Mad March

Oh yeah, the pressure's going up this month for sure.  I've been so busy at work that I have been working on Sundays for about 4 hours just to catch up.  I really hate this month... So the SAP, Salesforce & in-house ONE Finance integration project has started in full swing and it's really making life a living hell for me.  The SAP part which is the backbone of the project is not even fully implemented yet, the end users don't have a picture of how they'll do things and we have to design our new module without a clear picture of the use cases and processes.  The ONE Finance API is also still in development, which means we can't do any testing or have a clear picture of how the products interact with each other until the API development is completed in mid-April.  

Crimson March Moon - Galaxy S23+

Outlasting October

On this last day of October, I start my 7th week with ONE.  It has been a very packed journey so far.  I've been very busy with work.  Not very difficult, except when it comes to "alignment", but there's just too many things going.  

Rainy Day in Orchard - Galaxy Note 9

July 2022

My mind is drawing a blank on this month's adjective, so it's just "July 2022".  I've been really stressed out this month due to work and fruitless job search.  The other company (a French shipping company) that I thought had lost interest in me finally called me for a 1st round interview, however I was very disappointed at the outcome of the interview.  The interviewers had asked questions that were irrelevant to the role I was applying for, so of course, I did not "wow" them.  Throughout the interview, not only did I feel that the questions were misdirected, they had set the wrong expectations for the role.  It was a complete f💩💣king waste of my time, considering that I had prepared extensively for the interview.  

The other company (a German shipping company) with whom I had completed the 1st round of interview also did not return to me, but I noticed that they had downgraded the title for the job from manager to senior executive.  I've had several calls from companies I applied to as well, but nothing happened after the first call.  I even did a screening test for a job I applied for at DBS and I'm still wondering whether I'll get it or not.  

It has been an absolutely disappointing month on the job search front.  I can't help but turn to prayers all the time, hoping for some kind of a divine intervention. 

Decorations at Yueh Hai Ching Temple - Galaxy Note 9

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

June Cycling Diary

I have been cycling once a week with the missus in the past 3 weeks.  So far we've been to Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by The Bay and Henderson Waves.  From Alexandra Canal Park which is right in front of our apartment, we could go all the way to East Coast Park if we'd like to.  It really is amazing how we can get to experience so many places with our bicycles.  

Stopping by Rodalink Commonwealth to Adjust My Bike's Saddle Post - 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

Finally Went to Gardens by The Bay Again

After a long hiatus from Gardens by The Bay entries, I finally have the chance to write another one.  On National Day holiday last Thursday, we went to Gardens by The Bay so that the kids can enjoy some outdoor activities.  It was an enjoyable outing.

A nice cloudy day for a stroll - A7RMk2 + Batis 2/25

Gardens by The Bay Christmas Wonderland

My wife and the kids are away for holiday at my wife's hometown since last week.  I'm stuck for some work related issues, although not a lot and mostly are already settled by now.  That also means that I have lots and lots of free time on weekends...  And for me that means going to Gardens by The Bay to see the Christmas Wonderland exhibits and take some great photos.  For this trip, I brought along both my X-T2 + XF 16mm F1.4R WR and D750 + AT-X 16-28 F2.8 PRO FX.  But for this entry, I'm using the shots from my X-T2 only.

I arrived quite early at before 4:15 pm.  My first destination was the Flower Dome where the Christmas Wonderland exhibit is on.  I wanted to scout around for good spots, taking sample shots, adjusting the lighting and shadow/highlight setting in my camera.  These are two of my daylight sample shots which turned out well.      

A foliage tunnel going to the South American Garden

The Wifey's Birthday Dinner at Pollen

Last month was my lovely wife's birthday, I arranged a surprise dinner for her at Pollen in Gardens by The Bay.  The restaurant specializes in modern European cuisine.

Inside Pollen - we were quite early

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

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

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