With the Environmental Awareness Campaign drawing ever closer (it’s less than two weeks away now), and with me being in charge with the Palm Message, where people will pledge to support our environmental cause and leave a handprint, I set off for Bugis today to get some materials ready first. Vincent was also heading there because he was getting the poster for the event printed. Oh and I’m very happy that everyone is okay with my poster design, so we will be printing the 60 posters and paste them across the campus! I’ll reserve that for another post for the moment being though, heheh.
All thanks to me, still half awake from my sweet Friday sleep, I miscalculated the time needed to travel from my dorm to Bugis so I ended up being one hour earlier than the stipulated meeting time with Vincent. It’s a great thing actually, for me being a notorious last minute person who fails to show up for meetups and gatherings because I woke up 30 minutes too late.
I walked around Bugis Station and along Rochor Road, when I took a gorgeous photo of Parkview Square in its full morning glory with the polarizer on. This is probably the first photo I’m posting, taken with my new polarizer filter on. Woots!
Parkview Square in its full morning glory.
The wind was really strong throughout the day and I risked nearly being blown away on the huge, wide field around this monstrous skyscraper. The wind was something like a gale on a smaller scale, ripping the earphone off one of my ears during the process. My camera strapped flapped wildly in the wind and I secrelty wished that I had brought a piece of brick to weigh myself down (my weight is below the population male average, fyi).
Green man, red man.
I dropped by Bugis Junction to check on the jumping fountain, only to realize that there are another group of photography enthusiasts crowding around the fountain, hunting for good shocks. When I sat on the bench near the fountain, they noticed me but weren’t bothered by my presence. That was a big stone off my chest. My wildest imaginations were running in my mind – they might have a leader around who will chase me away for disturbing them. Phew.
Jumping fountains and... hey, hello there!
I was taking at a shutter speed of 1/500th second to capture to pattern of the colliding water columns make. I did a few ‘generic’ shots and wasn’t quite happy with it so I moved around a little. This photo is one of my personal favourite because it seems like the young lady there was taking a photo of me. Hmmm. I love the composition.
Since I was shooting in RAW + JPEG mode, I think it will only be nice that I share a pseudo-HDR image made from one of the RAW photo. I love everything in the photo (especially the timing) except for the distracting white tent in the background. Meh.
Jumping fountains, a pseudo-HDR.
I arrived at Bras Basah Complex and hunted for buckets of paint, lots and lots of masking tape and a silver / metallic pen. For your information, Bras Basah Complex is something like a huge art warehouse for artists and designers alike – the shops there are all geared towards creative people who need tools and materials to get their work done. One of them include Art Friends, an art shop famously ‘linked’ to the school of arts, design and media in my university – the school reportedly buys so many things from the shop that Art Friends is more than happy to give them 100+ gallons of acrylic paint to make paint bombs for next year’s freshmen orientation. That’s some juicy news!
My phone then ran out of battery after texting Vincent so much, hah. It sucks that my LG battery wouldn’t last more than 2 days of regular usage. I went to a convenient store to get a drink when the guy at the counter actually had the balls to ask whether I’m above 18 because I was buying a can of shandy. I admit that I do look young but do I look like I’m 14 or something? Meh. Oh and I noticed this huge paper pasted on the wall screaming about $1.00 handphone battery charging, so I gave it a shot and thank God he told me that there are chargers. And he still didn’t forget to ask for my identification. Damn. I should have taken a coke instead.
While waiting for my incompetent LG battery to be turbo-charged by an anal-retentive looking iceman in the convenient store, I sat outside the store and snapped away as I usually would when I have a camera idling around. Right in front of me is North Bridge Road and the famous Raffles Hotel across the street (Michael Jackson stayed there during his trip to the island country ages ago).
A garden city. A fine city.
In the afternoon I find myself lugging 10 buckets of paint and 5 rolls of really thick masking tape, desperately trying to board a downtown-bound train during weekend lunch hour. It didn’t help much that many shops and banks call it a day at 2pm on Saturday. The train was totally packed and I managed to squeeze in only because a lady with a huge baby pram exited the carriage. Lucky!
p/s: A big thanks to Chongx, Mingyun and Jas! I lost my phone yesterday in the library and I reckon that I nearly wet my pants after being reminded of the prospect of settling for a crappy phone after losing a second phone after a mere three months. I texted the phone, called it several times but nobody picked it up, and I couldn’t find it although I discovered it missing after 5 minutes of its disappearance. I was thinking of skipping lesson the whole day to mourn the loss of my phone but in the end I forced myself to stay strong and composed. If I’m fated to lose the phone, I will lose it.
During pyschology tutorial Mingyun and Jaslyn comforted me about it. Midway through the session Jaslyn got a call from my lost phone, and it was Chongx on the other side of the line, right after he collected my phone from a grumpy old man (don’t get me wrong, I’m still very grateful!). What a scare! From now onwards I will chain myself to that phone.
Lucky you, you found your phone!! That happened to my friend as well when she lost her phone in a taxi! Luckily the taxi driver was an honest joe and returned it to us.
Those pictures look amazing!!
@Nel: Yeap! I’m feeling so lucky and thankful that the person who found it returned the phone to me. I was very worried initially because when I lost my cheap ass phone months ago, the jerk didn’t return to be and had the balls to turn off the phone so that I can’t reach it. Damn.
Wow that’s very nice for a taxi driver! I wonder how did he manage to return your wallet to you… he chased after your friend or something? That’s what happened to my uncle in Thailand when this honest taxi driver chased after him into the airport terminal after he left his wallet in his tutu car.
Whoah. The first photo is just breathtaking! The composition really gives that awesome towering into heaven effect. And boy, we haven’t seen such beautiful blue skies in Kuching for weeks now!
Love the jumping fountain photos as always! I wish we’d have fountains like that here.. they’re such beautiful opportunities for high-speed photography. Do you mind if I ask what aperture were you using for that 1/500s shot of the colliding water columns?
By the way, glad you found your phone back. And yeah, you really should take my advice to start chaining yourself to your phone from now on, haha! :D
Check out ember’s latest blog post » Version Two
@ember: Thanks! I might have violated the rule of thirds but I think placing the building a little more towards the center makes it look a little nicer, haha :) thanks for the compliments!
If that’s the case for Kuching, you’ll LOVE the weather here to death! It has been really sunny and windy (now it feels like Chicago here!) over in Singapore for the past two weeks. It gets really hot everyday and sometimes the wind is so strong that all the clouds get blown away, so what you have is just a solid patch of blue above your head. I shall stop making you jealous, heh.
The fountain in Bugis Junction is one of the two jumping fountains I’ve seen so far, the other one located on the sky garden of Vivocity. You’ll definitely love to visit the place if you’re coming to Singapore in the future, heh. Oh, and one caveat though – due to the way buildings around the fountain is constructed, it is constantly being shadowed in the morning, so for high shutter speed you’ll have to wait to late morning and afternoon. I managed to grab some shots at 9am in the morning because the sun was so strong that its rays were bouncing off the brightly-coloured facades nearby :)
I’m on SP mode and so I didn’t control the aperture (although I could using Manual, but I’m still an amateur hah). The aperture was f/4.5 with ISO at 400 because I’m shooting in a shadow. If I crank it down to 100 I can only get up to around 1/50th second, which is very inadequate.
I will take extra care with my phone in the future! That’s for sure. I won’t let it go missing again (at least while I still love it and manage to hold of the darkest inner desire to get an iPhone).
p/s: I think I’ll be doing a review of your new layout within the next few weeks, so I’m wondering if it’s okay with you if I grab some screenshots here and there?
Teddy you’re such a tease! I’d head out everyday with that weather above me all the time, haha! Thanks for the tips on jumping fountains in Singapore, I’ll definitely make note on that for my next trip to that city island. :D
Ah I see. I don’t shoot in Manual all the time too. Since you were doing high-speed it makes sense going for SP mode. I ask because i was wondering how you get to freeze water motion at 1/500s. I usually crank all the way up to 1/800-ish only will the droplets show. By then of course, my photo would be grossly underexposed with aperture stopped at f/5.6 (max for my lens in a zoomed focal length).
About grabbing screenshots, you’re more than welcome to! I’ll look forward to that review! :D
@ember: Awwww! But sometimes I wish some cloud cover because it’s getting like really warm, and that it’s sunny at the wrong time of the year – in fact, the weather is so warm for my busiest semester when I can spend the least amount of time going outdoors. Hah.
Manual is a little scary, but usually I’ll use it after getting unsatisfactory shots on AP or SP. I will meter the scene first, and then make a small mental note of the shutter speed and aperture and then apply them in manual mode, followed by tweaking the values slightly to get the effect I want. Usually I will underexpose a photo in manual mode and attempt to recover part of the shadows through Photoshop. It’s easier than darkening areas of a bleached photo.
The maximum aperture for my original lens is also at f/5.6 at maximum zoom. A little irritating! I wanted to get another lens with a smaller aperture not to only create that elusive ‘Bokeh’ effect but also have a razer-sharp DOF which can be really useful for macro shots.
p/s: Everything looks great on your new photoblog! It’s nice that you’re chronicling your year in photos. I’ve been always dreaming to start a 365 project but I couldn’t commit to it :( meh! Maybe I shall try it at a later date.
Ooh jumping fountains! I haven’t seen one in ages. I don’t recall going to Bugis when I last went to Singapore. Not sure though, since it was about 5 years ago. All I remember was that our focus was on sight-seeing and less shopping.
You’re lucky that you found your phone! I’ve lost my phone before in my school science lab, and my teacher found it! Lucky me. If it were someone else, they might’ve stolen my phone credits since it is transferable, and I keep topping up without spending all since I just want to extend the expiry date, plus I wasn’t exactly an avid mobile phone user, even to today :P
Check out Aki’s latest blog post » I feel like Hani-senpai
@Aki: Hmmmm Bugis is not a very popular place among tourists – usually people will head to Orchard Road, Sentosa Island, Night Safari and Marina Bay area because these places are really tourist-oriented (which includes over-priced postcards and souvenirs). Bugis is a great hangout place for teenagers as they have lots of clothing stores, cafes and accessories shops around there. Plus, it’s located near to the downtown area where shopping centers are not more than a 20-minute walk away.
You’re lucky that your teacher found it! I remembered this really bad experience in my secondary school – I realised I left my phone on my auditorium seat and it was less than 5 minutes ago – I was still in the auditorium and was just about to exit. When I rushed back, my phone is already gone, and it was never returned. The jerk who picked up my phone even had the balls to turn the phone’s power off to stop me from contacting it. Hahah.
I’ve not an avid mobile phone user too – I only use my phone for messaging (less than 20 a day) and for occasional phone calls. Sometimes I think I have a handphone just for the sake of owning one :P
im going to buy you a dog tag to chain your phone to your neck (:
Check out Chongx’s latest blog post » Grand Show
Haha this episode of phone loss reminds me of Jaslyn’s blog banner, “Something GOOD will Happen”.
Terry, you’re too a nice guy, that grumpy old man won’t bully you. hiak hiak hiak
Check out Mingyun’s latest blog post » Cat out of the bag
@Mingyun: Yea I guess I’ve just redeemed the luck through the accumulation of positive karma points :D teehee! So much being such a nice guy eh?
Anyway, I didn’t get to meet the grumpy old man. My friend did. And he gave him a haaaaard time. Meh!
From now on I shall guard my phone with my life. I get my phone, get over my dead body first *evil laughs*
TEDDY! OMG! show me your poster design!!! i bet its a peice of art! =D
and whats a a pseudo-HDR?? never heard of it before =(
eesh you should seriously chain yourself to your phone =( it has only been 3 months!
Check out sue’s latest blog post » Cool Antiques at Jonker88
@sue: Be sure that you don’t be disappointed when you see the design! I’ll be writing about it soon. Real soon. Hang in there!
Have you heard of HDRi then? It involves combining photos taken of the same scene but with different levels of exposure. The photos are then combined in a programme such that each region is properly exposed – this means compressing the actual dynamic range of the whole scene (as seen by the human eye) into an artificial dynamic range on the computer screen. Basically HDRi mimics how our eye perceives the environment.
A pseudo-HDR means that it has the appearance of a HDR image but that it is not produced using the method above. Usually a pseudo-HDR can be made from a single JPEG file, just by simply dodging the shadows and burning the highlights. I did mine using RAW, which involves creating three or more JPEGs from the same RAW file but with different exposure levels and then recombine them. Since they’re derived from a single RAW file, they’re pseudo-HDR, not the real ones involving photos taken separately :) but RAW is a good substitute, especially for scenes with fast moving objects (eg busy street).
I will guard my phone with my life from now on :D
“Press for green man”..haha…i find it funny !
The pictures are all so lovely! I envy your photo-taking skills a lot; I can’t seem to get my photos to look right : | I love the first one and the fountain one the most: the first one because of the color contrast between the building and the blue sky and the fountain one because of the merging spray of water. It must have been difficult to time the exact moment to get this shot!
Check out Wendy’s latest blog post » A Gallery of Broken Hearts
@Wendy: Awwww! Don’t worry! Seriously, I’m not that good either – a simple glace at a professional portfolio will make mine look like a flimsy house made of straw! There are lots of really awesome photographers out there that I look up with – and draw my inspirations from.
Speaking of getting the timing right, it just takes a little time to know the rhythm of the water jets like the back of your hand, and you’ll be hitting the shutter button at the right time :D
your photography skill getting better by time! congrats bro! Hehe. About the writings, I don’t know what to comment, but I read it. :)
Check out abdusfauzi’s latest blog post » Nuxy Tape : My iTunes Playlist on the Net.
I hate it when we can’t time it right and end up earlier or later than normal. But getting there earlier is always preferred than showing up later. I love the first picture the best, it is so captivating, and the beauty of the structure is almost worthy of praise as well.
I will have to try that shutter speed, I can never catch the flow of water so perfectly and still like that. You’re such a miracle camera worker!
Check out Destiny’s latest blog post » Rebuilding the Lost
@Destiny: I love arriving at a place early because that’s when I’m free to take photos! Later in the day I was burdened with ten buckets of paint which means I have no free hand to hold my camera anymore (I happily stashed it inside my bag). Teehee!
For that shutter speed, you’ll need a really sunny day (usually in-camera flash unit can fire at most to 1/160th of a second). The bright daylight will allow you to shoot even in 1/1500th of a second (even at ISO100), which speaks volume of how bright the actual scene is :D
I think i should make a trip down to singapore for some sight seeing soon..have been putting that off for the last 4 years or so ;)
Wow, nice photos! (: I like the fountain one, hehe. It’s very nice (leh), for me, hehe.
Lucky you to get back your phone! Remember not to lose it again. *cough* My mom can lose her phone even she’s in the home -_-!
p/s: Hi there, ex-malaysian! :X
Check out RiN’s latest blog post » Short Term Memory
@RiN: Thank you! Yea I will pay extra attention to my phone in the future – it’s weird that I’m saying this because when I first got my phone I thought I will never lose it. Looks like I shall never take things for granted :) anyway, you’ve just reminded me that I’ve got some backing up to do, heh!
Technically speaking I’m not an ex-Malaysian since I’m still hold a Malaysian citizenship. I didn’t want to give it up partially because of NS liability (sniggers) but it’s more like seeing Malaysia as my true home (no matter how bad it gets).
Hi Teddy!
Chanced upon your blog via plurk from Ivy’s list of friends. And wow! You’ve got a very nice blog! And very beautiful photos too!
I’m also into photography and blogging. Will surely be coming back for more! Adding you to my feeds too!
claudia
@claudia: Hi Claudia! Thanks for dropping a comment :) glad to have you around. I did a little sneak peek of your blog and yeah, you’re an avid photographer too! I’m a little busy at the moment, but I will definitely drop you a comment shortly. Have fun and see you around!
I have a number of things to bring up in this comment it wont be too long! I meant to comment on my last visit, but I was on the go!
1. I LOVE the photos. I had a difficult time picking which was my absolute favorite, but I have to say I really like the pseudo-HDR and the “Garden City” photo. Is that the city where you live? It reminds me of the tropical countries where my family is from. Very beautiful.
The first photo–is AMAZING it reminds me of the “Tower of Terror” which is this super scary ride at Disney World – Orlando that I love. Do people live in that building or is it for businesses? It is so massive!
2. I love the design of your blog. So clean and beautiful! Blue & Green are my favorite colors and with me, you cannot go wrong if your blog is blue! hehe, either way I would still enjoy coming here and reading what you have to say if it was purple or yellow.
3. I am so sorry about your phone. I had an LG phone that was the worst at being charged. Now I have a phone that charges, but will not charge when I am on the phone with some one. That is no where as sad as losing your phone. I would have cried for a minute because I talk on it sooo much. I am happy you got it back though. Did that old man not want to give it up? How mean is that?
Okay, that was quite a lot of commenting. Heheh!! I may have forgotten something, but no worries!
Check out Melle’s latest blog post » my 2009 begins today
@Melle: Heya Melle! A really warm welcome back to the buzzing blogosphere! Your presence is really missed… and I’m just too happy to see you coming back and kicking some ass again :D
I live in Singapore – a tropical garden city to be exact. They have trees everywhere (even in town!), which earns the city state it’s name. I’m a little envious that you have four seasons over there – snowing is something that I always crave for. I am yet to make my first snow angel and to play in my first snowball fight! It’s a very huge building – there’s a lack of a scale for comparison in the photo but it’s pretty huge! I don’t know what’s inside – perhaps a office and a serviced apartments hybrid?
Thanks for the complements. Blue and green are my favourites too, not to forget earthy tones. Having an entire layout on purple or yellow is an interesting idea but I’m yet to find out a colour scheme that wouldn’t hurt the eyes *laughs*
I lost my phone but a grumpy old man picked it up. Actually what he did was right – my friend, who was collecting on my behalf, wasn’t the owner of the phone so without any prove of ownership, he could not hand the phone over to him. My friend did a great deal of explanation to help me get the phone back. I wasn’t around because of a lecture :P heheh.
See you around Melle! Have a great week ahead!
@Chongx: Haha yea I need something to chain my phone to my neck… well you’re entrusted to get me one lol!
@|1f34|-|1r3: Love the expression too! I guess it’s the simplest way to get the message across – imagine trying to explain the whole green man and red man thing to someone who is not familiar with English. Teehee.
@abdusfauzi: Thanks! It’s not really improving but it’s more about me exploring different way of expression. I’m still far away from the ‘guru’ level, heh!
@med: Yea, definitely! Singapore is a lot different from what it was 4 years ago – we have new buildings, a new downtown reservoir, a huge ferris wheel (I hope it’s operational soon) and lots of other new attractions!