Awful August

A lot of things transpired in August.....   My colleague who's transferring out of the department finally got the conclusion he's been searching for, his last day with my friggin' team will be on 30th September and he'll move to his next team from 1st October onwards.  I'm happy for him, but that also means I'll be left alone to fend for my own.  So I'm taking his departure really hard...  

What Kind of Ass Is That - Galaxy S23+

Scrappy September

On a personal basis, September has been very kind to me.  However, I'm extremely disappointed at the Multi Ministry Task Force's unforgivable blunder which has lead to a sudden increase of COVID-19 case numbers in Singapore.  Hence... "scrappy".  I'm extremely flustered that despite their simulation showing that cases could hit 2000 a day, the task force did not put any restrictions to slow the spread when the number of daily cases was still quite low.  Instead, they tried to ramp up handling capabilities.  Did they not learn from Israel's experience?  We will go endemic, yes, that's an eventuality.  But going endemic right now, is still too early.  What about the over 60s with co-morbidities who have yet to get their booster shots?  What about children under 12 who cannot be vaccinated yet?  Not only the over 60s, even normal adults need booster shots too, to avoid vaccine breakthrough infections!  The task force has made a wrong judgement on the timing to open up and we are now paying a heavy price with restricted movements, daily reported deaths, messed up school exam schedules and businesses that suffer from spontaneous restrictions or even closures when infections hit one of their own.  At the same time, I can't help but worry for the kids who have yet to get their vaccines.  While so far there has been no reported deaths of children under 12 from COVID-19 in Singapore, I prefer to minimise the kids' risks of contracting COVID-19 as much as possible.  As I'm writing this entry now, the number of COVID-19 cases for children under 12 has hit 1266 just in September alone while in the past 7 days the number of cases in this age group is 677.  

Oh Yes, I'm Keeping Track of This Age Group - Just Excel

Happy Mid-Autumn 2021

Well, today's 中秋节.  Its mid-autumn already.  Hopefully everyone is enjoying their mini reunion with their beloved family members.   

Enjoy Your Mooncake Too - A7RM3 + FE1635mm F2.8G

Mid-Autumn 2020 in Chinatown

Last Saturday I had a jalan jalan chance at Chinatown and enjoyed the sights of mid-autumn lanterns from the blue hour till about 8 plus.  The lantern installations this year....  are not as good as last year's.  I'm hoping I can still make a visit to Gardens by The Bay to catch their lantern installations, but Lincoln's oral exams are coming next week, so those will have to take first priority for now.  

My itinerary started from block 5 Banda Street from where I planned to capture the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple from the 10th floor.  Prior to going up the block, I stumbled upon this mural of Samsui Ladies by the side of a pedestrian's bridge.  

Samsui Ladies of Banda Street - Galaxy Note 9

Ostentatious October

Ostentatious ehh.....  Well.... still related to last month's recap actually.....  And we reached the crescendo this month during rehearsal for the audit.....  I've seen more than enough to draw my own conclusions.  The insincere attempt to impress which borders unprofessionalism is just too much for me to stomach....  

Sunrise in Guoco Tower - Galaxy Note 9

Mid-Autumn at Gardens by The Bay

On my birthday last week, we visited Gardens by The Bay for a family dinner followed by a lovely stroll to enjoy the lantern installations.  We had our dinner at Bakerzin before finally making our way to the Super Tree Grove to enjoy the sights. 

Lantern Tunnet - A7RMk3 + FE16-35mm F2.8 GM

Lincoln's Grateful Birthday

One day before Lincoln's birthday, we went to an orphanage in Batam to celebrate his early birthday party.  This year, I and my wife thought that we should let him celebrate his birthday by sharing his joy with those who are less fortunate.  We want him and Lindsay to learn to be more grateful and cultivate a compassionate spirit, to help others who are in need. 

On this occasion, the lady boss of Little Nyonya Batik and her hubby went along with us to make the event merrier.  I also had a lot of help from my father's staff in making the arrangements.  We decided to celebrate Lincoln's birthday in an orphanage called Yayasan Samaria Fao Kasih.  The orphanage is located near the Hang Nadim airport.  There are 22 children in the orphanage, the youngest is a 5 year old boy while the oldest is an 18 year old girl.  

Yayasan Samaria Fao Kasih - A7R3 + FE 16-35mm F2.8GM

Bali Holiday 2019 - Day 6

On Day 6, we didn't do anything much.  We just had a whole lot of good time in The Apurva Kempinski.

The Apurva Kempinski From The Beach - Galaxy Note 9

Bali Holiday 2019 - Day 1

During the March school term break, we set off on a family holiday to Bali.  It’s been 4 years since our last trip to Bali back in 2015 and we were eagerly looking forward to this trip.  For this trip I was fully armed to the teeth, carrying my A7R2, a Batis 2/25, a newly acquired FE16-35mm F2.8 GM and also a newly acquired DJI Osmo Mobile 2.     

Let's Go! - RX100 Mk3