  Before reaching Legoland we also had to wait for some people who wanted to go to Hello Kitty Land before we finally reached Legoland.  We started at about 8:15 a.m. and finally got to theme park 11:15 a.m.

Lincoln was very excited from the moment we stepped foot inside the theme park.  The park was very spacious and surprisingly not very crowded.  I can't imagine what it would be like to be in a crowded park under hot and humid conditions.  

Top: Legoland Hotel at the background; Bottom: Aerial view of Legoland

First Entry For September

Ever since my last entry I had been busy....  I cleared my Nikon DX gear, got sick, pondering what to get etc..... And so after much consideration I decided to settle for Nikon D750.  Then came the hard part of choosing what lens to go along with the D750.  After another round of thinking and hard consideration I settled for Sigma 24mm F1.4 DG HSM Art.  Got some more spare cash, but not too much.... Got a 2nd prime Nikkor AF-S 20mm F/1.8G ED.  And so my current Full Frame gear consists of the following. 

New Full Frame Gear

Trying to Lose Weight!

Right about 2 months ago I visited my regular family doctor due to a sore throat with fever, which was soon diagnosed as a common cold - yes I had a bit of a blocked nose although it was the sore throat that really bothered me.  

When the doctor took my blood pressure she said that it was on the high side, borderline in fact.  And I should exercise more and lose weight where possible.

I didn't really took that into consideration as I was more irritated by the fever and painful throat (as well as the occasional cough due to phlegm).  But over time I began to realize that she does have a point.  There were times when I had unexplained bouts of headaches that regular paracetamol cannot handle.  The pain felt like the back of my head was literally being pulled.  And there were also times when the headache was so bad I had to throw up.

So I decided that I have to take control of my weight problem.  I changed my diet by cutting out carbohydrates on weekday day time, eating salad, fried eggs and tofu as well as protein bars.  No more coffee on weekdays.  Instead I start drinking green tea and reduce my coffee intake to 2 or 3 cups in a week - with milk yes but unsweetened.  At night time I allow myself a bit of rice in order to have some energy to cycle on a static bike.  I'd try to cycle at least 4 times a week although sometimes it's actually lesser than that....  In fact for the past 2 weeks I only cycled twice despite maintaining my diet.

Then just a week ago I got myself a Fitbit Charge HR to measure my heart rate.  I think that was the right decision...  I realized my heart rate is really high, unlike 9 years ago when I was averaging about 62 bpm.  Even 7 years ago it was still at quite a manageable 67.  Nowadays I average about 88 to 92.  Even when resting the lowest I got was only 74.  I take this as a warning that I really have to start taking my weight issue seriously.

Just yesterday on Tuesday I exercised again, 36 minutes on the static bike at 38% resistance, burned 455 calories.  This is my heart rate after that exercise.  

After 36 minutes of cycling!

Singapore Zoo Trip 2013

It's been quite a while since I last made an entry into my blog.  This time around it will be about a visit to the Singapore Zoo back in November 2013.

For this trip I equipped myself just with the Nikon D5100 and the AF-S 18-300mm F/3.5-5.6G ED VR.  Lincoln was very excited from the moment we arrived.  At the entrance we were greeted by this small cute fellow.

I really forgot the name of this little primate....

Fireworks - Singapore National Day Parade Rehearsal

This was the second  time I attempted fireworks photography.  The first attempt was at my father's resort during new year back in 2009; it was a clumsy impromptu attempt.

This time around, I attempted to capture the fireworks in Singapore National Day rehearsal.  This year is especially special as it marks the 50th year of Singapore's independence.  The fireworks on the actual day (9th August 2015) will be twice of last year's.  

 

I came prepared with a tripod and black card.  Unfortunately the black card didn't help much as there were too much light reflections - I should have used black foam instead, and I didn't have a cable release to use the bulb mode with.

So I arrived at slightly after 5 p.m. in One Fullerton, but the place was already swarmed with people ready to take photos of the fireworks like I wanted to.  I had no choice but to walk further down nearer to the hotel, unfortunately the sight was blocked by a structure - the Fullerton Pavillion.

The celebration started with a parachute performance, but dang...  I didn't bring any telephoto lens to capture the photos.  Then there were fly pasts by many fighter planes, chinook and apache helicopters, carrier planes.  I had the 16mm F1.4 fixed on my X-T1, how I wished I had a second body with tele-lens!!

A fly past tribute to Lee Kuan Yew who passed away earlier this year - He is the founding father of Singapore and quite possibly a most important, if not the greatest leader in South East Asia

When Lindsay turned one

When Lindsay was about to celebrate her 1st birthday my wife had to urgently leave for Jakarta; her grandfather was hospitalized after a critical fall.  Timing couldn't be worse....  But since it was Lindsay's first birthday, I wanted to make sure that she should have it celebrated, no way she should miss it.

So on the actual day we had a simple celebration for Lindsay.  I got a cake and my mom did the cooking while my sister did the decoration.  My brother... well.... He ate the food and sang with the rest of us...  

Lindsay's 1st birthday cake - strawberry short cake

Balinese Holiday 2014

How to define Bali?  Sea?  Mountain?  Mystic?  Culture?  Art?  Tegalalang rice field?  Mount Agung?  Mount Kintamani?  Tanah Lot?  All of those and more perhaps.  Bali is so beautiful; beautiful beach, beautiful mountain, beautiful sunset, beautiful art, beautiful nature, friendly people and so much more. Even Indonesians are absolutely mesmerized by Bali. 

Soccer playing beach boys in Kuta as the sun sets

SEA Aquarium Trip

Back in 2014 during the Idul Fitri holidays, my in-laws visited us as Indonesia was shut down for practically 1 whole week (as they usually do every year).  My wife arranged an array of activities for them, one of them being a visit to the SEA Aquarium in Resorts World Sentosa.

The place is amazing of course, although I did find the venue a bit too dark to my liking.  Quite hard to take decent photos even when I brought my 5D Mark 3 + 24mm F1.4L II Combo.

Before the main entrance we were greeted with this display of Chinese trading ships

And Here Comes Lindsay

On the night of 19th Feb 2013, my wife's water suddenly broke just before 10 pm.  The doctor had cautioned in the previous week that our little girl will be due at about next week and his word is really on the money.

By 10:30 p.m. my wife was already inside the delivery suite awaiting her epidural injection.  Lindsay is really good girl I guess, she didn't make my wife go through a lot of pain.  The labour process this time around was much less painful for my wife.  Even the delivery was fast without using any assisted vacuum etc and my wife went through minimum trauma.

By 6:30 a.m. on 20th Februay, my wife and I finally got to see the little girl we've been expecting in the last 38 weeks.

Lindsay right after delivery

Prior to Lindsay's Arrival - Captured in D5100

Just because I was comfortable using my 5D Mark 3 doesn't mean I don't use my D5100.  There were times when I found the 5DM3 to be too cumbersome and I just wanted to go around light.  So my D5100 stepped in.

This time around we took a walk around Ann Siang Hill in Tanjong Pagar.  We had our pre-wedding photos taken here, but at the garden side.  We decided to go to the other end where the hip cafes and restaurants are.  

A private cinema in Ann Siang Hill - D5100 + Tokina 12-24mm F4 II

Prior to Lindsay's Arrival - Captured in 5D Mark III

Prior to Lindsay's arrival in Feb 2013, Lincoln went to Purwokerto and stayed with my in-laws.  It was quite hard to suddenly have him left us for quite some time, but we couldn't cope with handling a newborn and a 3 year old at the same time.  So we decided to send him to my in-laws who were more than happy to look after him for which I'm very grateful for while my mom was to help my wife look after the soon-to-arrive Lindsay.

As it was near Chinese New Year, the mood was festive.  

Resorts World Sentosa in Chinese New Year Decorations - 5DM3 + EF 16-35mm F2.8L II

5D Mark III

At About July 2012, I upgraded my 5D Mark 2 to 5D Mark 3.  Mark 3 is a great improvement over Mark 2 in terms of auto focus and perhaps dynamic range (although only marginal).  But the video quality and new auto focus are definitely the biggest draw of this great camera.

With lightning fast auto focus that is so dead accurate, there's no way I could have missed a good shot, unless if I had set the auto focus to "auto" and let the camera decide.  But with zone and single focus points, this camera is like an extremely deadly sniper rifle - fast and accurate.

The ISO performance has been greatly improved as well making it easier to take hand held night shots with natural lighting, but you still need a prime to get best result.

Interior of Marina Bay Sands Shoppes - 5DMIII + EF16-35mm F2.8 L II

Nikon D5100

Okay, after a short affair with the NEX-5 which ended in a disappointment, I had it sold.  I still needed an APS-C sensor sized DSLR, because due to the crop factor of 1.5x I get better reach with telephoto lenses.  And APS-C sensor telephoto lenses are much cheaper than their Full Frame counterparts.  Soooooo.......  I welcomed a Nikon D5100 into my inventory.

My D5100 with the kit lens 18-55 on photo taken by Canon 5D Mark III + EF 16-35mm F2.8L II

Lincoln's 5th Birthday

Today is Lincoln's 5th birthday.  We woke him up at 8:30 for his surprise - his birth time happens to be 8:30 too...

Main cake + cupcakes - Cars theme

My wife arranged for his cakes and party at school, from setting up the theme, doing the goodie bag and souvenirs.  At 8 am we got the delivery from the lovely baker and her husband, and we couldn't be happier with the result.

No entry for a while

Been so busy lately - sick, going to immigration, etc, etc.  But what's really annoying is that I haven't been well myself for the most of this month.  Perhaps its due to the weather which suddenly turned sweltering hot.  I experience frequent bouts of sore throat with fever.  

I got a new lens XF16mmF1.4 R WR for my X-T1 and its such a pleasure to use.  Here are some photos taken with that amazing lens.

This has got to be my best shot of Gardens by The Bay

Batam Life - Part 5

Part 5 will be the last entry of my Batam Life series, this post consists of random shots of Batam.

Harbour bay during sunset - Samsung Galaxy S4

The Batam Life - Part 4

Part 4 will be about the famous Barelang bridge in Batam.  Barelang bridge is actually a series of bridges that connect Batam to the small neighbouring islands of Galang and Rempang.  The name "Barelang" is a short form of "Batam", "Galang" and "Rempang".  In total there are 5 bridges (If I remember correctly) with the first one being the grandest and main tourism icon of Batam.

Full view of the bridge, taken from outside a nearby seafood restaurant

The Batam Life - Part 3

Another exciting part of moving to Batam was to see Lincoln started going to child care.  He was just 1 1/2 years old then.  We decided to start him on half day so that he can get accustomed to school life later on. 

First day of school for Lincoln - 7 February 2012

The Batam Life - Part 2

While part 1 was about shopping in the wet market, part 2 will be about some of our favourite food in Batam.  

Some of our favourite food haunts in Batam

The Batam Life - Part 1

Life in Batam is very different from Singapore.  Its amazing how these 2 places are just slightly more than 20 km away from each other and yet worlds apart, although some of the people are pretty much the same in terms of behaviour in both islands.

At first it was quite hard for me to adjust to the new house, new place and new life in Batam.  Fortunately we met a good friend of my wife's brother whom I'm really grateful for, he helped us so much to adjust to life in Batam.

One big change is shopping in the wet market in Batam.

Avava Fresh Market - nearest market to our house in Bukit Mas Nagoya

5 Days Black & White Challenge

Here's my first entry for the month of June.  A short one, but hopefully interesting, as it is about the 5 days black & white challenge.

When the B&W challenge hit, I was voted by my good friend (Richard J.O. - another "arek suroboyo") to get involved.  The challenge had been around for quite a while but I didn't really get into it as I was not so into B&W photos.  I still don't have the eye yet for B&W photos, but it was fun to experiment and see what I could get.

View of PSA container yard and berth from Office - by LG G3

Sony Nex-5

Sometime in May 2011 I decided to get a Sony NEX-5.  I was extremely tempted by the size of Sony's offering: APS-C sensor in a small and light body with flat lens.  So after looking around and comparing between NEX-3 and NEX-5 I settled for NEX-5 with SEL 16mm F2.8.

Clarke Quay in Mid-Autumn Hand Held

Plain Sailing in 2011

2011 was fairly uneventful.  The photography I did were mainly for the property my father works in.  at late 2010, a new site was due to be opened, 10 km further down from the original site of Bintan Agro Beach Resort - Bintan Cabana Beach Resort, so I had new things to capture for the website.  Then in late 2011, we added 6 suite rooms that soon became the main attraction in the Resort, again I had to take photos of the new rooms for the website. 

In my earlier post I did mention that I prefer this place better as the water was very much clearer.  And the rooms are better decorated and cozier.  We needed to add a new page for Cabana in the main website so I did some photography for the website again.

These photos are my personal collection that don't appear on the website, but I think just as good.

Walkway outside Suite Rooms

Canon EF 24mm F1.4L II

The EF 24mm F.14L II, is a versatile lens that quickly became my favourite from the moment I got it.  Wide enough for landscape, (almost) distortion free for portraits - as long as your subject is in the centre, extremely fast at F1.4, and very sharp wide open.  This lens from Canon really gives Nikon a good run for the money as its considerably cheaper than Nikon's own 24mm F1.4.

Wide enough for landscape yes

Mapur Island

When I worked in Bintan, I had the chance to visit an island which I think has the most beautiful beach in Western Indonesia - Mapur island.

The island is about 15-25 minutes away from Bintan Agro Beach Resort, depending on weather conditions.  Be ready to bring sun screen, shades and hats if you happen to go on the dry season.  I can assure you that the trip is definitely worth it!

The boat trip to Mapur

Bintan Memories

As I mentioned in my previous post, I started helping my father in Bintan at around mid-2010.  I really got deep into it at around 2011 and started to appreciate how beautiful the place really is.  The place has wonderful beaches although the capital Tanjung Pinang is somewhat quite underdeveloped - ever since I first started going there in year 2000 until 2010, the main street of Jalan Bakar Batu still looked the same.

But let's talk about the south-eastern coast where my father works.  The name of the resorts are Bintan Agro Beach Resort and Bintan Cabana Beach Resort (http://www.agrobeach.com - I was the one who oversaw the website building, so of course, I'm proud to promote it every now and then! ;p ).

I used the knowledge I acquired from my days holding the D90 and got to know my 5D Mark 2 better.  Daytime shots never disappoint, it's the blue hour shots that I really want to nail with the help of my 5D Mark 2.  I swear that my photos during this period were some of my best.  My favourite lens for these landscape shots was the one and the only EF 16-35mm F2.8L II.     

Here is a photo of a small island about 5 minutes away by ferry ride from Bintan Agro Beach Resort; the island is called White Sands Island.  It's in the itinerary of the Island Hopping activities.

Blue Sky,  Fine Yellow Sand - Cool Drinks and Shades Will Make This Perfect

Lincoln Diaries

My son really gave me and my wife a lot of firsts in our lives.  First time my wife experienced pregnancy, first time she experienced labor, first time experiencing cutting the umbilical cord (for me), and first time feeling that excitement of finally seeing a baby after 9 months.   

My favourite shot of Lincoln when he was 3 months old

My Very First Scooter - Honda Scoopy

As I mentioned in my earlier post about moving to Batam, there was a time when I had to wait for 4 full months for a car that did not come.  While waiting for the car to come I decided to get a scooter - Honda Scoopy.  It was the first time my wife experienced riding a motorcycle so it was quite exciting.  For myself, the scooter was a joy to ride as it has an automatic transmission, no clutch, no gears just twist and go.  And most importantly the scooter marks the point in time where we finally achieved mobility!

The Cool Dashboard & Basic Speedometer

Moving to Batam - November 2010

I resigned from my position in NYK back in April 2010.  After that I started helping my father in Bintan.  As I thought that it would be a permanent career change, I assumed that it would be logical to move to Indonesia, closer to where I'll be working.  Another reason is because I'll be earning Rupiah, living in Singapore would be too costly.

As Bintan (Tanjung Pinang) is 2 hours away from Singapore, my wife and I thought that Batam would be a better place to stay in.  It has better accessibility to Singapore with better facilities in general and definitely more developed than Bintan.  And so we made the decision to venture to the unknown - off we went to Batam.

We got ourselves a house in Batam and had it renovated.  My father originally bought the house a long time back and had the old building demolished and replaced with a new one.  And as I told him about my intention to stay in Batam, he let me stay in the house.  

By the time we thought the renovation had been done, we left Singapore for Batam.  But to our surprise, there were still minor completions needed on arrival - things that we didn't notice in the beginning such as water proofing the walls, adding shelfings in the cabinets, getting cutleries, cleaning equipments and basic things for daily activities.  So we ended up staying in the hotel for 1 whole week instead of the originally planned 3 days.  Not only that, we didn't have a car yet, and ordering one from the dealer needed 3 months.  So we resorted to walking and eventually purchased a scooter by December.  

We stayed in Swiss Bel-Hotel (now called Swiss Bel-inn).  I can't say it was unpleasant, but it was quite a trying experience.  My son was just 5 months old then.  So you can imagine he was eating canned fruit puree and milk all the time, I washed the bottles at the bathroom basin, sterilized the bottles using hot water and the three of us just slept on one bed.

Top: View from hotel balcony, Below: My wife feeding Lincoln on the bed

Fujifilm Finepix F40fd Diaries

So I'm mad about Fujifilm.  Yep I do...  I don't have the photos from my first Finepix anymore.  But I still have those from the Finepix F40fd and now I have plenty from my previous X-E2 and current X-T1.    

I went on a short trip to Japan with my wife to Fujinomiya sometime in April 2009 for about 4 days.  It was a religious pilgrimage trip for my wife and since it was an important trip for her, I accompanied her.  I was already DSLR-less at that time so we only brought the Finepix F40fd with us.

Under good lighting conditions, the outdoor shots never disappoint, but perhaps where ergonomics and build quality are concerned, they still have a lot of catching up to do with Canon's Powershot series.  This is where the dilemma comes: I want good photos, but I also want a camera that is hardy with good ergonomics and these qualities are evenly split between Fuji and Canon.   

Top: Garden outside a temple in Fujinomiya, Bottom: Close up of a flower

Biz Trip to Bangkok 27 - 30 April

What a packed 3 days of business trip...

I started my day on Monday 27th April at 4:45 in the morning, getting ready for the 7:40 flight.  I eventually arrived in the airport at 5:55.  Yep, just 5 minutes to 6:00 a.m.  And luckily I already did the electronic check-in the night before so I only had to drop my bag and get the actual boarding pass.   The normal check-in row was snaking with too many people....  It was on reaching Bangkok that I realized they were connecting to Chiang Mai or Phuket. 

Soon I was on board the plane, ready for take-off and shortly the plane was on the sky.

Waiting for take off, and look at that great view once we're up in the air

Little Nyonya Batik

Today was a busy day, we were helping a good friend with her Peranakan store's grand opening.  So I and my wife were out since morning 10 am till about 8 pm.  I myself was particularly busy being the photographer of the event and for her catalagoue.  I'll say that this must be the most colourful and gorgeous entry in my blog ever. 

Peranakan Umbrella

Here Comes Lincoln

After the Thai trip in April.  My wife officially entered her third trimester.  No more travelling, just rest and wait. Her feet were too swollen to go long distances too by that time.

I resigned from my job not long after we got back from Thailand.  It was a bad year anyway for the shipping business, half a month bonus and no increment.  I was rather disappointed and was pretty much decided that I should give my father's business a try.

I took some trips to Bintan to get accustomed to the working environment, know the staffs and get an idea of what to be done while waiting for my son to arrive.  

Not long on 28th June afternoon at about 1pm my wife was admitted to the hospital, her labour had officially started.

Seemed like Lincoln didn't want to go out yet cause we had to wait overnight for him to come out.  His head was facing up which made it hard for him to get out and my wife had to go on induction from 10 pm onwards.  So on 29th morning, the doctor decided to use suction and get him out.

By 8:30, Lincoln was finally out.  

After he was all cleaned up, this is how he looked

Short Thai Trip in 2010

2010 was quite an eventful year for me and my wife.  I quit my job as I thought I would help my father with his business, our first child arrived, moved to Batam....  And we still managed to squeeze in a short trip to Thailand before my wife entered her third trimester.  A so called last chance to go on a trip before we'd get too busy caring for a newborn.

Can't remember where this place is although it seemed like Siam Paragon

5D Mark II Snapshots

How should I start hmmmm.......  Oh yes, let's start with this photo!   

Chinatown Skyline From Duxton Hill Rooftop Garden

This photo was taken back in August 2010.  By that time I had gotten myself the EF 16-35mm F2.8 L II.  That lens is amazing: extremely minimum distortion, super wide, sharp wide open and definitely a better value lens compared to Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm F/2.8.  This is much better than the Tokina AT-X 11-16mm I used to have.

Having Fun With Flash

Finally I got myself a flashlight, Speedlight 430EX II in around June 2009.  And since there was a computer fair going on, I got myself a wireless flash trigger.  This means I can use the flash while not attached to my camera's hotshoe.

Imagining myself as a character right out of Dragon Ball

The problem with the wireless controllers is that they must have unobstructed path otherwise it won't work 100%.  Unfortunately so far I haven't been able to make good use of the controllers because in reality I need to use multiple lighting to achieve proper exposure.

Fujifilm Natura Classica

When I sold my D90 in mid-2009, I was still undecided between D700 and 5D Mark II.  In the few months I was researching which system I was going to commit myself to, I stumbled upon this interesting camera:

Fujifilm Natura Classica

This is a compact camera that is capable of utilizing films with ISO rating 800 and 1600.  This model is only sold in Japan (and Hong Kong grey market) although ironically it is made in Indonesia.  So I bought it from Ebay, shipped from Hong Kong along with 16 rolls of Natura 1600 films.