Post CNY Drama

After the one week break, I like anyone else in this world dreaded going back to work. Knowing that when I left a storm was brewing and with a few days left before my leave the storm hit and somehow I was able to manage it and reduce the effects. But as most things in the corporate world, such things do not just die but they fester, ferment and come back again with a vengeance in a different manifestation.

So there was double dread to return back to work. So much so, that I was so tense on Sunday and this was only noticeable to the wife, but she did not mention or question anything, probably because she knew I was not ready to talk about it.

So Monday came, and just when things could not get worse I start to develop flu symptoms, a bad case of running nose and cough. This severely hampered my endurance to survive the day and the many issues not to mention the 400 plus emails that greeted me. I had to throw in the towel and head home for some rest at 3pm.

So now as Wednesday marches on the dust has pretty much settled and now I can start doing work. All the fires have been put out; well…some are just small fires which will eventually and hopefully will die out. Phew! Now the only thing left is to go catch my running nose and to oil my scratchy throat.

M almost back to normal

365 Update - January

It was not as easy as expected but I managed to complete the first month and here are the results.



In case you are wondering what I am talking mosy on down to 365 Photos. February here we come!

M

One day’s journey!

My initial blog post was going to be a rant but, I decided to be more positive and look at the brighter side of my glorious life. So rather than focusing on the immediate stresses which honestly will be over by the end of the day, I am looking forward to the festive week.

So its Chinese New Year week, previously this was a non event for me, but over the years it has formed special meaning to me.

During my younger days (7-12 years old), I looked forward to CNY, because there would be dinner at Mr. Lai’s house. It meant lots of cashew nuts, pineapple tarts and big king prawns. We normally do not eat prawns so to me this was a special treat and I loved going to his house. As times have passed, funnily I no longer like Mr. Lai anymore but that is another blog post altogether.

Post 14 years old till marriage, when my two younger sisters married Chinese, CNY was all about going to their in-laws place for the usual festive lunches or dinners. To me, it meant great Peranakan food, t’was where I picked up the love of Ayam Buah Keluak and it also meant collecting Ang Pows. My first year’s haul was quite lucrative and the subsequent years it got better until the arrival of the grandkids, then my haul turned to zero other than the ones from my sisters.

The Army years (which fell in between the above period) was interesting during CNY, it simply meant guard duty for the entire duration. Since all the Chinese fellas were with their families, it was up to non-Chinese to “hold the fort” and do guard duty in case…hmmm….just in case lah. But this was no ordinary guard duty as the rules were relaxed because absolutely no one was around. There was a temporary pool table setup at the guard room and there was usually lots of alcohol involved not to mention fun! Of course, it also meant no Ang Pows haul and no Peranakan food, but it was fun nonetheless.

Today being married into a Chinese family, CNY has taken on a whole new meaning. I am no longer just a visitor but I am a celebrant now. I am a wall flower no more but am part of the festivities. Also I am no longer a recipient of Ang Pows but I am a giver; it’s always better to give than to receive, truly. I get to attend Reunion Dinners and not just the consumption but to be part of the preparation as well. It’s really great the journey that life has taken me for this particular day; from a non event, to a "something to look forward to" and to now being part of it in an extended family, how can you top that!
This is the journey of one day!

M in a festive mood.

Destress Tool

Not like we very stressed but to the wife the best Christmas present of 2008 is this little fella. Ya huh, you heard me not the plush sofa bed that I got her but this turtle on a stick.

It's a small stuffed animal, in this case a turtle on a stick. To use, hold the stick and hit oneself or another person to pinpoint massage. Yeah forget the iMedic or uYoyo, this here is the real deal.

It's best if applied onto someone else. For hitter, all the days' agro can be unleashed on a loved one and for hittie an effective massage with pinpoint accuracy.

Nice, thanks Anfred!

M destressed

Phuket 2009

Our first trip to Phuket was unexpected. Well my wonderful sister just got preggers and she was planning to go but she couldn't travel so she graciously handed the tickets over to us. We stayed at the Sheraton, but after taking a shuttle boat to the next door Banyan Tree resort, it became a thing for us to do, you can call it a dream of sorts, that is to stay at Banyan Phuket. That was in 2005.

Well in 2009, we managed to make the dream come true and to me, this was a typical example of a perfect trip. Excellent weather, complete relaxation, utter laziness and indulgence (food wise) all at a fabulous resort. The weekend was a memorable one, which left both of us smiling ear to ear and with an all encompassing blessed feeling, that God is so gracious to us.

What a good note to start on for a great 2009!

M blessed.

Relak lah!

Stop playing with the phone, the camera, the TV, the jacuzzi, the door, the lights and just relax lah!

I think when I am on holiday I become a kid and start doing silly things. I can't just sit in one place and do nothing. I have to do something.

So as the day starts and now that I have figured out all the functions and features of the room - not that much to speak of really. So now I am cozying up in front of beach, with my camera and book in tow.

M relaxing.

Trigger Happy Family

How photography has changed our lives. If you are a regular reader of this blog and of my 365 Photos project, you know that I am into photography but what is worth a mention is that this passion has indeed spread. The wife is now addicted to taking pictures. I used to detest people who order something to eat and before devouring the food start taking pictures, until I am basically more so SK have become these "people" and her blog is evidence of this with it many food related posts.

Now with the additon of the 50D to the family, we are sometimes tussling over who gets to use it, to take a particular subject. My protégé, as I like to call her, is getting pretty good and I have used many of her images over mine because she has a different view. What's more she is now shooting in Manual and to me that is where things can get really interesting. As we head for our first much awaited and deserved short trip to Phuket this weekend, I think our luggage will contain quite a bit of camera equipment more will be the case when we head back to Penang for Chinese New Year. I think some memorable images are just waiting to be captured.

M glad

Meaning to Life

As I completed the final appraisal for my team I was left wondering. The meaning of life that is. Being someone who is extremely close to my staff both at a professional and for some at a personal level, I was left wondering why is it so hard to find some sort of meaning and purpose to life.

OK, I too was confronted in my late 20s. I went through this as well; a search for a purpose and a sense of meaning to it all. I believe this is something everyone goes through. But why is it so hard? Shouldn't it be easier?

Is work and then procession home and the subsequent vegetation at home only to wake up to another day all we have to look forward to? I think not.

Personally I think we all should work hard to find what make you passionate about life. Don't let work busy you from looking for it. It has to be found by hook or by crook. You'd be missing out if you didn't take the time.

M purposeful

Hello CNY

Christmas officially came to an end today with the clearing up of our wonderful tree and all the presents. Not to mention the million of fir needles that got left behind in the process of the cleaning. So as the tree enter into the being white refuse truck, I am now looking forward to CNY.

This year it comes earlier; end of January but of course the CNY theme is Singapore did not just start it actually started one week after Christmas. So to make use of the free evening yesterday and the fact that I found my good ol’ Manfrotto tripod, it was a date with the camera at one of the busiest places in Singapore, Chinatown. So I braved the awkward stares and surprised looks headed to these places after a full day of work. Below are some pictures of a night of shooting.

Things to do

So the wife is going out tomorrow night and so the question begs. What should I do?

1) should I stay at work and finish up the appraisals for my guys

2) head home for some Babylon 5 and "comfort food"

3) photograph the night

I think number 2) is nice but I have been doing too much of it so better strike it off. It's been a tough week work wise, 100 miles an hour from 12 till late so I guess I shall kill 1).

I guess that leaves me with some night photography. Hmmm time to get the batteries charged. Where should I go? Any suggestions?

M getting ready

Evolution of a Perfect Picture

Yesterday was an interesting evening. The task at hand was to take pictures of new dishes for Yellow Light's Chinese New Year menu. Normally, I only do photos in the daylight but since time was on our side we decided to do it after work. To be honest I was not optimistic because knowing the lighting in the restaurant and the fact that I do not have a flash I knew the pictures were going to be sub standard. But thanks to Mr and Mrs Wong, who lent me their flash the evening efforts turned out differently.

Together with the help of the wife, and the owners Wan Ling and Shih Erh, we managed to pull something together that we can be proud of. Well this is the behind the scenes look but in front of the camera the chronological evolution of a picture from set up to final image was truly astounding.

M Flashed

365 Photos - Part 2

OK, I guess my "analness" and my need to keep things neat and separate have gotten the better of me. So as not to "pollute" my blog I have created another blog dedicated specially to 365 Photos.



Updates will also show up in My Blog List on the right of the screen. So please do have a see when you have the time and do comment if you please. You'll never know when and if YOU will be featured.

M phewwed.

365 Photos

The original intention of starting this blog was to post my pictures and showcase them, but somehow along the way this point got little lost and my usual long windedness and my typical Indian bullshit have risen to the surface. This can be seen with the long and wordy blog posts of recent. Most of these blog posts are done via my iPhone, believe it or not, and since uploading pictures requires a computer or laptop, I often get lazy and end up not posting any pictures. Do not get me wrong I love all my blog posts and it so therapeutic for me, I think I will still continue with the wordy Indian bullshit. BUT, in an effort to put up more pictures, I have decided to take the Project 365 challenge.

What it is is to put a blog post of a picture taken each day. These pictures do not need to be of excellent photographic quality but more importantly to me is to capture this wonderful year in pictures. Let me put it this way, it is said that when a person dies, their life flashes in front of them. Too me this is an amazing feeling, ahem, the life flashing part lah not the dying ya. So rather than wait for that to happen why not do it now with a photo a day.

So here goes!

PS: I would like to thank Emily Chow, whose blog I was randomly reading at 5 am this morning and her shyed drive to get this started, got me inspired to make this happen.

Hiking Boot Memories

The other day as we finished our show at Vivo we stumbled into the newly opened National Geographic store.

I love all things NatGeo and one of the things I did with my first pay check was to get myself subscribed. I guess it was only a matter of time for me to get into photography. Because honestly one cannot just read NatGeo and not be amazed and inspired by the pictures there.

Anyways as I wondered through the store I came to a section where they were displaying hiking boots. When I picked one up, a flood of memories came rushing back to the days when the only shoes I wore were hiking boots. In particular the last time I wore them purposefully.

That was more than 5 years ago when I went to Myanmar with the Singapore Photography Society. To me that was one of the most wonderous adventure trips and the images I captured there are so memorable. Most of my best images thus far are still from Myanmar.

Another thing I felt was the calling to get myself on one of these trips. To get on the beaten track and become one with the camera again and make some wonderfully awe inspiring pictures. Let's see. I am pretty peeved that I will not be able to make it to Israel this year because of work but I still believe that I will be there before the year is up and that would suffice.

M hopeful

Random Image #3

The other night while at YTM's I couldn't resist taking a favourite type of shot of mine; the long exposure shot. This shot was a 10 second exposure, and with that I was able to capture the sporadic trailing lights on the CTE and the luminescence of the evening.

What makes this picture special though are the clouds. It gives that sense of movement, and with the long exposure and the fact that the clouds were indeed streaking across the sky gives this magical effect of the world at standstill while the clouds and sky are in constant motion.

Not bad for a Samsung eh.

M

The forgotten passion

Something has escaped me and it only came to memory the past weekend as I was driving while enjoying this passion. I was thinking to myself, how could I forget this passion that is such a huge part of my life. But clearly it's not that I forgot it but more that this passion has moved from something to be passionate about to become an actual character trait. If you know me well you would know what I am talking about or fully agree with me and this assessment.

It's Music. Not the playing of it (in which I did dabble) but more the listening and enjoyment. To me music is educational. It shapes a person. It evokes memories of a time, place or an event. It can bring tears to your eyes and move you to get up and start jumping up and down. This is music and I love it!

Being a child of the 80s and 90s when music creativity was at it's best, every thing heard on the radio was new and completely original. Of course there were a few remakes but they too were good. Lots of the music influences of that time came from 70s and being someone who loved music I started on a quest of discovery. Unfortunately the same can't be said about the music today although there are a few gems here and there. Whatever the case. as long as there is life music will be part of me, the quest continues.

M singing

Resolutions for 2009

I detest the idea of making resolutions and I normally do not make any
to start a year (If your name is Siew Khee, you are probably making a
face but do read on. It's long but I do have a point). I find that
most resolutions end up getting broken because they normally start out
from the top of your head and by the end of the first week of the year
they are on the ground between your feet, all trampled.

Let's see some sample resolutions:

1) lose weight
2) drink less coffee
3) take more pictures
4) stick to New Year resolutions...

Technically they are still in effect when the year is in her 12th
month but at this point there is no urgency but more a sense of "oh
well, I didn't achieve my resos so think I shall carry them forward to
the next year" feeling which is usually accompanied by useless regret.

I remember a certain person who for New Year's Eve rather than
celebrating, was going to spend the day reflecting on things he did
not achieve that year.

Bollocks!! How about celebrating life and all the things that makes it
great! Honestly, if there is not one thing a person can celebrate 2
minutes to midnight of the 31st Dec then, I reckon resolutions are not
the only thing this person needs!

Bottom line, we all know what needs to be done and achieved in our
lives and the duration could be more or less depending on the goal.
Let's not limit ourselves.

So let's not make resolutions which are wastefully just goals and
ambitions that do not matter and can be broken. I mean what's the point!

Start the year with promise and expectant of great things and
tremendous blessings which are just around the corner. Stop waiting
for the bump in the road that causes one to falter into negativity. If
it happens and it will; stand up, brush the "dust" off yourself and
look for that next good thing coming round the bend. Believe me it's
there it's just that we are not paying attention.

So if you are not convinced and still need a resolution to start the
year perhaps this: "I resolve to look out for all the good things in
my life big or small and to acknowledge each of them". You'll be
surprised that at the end of the year you'll be celebrating with me!

Cheers M

Thankful for 2008

This year, being a year of new beginnings, one thing I thought would be good to edify the people and the things for which I am thankful for; so here is a list of 8 things I am truly thankful for in 2008.


1) My Life in all it's abundance. Life is so full these days that I can't imagine the much more. But I know that the much more is what's in store in 2009.

2) My Wife. This creature that has adorned my life and changed it for the better forever. I look forward to spend many more days, months and years with this bolo.

3) My Family. What more can I ask for. There is a fair share of dramas, laughter and politics. Amazing thing about this entity is that it always gets bigger with new additions and extensions. We look forward to the next addition.

4) My Friends. This is unfortunately a dwindling number but I am thankful to each one that is still around and still adding to my life.

5) My Work. Not something to be overtly thankful for, but in all honesty it has added to me as a person and a professional. It's where I spend most of my time and I like to make the best of it even though it gets tough and challenging.

6) My Passions. Life without passion can be truly boring and I am thankful that I try my best to be passionate about life and to mix my passion for photography and food into everyday. I am so glad the people around me share the same passions as well.

7) My Blog. I guess the extrovert in me needs an avenue to tell the world what is going on with my life and this blog has allowed me to be creative and even though there are not many people reading it, this blog is more for me to serve as a reminder of how full life is!

8) My Jesus who has become such a big influence of my life, where all previous points (listed above) are entirely attributed to Him. Yes every single one. I know that He will continue to reveal Himself to me in 2009, making this best year to date! A dektos and a radzon year!

Happy New Year everyone.

M Looking Forward!

Mykii

So this year I decided to give me team a year end luncheon to show my appreciation for their hard work. It was totally spontaneous as I only decided to do this on Monday but since two of my guys were on MC I decided to do it on Tuesday. But come Tuesday these two were still on MC so I had to go forward as Wednesday is a half day and I doubt if I could have made it since I had plans. Rather than letting a normal democracy, I decided on the place to go eat. Somewhere nearby, Holland Village and a new joint just open less than a month back called Mykii.

This Greek inspired place, apparently is supposed to transport you to the isle of Mykonos, with its white washed walls and the atypical Greek blue fittings. I was more attracted to this point than anything else, and the Hungrygowhere.com review was good enough, so this was the place reserved. As we arrived the place was nicely tucked in the corner where there is very little human traffic. Overall the outlook was nice and it did somewhat able to deliver on the “transportation to Mykonos” feel.



Starter drinks, this was for me the highlight. If you ever make the trip to this place get yourselves one of the specialty grantias. I got myself the Lemonie Crush and it was really refreshing. It did not last long and was soon gulped down before my mains arrived. The overall service was slow, I account this due to newness of the place and their staffing is not fully ramped up. So it was forgivable. We waited for the mains to be served and we devoured them quietly as we were starving.



Food wise, I must say I was a little disappointed to say the least. The food was pretty average and quite different from the pictures in the menu. My staff who are usually not food critics were the ones who pointed these things out as one of them said “aiya kenna cheated lah” when the actual dish arrived. The food was well presented I give it that much, as pictures do speak for themselves. Star dish was their Pissaladiere, which is their signature dish. The appetizer is an open-faced provencale tart perfectly dressed with a healthy wholesome selection of roasted capsicums, anchovies, olives and onion jam. Although I was not able to get a full bit of this because it was quite quickly polished off and I was left with the scraps, the scraps and the mixture of flavours really impressed me.



My main was the much recommended Seafood Linguine with Laksa Pesto, which is basically a fried linguine, with some seafood and laksa paste served in a stone bowl. Not very impressed lah, think the wife can do a much much better Seafood Pasta! However on another one of our appetizers, we found a rather long hair seared to the grilled chicken. I normally close one eye, when there is hair, but if it hair is gross, which in this case it was; I decided to let the waiter know. They soon apologised and replace the dish.





The online reviews raved about this place's desserts. They looked good and tasted good. However, another surprise find in the Granny Smith & Aloe Vera Crumble really sunk this place to a rather low standard. A remnant of steel wool was found and the bottom of the glass. After letting the staff know, we were given a 10% discount on the overall bill. I did not bother to kick a fuss, because I know this place is new. When paying the bill the manager apologised, and said that their desserts are done offsite and delivered to them so they will feedback to their supplier.

This kinda left me with a singular thought: Food was not too great, with the exception of the Pissaladiere. Hygiene well a long curly hair and some steel wool, ahem. Drinks are good but nothing to be overly excited about. Desserts are good but they are done offsite by a dessert supplier. So what does this place have to offer other than the Star Dish and the ability to give the “transportation to Mykonos” feel?



My thoughts came back to the name Mykii it sort reminded me of the hokkien phrase “Mai Khi” which mean “Don’t Go”.

Enuff said M

Pickled

This is a post that was concieved for long time but I would only post it once I got myself a good picture, and I think I managed to get a good one in. This bottle of pickled vegetables are a birthday gift from Shih Erh a good friend and a fellow blogger.

I was rather surprised when I recieved this because I love these sort of bottled pickled veges or fruits because they are really pretty and they unusually dress up any table. So first surprise was how she knew, cause even the wife did not know, must have been coincidence or just good taste. But I was more surprised to learn that this was indeed edible, making it even more worth while. So as we devour these pickled delights, thanks to Shhhhh for this wonderful gift.

M pickled