Bintan Birthday Bash

Here are some pictures I took when binbin and me went on a short getaway to Bintan. Feeling bad for neglecting the Diana Mini, I brought it along with the LC-A+ to take in the sea salt air.

#1 Raise the Roof | LC-A+ RL | Lomo CN 100
At the resort, ready to raise the roof. Kinda hard though with the ri-donk-ulous prices they charge for everything.

Singapore’s Disneyland

With a twist of Chinese mythology. I’m referring to the best amusement park ever, at least for most kids who grew up in Singapore during the 80s.

#1 House of Tiger and Panther | LC-A+ RL | Redscale 100
Haw Par Villa here we go! The park is filled with models depicting scenes from famous Chinese folklore. Some we grew up with but most I have never heard of before this.

The Lost Files of Universal Studios Singapore

Discovered some photos while tidying up my PC which I took during my trip to USS from wayyyyy back. That was before I got my LC-A+, so the pictures are from my Diana Mini and Superheadz UWS. I can’t remember which film I used for the Diana Mini though.. Sorry about that. Enjoy the pics!

#1 Niversal Studios Singapore | Diana Mini
Fail shot. This is the Diana Mini, not the UWS, dodo! Should have shot with abit of clearance on the sides in case of parallax error. Oh well, I’ll learn.

#2 Move It | Superheadz UWS | B&W ISO 100
She like to move it, move it~
MOVE IT!

#3 Hollow | Superheadz UWS | B&W ISO 100
The crowd expecting some attraction behind the tree door. To no avail.

#4 Shrek’s | Superheadz UWS | B&W ISO 100
If only it’s a real life castle where you can access the upper levels, dungeons and what not. I guess

B.B.I.6.D.

Be back in 6 days.

Off to Hong Kong to gorge myself silly and do plenty of shopping, especially for my next toy camera. Read more about it when I get back! For now, you guys will just have to make do with this awesome piece of photography taken with my Diana Mini.

Just four more hours till boarding. Excited much!

Rally Night

Super overdue pics from the one and only rally we attended during the election season. It was definitely an awesome experience, immersing ourselves in the electric atmosphere and capturing these iconic moments. The whole place was literally rocking. All of the pictures were taken with my Diana Mini. I took the opportunity to shoot in bulb mode and also a few multiple exposures. I obviously need more practice.

#1 Jady’s cute lil bum. Sorry buddy you’re not coming along.

#2 Trying double exposure at night. Idea was to take a shot of the massive crowd and overlap with a shot of the “No Stopping” sign. No stopping the masses, geddit? But seems like I overexposed the 2nd shot. You can hardly make out the crowd shot. And the “No” is not in the frame. Dang.

#3 Cheeky smile from the ever cheeky binbin. 😀

#4 Baby blue is the new black. Some funky double exposure at work here too.

#5 The legendary 500kg hammer. Overheard some uncle asking his friend to come find him at the “gor pa kilo dan dui”. True story.

#6 This photo screams, “We were there at GE 2011 rally. *wide grins*”

#7 Let’s go crazy and wave your flags like you just don’t care! Wheeeeeeeee

#8 The 6th member of the Worker’s Party Aljunied Team. Pursuant to Section 49, Subsection 7E, Paragraph A of the Parliamentary Elections Act, I declare you da big winner!

Well, I was having a hard time thinking how to conclude this post, then I realised what better way to do it than in the words of Singapore’s founding father..

“If you believe in democracy, you must believe in it unconditionally. If you believe that men should be free, then, they should have the right of free association, of free speech, of free publication. Then, no law should permit those democratic processes to be set at nought.”
– Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition leader, April 27, 1955

Day Trip to Melaka

I had ever been to Malacca once before. When I was in Primary 5 or 6. I felt like I had a good time then but can’t really remember the details of what we did. Maybe it’s ALWAYS fun to get out of the country. So I was pretty psyched up for this one too.

We set off at about 8am, expecting to reach at around 12 noon. We had neglected the fact that it was a public holiday. Public holiday = Massive traffic jam. Our bus was pretty much stuck for what seems to be an eternity.

And then we finally reached.

At 3pm.

Awesome or what? Our only saving grace was the fact that we didn’t purchase tickets for the return trip departing Malacca at 5pm. That would have been an ultimate facepalm moment. We bought tickets for the latest departure timing and wasted no time in heading down to where all the action is: Jonker Street.

Photos were taken using my Superheadz Ultra Wide & Slim on ISO 100 black and white film and also Diana Mini on…I can’t remember dammit.

#1 Here we are! Our growling stomachs reminding us it’s time for our late lunch.

#2 This eatery with its unassuming exterior serves quite a wicked dish of Chicken Rice Balls. Or maybe we were just famished.

#3 Right after stuffing ourselves silly, we went straight for another one of Malacca’s delicacy: Chendol.

#4 Binbin and Janet while waiting..

#5 And waiting..

#6 After downing our little bowls of gula melaka (palm sugar syrup) filled Chendol, we got up on our feet and started exploring. More delicacies were lying in wait as there were quite a few roadside stalls lined up along the street. This is one of the stall selling popiah. Didn’t try it though cos we were too full.

#7 We walked and walked before finally reaching the pier to board our cruise to nowhere…

#8 Not! It’s just a huge ass ship monument probably to commemorate Malacca’s history as a shipping port.

#9 A unique water wheel feature where we rested before deciding to go in search of the elusive Portuguese egg tarts.

#10 Our awesome shadows, tired but happy.

A good trip overall. Shame about the jam though. It was a pity we didn’t get to explore more but I suppose we did as much as we could given the limited time we had. Perhaps we can try some other eateries or delicacies the next time we’re there. Aye.. Blogging about this mini trip made me wanna go for a proper holiday even more. Coupled with the fact that I’m missing the Krabi days after watching The Hangover Part 2 last night. I need to plan my leave!!! Rawr.

Oh Nicholl

As the dust settles after a potentially game-changing day for Singapore, it is time for our lives to resume normalcy. Personally it opened my eyes to a whole load of things. A better understanding of the history of Singapore and the people who strove doggedly in the pursuit of their beliefs. Well, I better stop right here before this turns into a political ranting or preaching. Let’s make way for my outdated photos taken around Nicholl Highway MRT. (Why am I not surprised if somebody starts a Facebook page called “Let’s rename Nicholl Highway to Nicole Seah Highway <3”)

What was I doing there? I was actually on my way to Stadium MRT to collect my computer from Acer Service Centre. I must have said this before but I feel the need to say this again.

Do. Not. Ever. Buy. Acer.

I hardly ever take the Circle Line, let alone alight at any of the stops along it. So I decided to alight and check out CC5 out. Photos were taken mostly with Superheadz UWS on Lomo Redscale film with a dash of Diana Mini on Kodak ISO 400 expired negative. Note that the quality of pics are not so fantastic as explained in my previous post. For the redscale pics, I had to flip some of them horizontally to show the correct orientation.

#1 Here I am. CC5. Call me a recluse/hermit/sua gu. It’s my 1st time here.

#2Interesting building which I have no idea what it was. That is until I checked the Internet. For those as ignorant as me, this is The Concourse. Repeat after me. Con-cou-rse.

#3 Next up. This genius of a device displaying how many parking spaces are available around the vicinity.

#4 The station is right next to Kallang Basin. I seem to recall seeing those prominent condos in the backdrop from way back in Secondary school. Oh yea and I remember having to put up Army Half marathon signboards around the park. Sai gang FTW.

#5 Lucas Di Grassi who? Ermm I’m guessing F1 driver… urmmm Brazilian… and… ermm.. male. Sorry this is the best I can do.

#6 Ready, get set, go!

#7 Home stretch

# 8 Not very such what architecture structure this is. Seems to be part of MBS.. Looks like a snail shell in real life though. Maybe to complement the upcoming Gardens by the Bay.

#9 The customary flyer shot. I took a few but this is my fave. Just got a feel to it.

Pretty fun experience overall. A quiet afternoon spent making new discoveries. Too bad for the film quality. Going down to Triple D tomorrow to develop more films. Hopefully I’ll get to update sooner rather than later.

Last but not least Happy Mother’s Day to all wonderful mothers out there.

And no. This is not a thinly veiled attempt to hit on any MILFs.

Day Out at Barrage

I know what you guys are thinking. “Barrage?? Not AGAIN?!”

Oh come onnn. Marina Barrage is one of the nicer places we have in Singapore. All credit goes to PAP!! You guys have my vote! Pls let us have priority in upgrading! (Pardon the digression, I don’t wanna be left behind when everyone is offering their opinion about the political situation.)

Anywayyyyy, back to the Barrage. Nobody seems tired of it. It’s always packed with people flying kites, taking their wedding pictures and what not. This time round, we were there for a picnic!!

#1 What’s a picnic without glorious food. That we had no shortage of. Lasagna, shepherd’s pie and of cos the mad awesome egg mayo (which was unfortunately not caught in action here)

#2 With their powers combined… Kiteflyers unite!

#3 Check out binbin with her wind-swept hair. Stylo-milo.

#4 It’s my turn!! Love this pic. With the kites littered all over the background. Obviously I passed some of my mad skillz to binbin.

#5 Time for our trademark self shot! ❤

#6 Oh that’s not us (We rather die than be caught decked out in that outfit…) Anyhoo sweet random couple FTW.

#7 AHHHH run for your lives!! It’s an invasion of kites!! Seriously, I probably should start a business selling kites over there.

#8 Sky explodes. 8 kites found dead. 19 missing.

#9 The sun sets, marking the end of a fun filled day. 😀

On a sidenote, I used an expired (for 5 years) Kodak negative ISO 400 film (contributed by uncle David) on the Diana Mini and a Lomo redscale on the Superheadz UWS. Those framed by the black borders (namely #1, 2, 3 and 6) was taken with the Mini. Those red tinted ones are taken on the UWS.

I was pretty psyched up about getting these pictures back as I believed I got some real jems in them. However, those taken with the expired films have tiny white spots all over them. The redscale ones were no better, with plenty of white spots, fuzziness and some streaks of light. Sadness.

After consulting the photoshop uncle, it is suggested that it might be because the expired film had already degraded or the speed of the film. This is because the faster the film, the grainier the picture will be. But I’ve taken shots with ISO 400 films before. Didn’t turned out that grainy. Hmm..

As for the redscale, it might have something to do with the film. Redscale is an unorthodox way of shooting which probably gained popularity along with lomography. The film is exposed on the wrong side by winding in the film upside down into an empty canister. This will result in the pictures being reflected vertically. Due to some technical reasons (that you will be better off reading from Wiki ), the film will need to be taken at slightly overexposed conditions to obtain the correct exposure when developed.

The things you learn from shooting. I may be wrong in my explanation or anything. Feel free to provide any pointers or advice.

Well, at the end of the day, I’ve come to terms with the unintended effects of the end result. I suppose this is what Lomography is all about. Celebrating imperfection.

Kickass Krabi 3: Best of the Rest

Hi kids, this post marks the last of my Kickass Krabi series. Hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did. As the title suggests, the pictures will chronicle some of the other stuffs we got up to in Ao Nang. The nightlife, beaches and other parts of town we tried exploring. On foot.

So obviously we didn’t get too far. Come dinner time we will usually walk along the stretches of (mostly Western) restaurants and settle down when our stomach starts growling. As with most touristy places, there were plenty of touts clambering for your attention.

 

#1 This is how we got this picture. Smartass tout spotted my Diana Mini and appeared to be intrigued by it. Proceeded to ask me what it is and looked incredulous when told it was a camera. Asked to see it and duly persuaded us to pose for the camera. Then came the sales pitch, which I declined by saying we’ve eaten. Promised to be back to try it some other time. Obviously I didn’t. Thai food were more of our thang.

 

#2 In our treacherous (did I mention the zombie-movie-type-hordes-of-touts?) trek in search of good Thai food, I took time out to use bulb mode on the Mini to capture some light streaks. Can’t remember how long I held the shutter opened though… Damn.

 

#3 The holy grail. Authentic Thai street food. Noodle soup FTW. The owners were so warm and kind. Made the experience all the more awesome.

 

#4 Dessert was chocolate banana pancake. Nothing much to shout about although we saw plenty of people with pancakes in hand. Kinda like a thinner and crispier roti prata.

 

#5 We tried fish spa for the 1st time ever. Mainly because it was relatively cheaper as compared to the exorbitant prices they are charging back home. From my expression, it’s safe to conclude I am and will never be an avid fan of fish spas. I may have also pissed off the owner by dissuading onlooking bystanders not to try it. Uh-oh.

 

#6 We had some spare time left on the last day. So we tried exploring other parts of Ao Nang in the day. Here is an awesome backdrop of the island/hill/mountain.

 

#7 God bless the poor chap tasked to sort out the cables.

 

#8 A couple shares a quiet moment at the beach.

 

#9 Little red stranded boat

 

#10 Let’s ride off into the sunset.

(Actually it’s just the redscale effect. The sun was nowhere near setting.)

With that let’s all bid farewell to Krabi. Till next time! (I really ought to be sleeping hence the swift conclusion)

Kickass Krabi 2: Sunkissed Beaches

Hola! Here comes the 2nd part of our Krabi adventures!

When you go to Krabi, you definitely have to go for at least an island tour. After all they’re famous for their pristine beaches and soothing scenery. If you don’t, you probably got on the wrong plane.

We had a few choices like Phi Phi Island, James Bond Island, etc. After much mulling, we decided to go for the Hong Island tour. The downside of it? We had to drag our asses up at 7am.

#1 Us trying our bestest to look up for the tour. As you can see I’m not a happy bunny early in the morning. Probably cos we were kept waiting by a couple of latecomers.

#2 Matching sunglasses! Of course we managed to score a good deal (I think) after some sleek negotiation tactics.

#3 After a bumpy boat ride.. Land ahoy! This is actually just the appetizer. Only a small stretch of sand that resembles more like a long jump pit than a beach. We would only get to the actual Hong island later in the day.

#4 We were given around an hour to do our own thang. Snorkeling, feeding and basically whatever that floats your boat. We took it easy and just lazed around waiting for time to pass.

#5 Binbin flashing her mega watt smile while getting a good refreshing soak

#6 I was busy taking paparazzi shots of an elderly Caucasian couple locked in a tight embrace. Didn’t wanna get too close and ruin their moment though.

#7 Father keeps a (not so wary) eye on his son.

#8 Feeding time! The fishes were literally flying through the air to get at the bread crumbs. Though they were of minuscule size. it was still pretty unnerving when you see a whole bunch of them charging at you at lightning speed.

We duly left the “sandpit” and moved on to another island. Over there, it was like one of those mega IT fair,  just that everyone decided to show up in their bikinis and berms, while the organizers decided to swap carpets for sand. Every inch of sand was literally covered by people. Initially, it felt kinda awkward seeing such a huge crowd and it somewhat dampened the holiday mood. It didn’t take long before that thought got lost and we were immersed in our own world. We did some snorkeling and feeding with one miserable slice of bread.

Finally, we left for Hong Island where we would have our “buffet” lunch and more slacking by the beach. Obviously, it was the best out of all the islands we visited. However, I somehow failed to take a single shot of its beach. Maybe I was still reeling from the fact that our buffet consist of 2 dishes ( 1 veg, 1 fish) only, or we got too caught up in the snorkeling. Or maybe, just maybe we were distracted by….

#9 This sweet lovely cutie pie! Awwwwwww-ness ttm.

#10 Both of us hamming it up for the camera while getting a tan.

Pretty soon, we were about to leave Hong Island when it started pouring. Off we hopped on to the boat and sped a fair distance away from the rain clouds. The guide led us to one last destination before we head back to Krabi. We reached a lagoon where all of us got to go down and walked around since it was low tide. More pictures taking and checking out sea creatures ensued. It looks pretty underwhelming on the pics so I’m not gonna post them up. But it was actually quite an unique experience.

#11 One last shot of a longtail boat before leaving the lagoon.

Finally, it was time to head back to Krabi! Not before we had a hella bumpy ride back because of the rainstorm. Thank god we were on a speedboat. Would seriously dread being caught in the rainstorm on a longtail boat. Worse still, a sampan.

So kids, in conclusion, don’t expect a fantastic spread for lunch. Get a speedboat. Get used to the crowd. Be in your own world. Be safe. Get tanned.