Simply Inexplicable!!!

After these few months, finally managed to get tickets to watch Joakim perform live again...

What an experience it was...

It's been about 10 years since I stepped into Mediacorp's Theatre again (the last was a charity concert back in NTU Hall 4)...

It's such a joy meeting some of my ex-Padawans who have grown taller, wider, prettier, "handsomer", smarter, more mature, cheekier etc... very nice indeed...

It's just so awesome to realise just how organised the supporters for Joakim are... Huge posters, banners, dancing monkey placards, printed T-shirts etc... all held/ worn by every of his supporter in the theatre...

And I got to hold one of his poster as well... very nice one... and if anyone would to wonder why they couldn't see me on TV, look out for Joakim's posters... I was behind one of them...

The screaming, shouting, cheering, wildness that were all around during the show was simply earth-moving... I couldn't help but join in the support... And the moment when it was announced that he's now in the top 9 was simply magical... Great fun it was :)

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I guess the only logical explanation as to why I am behaving in such a 'silly-fan' manner, supporting an SI contestant when I've never quite believed in such shows, is just very plain simple... I'm supporting a talented boy whom I've seen him grow and develop into such a fine young character who has a special place on the stage... I'm so proud of him... There need not be any other reasons why I'm supporting him...

Some of my friends and family members and people around me may scorn at my behaviour, but I don't think they quite understand what it means to me... It doesn't matter anyway... It's just plain simple and pure support for a boy whom I've always believed in...

Red Swift Pod

Read from somewhere that in the US, the car insurance premium for RED CARS is higher than cars of other colours... Reason being that statistically, the probability that the owners of RED CARS will speed, and therefore involve in accidents, and therefore cause insurance companies to receive claims, are higher...

I drive a RED SWIFT POD...

So do I have a statistically higher probable tendency to speed?

I must admit that I do enjoy taking long drives at night after work along quieter expressways/ roads... I find such drives therapeutic... Relieves me of the stress and agony of the day... Blasting my audio away and shielding myself from the outside world with the sound waves...

Back to the question of whether I have a tendency to speed... Ermmm, my pod is small... very small... how fast could it go anyway???

Ermmm... Do I really need TWO???

Bought TWO (2) copies of THE OFFICIAL SINGAPORE IDOL MAGAZINE today... It's says it's the COLLECTOR'S EDITION some more... so must be good right?

I don't usually behave like this...

But just felt that I needed to... One copy for flippin', and one copy for keepin'...

Just have to do it...

GO JOAKIM GO!!!

Solo

Redang 2003 => Solo

Sydney 2004 => Solo

New Zealand North Island 2005 => Solo

Japan 2006 => Solo
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I'm getting more and more used to travelling solo...

My pace (or lack of) and itinerary (or lack of) will irk any travelling partners should I travel with any...

I can stop for hours at a location just to observe and wait and rest and enjoy the moment and then shoot as much as I like, before I move along...

I plan my trip on the fly... I just need a broad itinerary, and I will always work out the details as I go along...

That's the way I function best... that's the way that I'll enjoy my travelling photography best... No stress of not following any plans... No stress of irking anybody else... No stress of hurrying my photo taking...

I'm not ready to travel with anyone at the moment...

Not yet...

Man in Blue, Red & Yellow...

Yes... The favourite Man of Steel in blue, red & yellow is back...

And I thought I've grown out of it...

The moment the by now famous and oh-so-familiar John Williams composed theme music came on at the start of the movie, that awe, respect, admiration, nostalgic, back-to-being-a-little-boy feelings came rushing back...

It's still the same feelings... the very first time I watched Superman I, with Christopher Reeves as the original man of steel in the movie version... Superman must have been the first English language movie I watched at the cinemas... I was still little... Parents brought me to watch it at the then President cinema (the present Balestier Cinema)... Those were the times when long movies were shown with an intermission in between... Superman, as well as Jaws, were considered long movies back then... I wonder if Lord of the Rings would be shown over 2 days if it was made then...

Superman Returns retained many nice moments from the Superman I to III... The new Superman even looks like the original Superman...

Who cares if the story is cliche and our super-hero will always win the day... Superman, compared to many other super-heroes, is the most wholesome among them all...

And our world today, DO need a Superman... a Superman who'll always be around...

Blue, Red & Yellow... All primary colours... the only colours needed to spin off all other colours we can ever imagine...

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I stayed on to listen to the entire Superman theme music again... as the credits rolled out, I saw these:
"This film is dedicated with love and respect to
Christopher Reeves and Dana Reeves."

Indeed... Christopher Reeves epitomised what Superman really is... a courageous fighter who lived on despite the horrendous paralysis... A true Man of Steel...

(EDIT: It was brought to my attention that the primary colours are not blue, red and yellow!!! See HERE for detailed explanations... Gosh... like that also can... I need Superman!!!)

Lesson with STUDENT

Met STUDENT at a photoshoot yesterday... I've always had high respect for his passion in photography and the manner in which he pursue it is simply inspiring...

He shared his journey of learning with me while we were having a break yesterday... He had his very first photography lesson with an established and well-known photograher in France a few years ago... This was what he learnt:

- the teacher brought STUDENT to a beautiful beach somewhere in France.
- the sunset was gorgeous.
- the instinctive thing a photographer would do would be to whip out his camera and start shooting the spectacular sunset.
- STUDENT almost started shooting the sunset when the teacher stopped him.
- the teacher said: if you've seen enough sunsets, all sunsets would probably look almost the same. That's not what a photographer should shoot.
- the teacher further probed STUDENT:
=> where are you now? (ans: on a beautiful beach with a spectacular sunset)
=> how do you feel? (ans: I feel that the sunset is spectacular, obviously)
=> and how does that make you feel deep down? (ans: I feel so previleged to see this sunset, coming all the way from S'pore)
=> and deeper still? (ans: and I feel that mother nature is so amazing>)
=> and? (ans: and I feel that I so small and powerless in this great big world.)
=> and? (ans: I feel lonely on this beautiful beach...)
=> Good. Use your camera now and shoot this lonliness that you are feeling now...

It's an amazing lesson that I learnt too...

Photography is not just about getting the technicalities and acquiring the best gears that money can buy... To really know photography, one must know oneself... Listen to oneself.. Know what one wants to express.. know how one feels...

Photography is expression... Expressing what one feels deep down... Expressing one's current state of mind... current state of feelings...

There is no absolutes in photography... no absolute rights... no absolute wrongs...

But shooting without reaching deep into oneself, the dimension and depth of an image will be missing... in other words, the SOUL of an image will be missing...

STUDENT's story sets me reflecting on my pursuit in photography... There's more yet to learn... More yet to discover... More of myself to know and explore...

I've leant... from a STUDENT...