Ordinary October

October has been a plain sailing month, even to this date which is the last day of the month.  Work was OK, I mean I'm still doing lousy stuff which won't give me any promotion and such, but I'm cleaning up 💩 from the SAP integration project, where scenarios and situations the analysts did not think of finally showed up as service tickets.  These "cases" appear on the KPI dashboards, or in some cases are missing...  So it's up to me to fix those.  This month I also went to a Salesforce event in Raffles Hotel.  It was the first time I attended such a glamorous vendor event.  Prior to the start of the event I started feeling my panic attack returning.  I guess it was because the place was rather dark, packed with so many people and loud sounds that almost triggerred another attack.  Fortunately a staff ushered us to the front seat where I picked the corner most seat to get more space.  I managed to get the panic attack under control.

Waiting For The Event to Start - Galaxy S23+

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

Messed Up May

The month of May started in a somewhat quiet suspense.  It was business as usual with 2 public holidays to look forward to.  However we were on our toes as the number of local Covid-19 transmissions were rising steadily and a series of tightening measures had been announced prior.  And finally on 13th May the government finally pulled the plug and announced "Phase 2 Heightened Alert" which will last till June 13.   Work from home is the default, no dining in and...  no karate.  Home based learning was immediately implemented from 19th May as the school clusters were growing.  Well...  All good hard work reversed in such a short time.  Messed up isn't it?  

Fiery Sunset in Hot Hot May - Galaxy Note 9

Dogged December

It has been an extraordinary 2020 for sure, which will come to a close in a mere count of hours.  And I do mean extraordinary in both memorable and unpleasant ways.  Work was full of pressure in the last quarter of the year and 婆婆's sudden departure in early October really shook me....  Not to mention the travel bans which meant that we can't meet our family members in Indonesia too.  What an extraordinary year it has been indeed.  On the flip side, we experienced what it feels like to be partially "locked down" and saw a totally different face of the place we live in.  The travel bans imposed by many countries also affected livelihoods everywhere and shows how important it is to remain open and connected always.  This is also a watershed year that brings about the New Normal.  Masks are the norm now, working from home, schooling from home, online shopping and food deliveries too.  Of course not forgetting going about in smaller groups as opposed to big gatherings last time.  Oh yes, what an extraordinary year 2020 has been.

Cloudy East Coast - Galaxy Note 9

W Singapore - Sentosa Cove Escape - Part II

Day 2 started with breakfast at The Kitchen Table.  It was an à la carte buffet, not very nice...  Part of the joy in going for a buffet spread is that you can choose whatever you want whenever you want, which unfortunately (although understandably) is not possible at the moment.  To avoid crowding, we had to book specific time slots, which for that day we could only get the last, starting from 10:00 - 11:30.  Apparently there was some drama, but we didn't notice anything when we were at the restaurant until we  read the news.  

Anyway, after breakfast we went to Quayside Isle one more time to just have a good look at Sentosa Cove and take more photos for keepsake. It was a very nice walk; usually we could only see Sentosa Cove when we were on board a ferry to Batam, this time we really walked on Sentosa Cove.  

The Missus & 2Ls in Quayside Isle - A7RMk3 + FE20mm F1.8 G

W Singapore - Sentosa Cove Escape - Part I

Just last week, we had a short staycay escape at W Singapore - Sentosa Cove.  It was a short 3 days 2 nights stay.  I wish I could have stayed longer really, unfortunately there are just too many things that still need my attention at work.  Nevertheless, it was a very welcome break, much needed too for me.  

Going Up to The Lobby - RX100 Mk3

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

Tanjung Pinang Trip 2019 - Part 2

Day 2 started with a hearty breakfast in Lumba Lumba Inn.  My father had arranged for additional food to be brought in such as Martabak and Bangka noodles for everyone to share.  After breakfast, we set off for Bintan Agro Beach Resort.

The resort has changed quite a lot since the last time I was there.  The kids had some fun with the antique cars there, especially Lindsay with this cute Hello Kitty Mercedes Benz convertible.  Dad has a weird hobby of collecting antique cars, including cute ones too apparently.

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