Happy Times

Wondered what made my little brother so happy. Taken 12 years ago with probably the same idiot-proof conventional camera I brought to France 9 years later. If I remember correctly, it was the eve of National Day. Just got back from the celebrations in school and still in my school uniform, I ended up playing at the playground and taking photos with the camera. Was holding my elder brother's badminton trophy too and pretending I was the one who had won it. I was just 8 years old after all. :) Something special about this photograph would be the delightful expression caught on my brother's face. Happy kids are always a joy to photograph. I've been trying to find the first photograph I've ever taken in my life; doubt this was it, doubt I'll ever be able to remember it. Oh well, it's nice to be able to remember the happy times of my childhood. :)

Staring into Time

Taken using Gracia's Canon many months ago, last year I think. It was "pretending-to-be-tourists" day for us; Gracia, complete with her "tourist" hat/cap and Firdaus, the appointed photographer who gamely indulged us in a photographing spree as we "toured" Little India and Orchard Road. What I liked about this photograph is how surreal it seemed, with him being the focus and the background of moving people. :) One of those good shots you take once in a while eh?

I'm on the Net!

Ok ok so I knew of this site long ago.

http://www.totaldefence.org.sg/mediaroom/newsletters/1999_03/march1.htm

Thanks Mr Dominic Nathan for the kind words anyway! :)

Caldecott Hill, Here I Come

Uncle, can you drive faster? I going to mediacorp u noe. See TV star.

Malibu sunset

Dang I missed the orange ball of a sun.

Really hated the lights; guess I'm not used to being in the spotlight. *winks* On another note, that's the VJ flag, at half-mast, after repeated attempts by those juniors of ours to wave it or something.

You wonder if Singapore was like this in the olden days; then here you are now in Thailand. - Kanchanaburi

We call them skyscrapers.

Photo Block

Let's talk of love in summer
Pretty girls and boys flock together
You my friend have yet to see
Flowers blooming for you and me


If someone were to ask me what I've been up to lately, I'd be rendered speechless. Can't really describe the turn my life has taken, where busy is but a word, where the things I'm doing are too many to be listed, too varied to be chucked into a category for the lazy girl in me. Then again, where lazy is but a word, shall we start the rambling all over again?

I need to go on a photo-taking expedition soon before I go nuts staring at the stale photos in my laptop, trying to figure out which ones to upload to my blog, and have my mom telling me that I'm crazy over photos. The fact that she's already done so is certainly beside the point. This reminds me. I've got emailers to design and entries to submit for competitions. Nooooooo. I think my laptop is sick of me working it to death, squeezing its scant RAM for all its worth, and then it'll go on strike by hanging on me at the most crucial moment. I've always thought my laptop to be male. Talk about loyalty. So much for having just passed our one-year-anniversary. An upgrade is due when I've got the cash. Grrr.

I want to get a DSLR. Sponsors anyone?

Racing. Bicycles. Running. People. And the blue one that surged ahead of the rest.

On the ground

Light - Crown Prince Hotel

I look at them this way

He'll never look at his home the same way again.

Sneak peek

Wooden Rose

Parallel views

Looking through a different perspective

Out at sea

Taking you back to the past where life stood still for that moment.

Thank You

SMU Commencement went on rather smoothly; got quite chaotic towards the end with graduates taking photos and hugging one another but oh well, it's their day! Congrats to all you happy graduates out there. :)

Blisters on my poor feet due to those darned court shoes. Was so desperate in wanting to relieve myself of those shoes that I purchased a pair of open-toe heels at U.R.S & inc. And now with a swollen little toe due to an angry-looking blister, not forgetting the tired feet, I shall make my way down to Bishan to meet those girlfriends of mine.

On a lighter note, thank you to Hassan for that splendid treat! We will try our best not to bully you anymore. :)

Thank you to Nor for letting me drive myself home yesterday night. :)

Thank you to Bhaiya for your treat tonight. Yum yum. :)

Thank you to my mommy for being the best mum. :)

Unsung hero of the moment - he who braves himself to make a living

Solitude

When Life Needs an Update

Have SMU Commencement coming up tomorrow. Went for the briefing earlier on; venue was absolutely grand, the video dedicated to the graduating batch of 2005 was brilliantly editted and produced. :) Other than the thought of having to wake up early tomorrow and make my way to Raffles City Convention Centre early morning, I am certainly looking forward to tomorrow. We ambassadors will have plenty of photos to take eh? ;) And no, Paolo, enough of your narcissistic shots on my poor camera. :) Hope everything goes well tomorrow!

1 wedding to attend, 2 websites and t-shirts to design, 3 competitions. Busy busy.

A lil advert for my alumni - VJ Malay Debate Team has gotten into the finals this year; anybody who wants tickets - do drop me an email. Am sure they would love to have support from their seniors. We can have a reunion at Mediacorp at the same time eh? :)

It's almost paradise when you have fishes swimming around your feet.

5 July 2005 - Grand Palace, Thailand

A place swarming with tourists

Not just any entrance, not just any pathway.

Golden pillars

Of reminiscence

Never have I seen so much gold in my entire life..

A majestic symbol of power and success

A peek from the side

Beautiful architecture

A golden feast for the eyes

Colonial versus Asian

5 July 2005 - Chao Phraya River, Thailand

Illusion of movement

The setting sun beckons - Chao Phraya River, Thailand.

4 July 2005 - Death Railway, Thailand

When the Present walks on the Past - Death Railway, Thailand.

Contemplation of turning back - something the POWs never got a chance to. - Death Railway, Thailand.

At the end of the line - Death Railway, Thailand.

Lovely Friends

Love all my friends! :)

Hugs to all of them. :)

A big thank you to Zaki for helping me out at the idiotproof add-value transitlink machine. You're too kind. :)

Thanks to everyone who's been my friend one way or another, yes, even you, Putra. :)

In an absolutely lovely mood now.



And no, dear Hairul, it's never too late to discover my talent. *chuckles*

You know you're too busy with work when...

you discovered you'd borrowed a book to read 2 weeks ago only by checking your library account online which you'd registered for a minute ago to check when the travel guides to Thailand you'd borrowed are due.

Can't be blamed for that, could I? I read more research papers nowadays than fiction; an occupational hazard I have. I'm even afraid to say that I no longer have the patience to plough through the twists and turns of a plot, preferring to skip to the end of the book to find out what happens and then making the decision of whether I want to read the entire book; even then, speedreading becomes my modus operandi. Imagine the look on bookworms/lovers out there, who take their time with each book, savouring every sentence, not wanting to miss out on a clever, witty line! Wonder what happened to my voracious appetite for fiction, when I could devour book after book by the hour, when I'd make visits to the library a faithful affair, a hobby I could name when people asked me what I did during my free time. The Net has since taken over the place of the library; I now plough through online databases instead of bookshelves. Visits to the library are now made with a vested interest, for research and the like, not merely for leisure. Not to say that I could no longer appreciate the fine art of literature; no, give me a good, intriguing book and I won't hesitate to read it. But perhaps my eclectic taste in books change over time, or rather, for the lack of a better word to say, my priorities and outlook in life. Whether or not such ambivalence is good is another question altogether.

Enough of the rambling. I shall now take my time to read the book I'd borrowed before I return it (and the travel guides) to the library tomorrow.

Do become an eLibraryHub member for free though! Click here. :)

My Thailand Adventure - Day 1 (Bangkok)

I've finally mustered enough effort to overcome my dire laziness to put up the photos I'd taken in Thailand. Mind you, there were so many that it was so difficult to choose which were the ones I wanted to put up. Perhaps the situation was further exacerbated by the dilemma of being informational versus merely putting up nice photos for people to see. Either way, let's try to strike a balance between the two. :) As Daniel, my lovely former classmate, said, Thailand's tourism board should hire me. Unfortunately, he did mention a phrase - "Self praise is international disgrace." Excuse me while I try to stifle my chuckle.

No words nor pictures can fully describe or capture the wonderful experience I've had. Being in a foreign country whose medium of communication is a language absolutely foreign to me could have been quite intimidating; thank goodness for Boredin and the impeccable hospitality of the Thais. Not that it was all nice and roses; but a smile and a little bit of spirit goes a long way.

It all began on Sunday morning where the two girls lugging bagpacks left for Bangkok via a budget airline; an estimated 2 hour flight awaited them.


Changi Airport - Off to Bangkok



Wonderful aerial view



Being in the sky gives one a feeling of being special.



Air Asia


The flight was enjoyable nonetheless; the girls were utterly impressed by the metrosexual, gentle and polite stewards of that particular Thai Air Asia flight. A pity the flight ended with Mahdiyah threwing up upon landing, having consumed a couple of bars of chocolates earlier on and telling Siti that she's prone to air/sea/motion sickness only after she threw up. All was good though; the girls managed to clear the customs/immigration department and meet the guys at the airport without much hassle.

Superbly clean Bangkok Intl Airport

Nice surprise to find a praying room at the airport

After offloading their luggage at Boredin's aunt's house, first stop of the day was to be Chatuchak/Jatujak weekend market - one of the biggest, if it already isn't, markets selling all kinds of things. It was shopping and bargaining galore; Boredin finally mastered the art of bargaining, thanks to the girls.

Chatuchak Market

A quirky capture



Deciding where to go with the aid of the all-important map




It was all thanks to Siti that they decided to drop by Chatuchak Park. Despite being congested by lovebirds of all ages, the place was still charming and peaceful with beautiful scenery.


An unexpected rainbow



First sunset in Thailand



You'd wish it would never end.




The day ended with a visit to Carrefour to buy food and water supplies for the next couple of days. Tired but happy, it was only a prelude of better things to come.