Serve among us

In the many years what I've may not know about, the wardens in a church community plays a rather big part. Not just they are capable of directing any perisher to an empty seat during a church service or just collecting funds from our pockets to give the church a much comfortable place to have our prayer to be heard by Christ. In the eve of a Christmas church service, almost every wardens were called upon to do their bit. They are like the police people keeping the crowd under control and trying their best to have every believer get to have a seat for the service. The true warden duties still hidden beneath their hearts, being an usher or crowd controller but most importantly it is everything about servicing their true believe in christ and the church.

Finish your race

These morning at the Padang, it is not also about finishing a race and challenging other participants in the Standard Chartered Singapore Marathon 2007. To some, these marathon race is their life, and to most it is about an achievement in life, challenging ourselves to something that we may not be able to finish. And some day, that glory or victory will be yours when you cross that finish line.

Everyone is a winner


Keep running


Henry Wanyoike


My best friend & his wife to be


The medal

Biker

A hot Saturday afternoon. Decided to grab my camera out for some shot, and when coming to an approach to the end of the day, what caught my eye is this group of BMX biker youngsters just doing what they love most, thrill. Riding and challenging themselves to perform stunts in this concrete urban city Singapore.

The Lantern Festival

An almost lost tradition that the Chinese around the world celebrate today. Also known as called Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese shared the comment time together with their love ones.

The History
The origin of Lantern Festival dates back in the early Han Dynasty during Emperor Wu of Han's reign. Legend has it that Emperor Wu of Han had a dream of his palace being burned downed and felt that the dream was a bad omen, so he asked his subjects in his imperial court for advice the next day. Some of the subjects took the opportunity to perform a good deed for the thousands of concubines and female servants in the imperial palace who were prohibited from going home by telling the emperor that the dream was indeed a bad omen and the palace would be burnt down to the ground by deities. In order to avoid impending disaster, each female resident in the imperial palace must carry a lantern and go home, thus fooling the deities in believing there was already a fire in palace and people were fleeing, and every one would return to the palace afterwards. The emperor agreed and of course, there was no fire at the palace and the emperor credited the supposedly successful aversion of the disastrous fire with what was done, and hence he decreed the event to become a regular festival. As a result, the festival eventually became a family reunion day when it merged with other Chinese traditions of various regions in China over time, such as eating tangyuan (Simplified Chinese: 汤圆; Traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), a sweet glutinous rice dumpling served in a sugary soup, symbolizing family reunion.[1]

Traditionally, the Lantern Festival is also used to serve as a day for love and matchmaking, on which an unmarried girl was traditionally permitted to appear in public unescorted and thus be seen by eligible bachelors. It was one of the few nights in ancient times without a strict curfew. Young people were chaperoned in the streets in hopes of finding love. Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples. The brightest lanterns were symbolic of good luck and hope. As time has progressed, however, the festival no longer has such implications nowadays.

Those who do not carry lanterns often enjoy watching informal lantern parades. In addition to eating tangyuan (Simplified Chinese: 汤圆; Traditional Chinese: 湯圓; pinyin: tāngyuán), other popular activities at this festival include and guessing lantern riddles (which became part of the festival since Tang Dynasty), often messages of good fortune, family reunion, abundant harvest, prosperity and love.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lantern_Festival (Tuesday 11.10pm 2007)

Spending time with Taize

It was an interesting experience during those two hour long prayer session. I was invited by a friend to attend or spend sometime with God. At first i didn't know what does the community do or what it is all about, till they started with the prayers. Another different way to pray to God, meditation, but of cause with some readings and hymns.

The community of Taize are not just about just prayers and meditation, it is also about bringing the people from all races and religions together to pray as one unity, just like good friends hanging out together. Taize is a peacefully and yet spiritual community. My experience during the meditation just somewhat brought me closer to God again, sacrifice my own enjoyable time with the beers but instead i was invited to join this special meditative prayer community.

Treasures of memories

I couldn't exactly remember when these photos are taken, but they do bring back lots of memories. I could remember when i was that small, fun was about not today's that we have PSP, Gameboy, computer game, etc etc. But my kind of fun yesterday was no less then this present day's games. Remembering myself and a friend going to catch what they called, fighting spiders. Finding and catching them were the fun part, and not forgetting getting these eight legged creatures to battle is just another golden experience. Another game till today i sometime would play with my best friend, not sure what is the name of this game was called. It's uses a minimum of two erasers, both opponents are to battle it out by trying to over-lay their own erasers, whoever wins take home their losers eraser.

At the Singapore airport (From left, me, my mum, my aunt from HK)





At the St Mary of The Angels Church


Looking back at these photos, they all remind me some of my old friends that I've lost contact with and places that i had being and they may or may not no longer exist. Best yet, with today's 21st century technologies, i could restore each photographs back to almost their original stage.


From left (My god-pa's mum, my mum, me)


From left (Me, my god brother)



My god-pa and family


Baptism in Church Of The Risen Christ


Me got bless


A group photo


When i was older, joined the Altar Boys

Why the world needs a real Justice League

After some time watching the news on TV, countless results about war and not much about peace talks or about stopping the fight between each selfless soil in one huge silence cry. Until recently, a rather disturbing news came upon me about a small group of defenseless Christian group while on a missionary trip, now till this date they are still held hostage by the Taliban militants, and worst yet they'd already started killing the defenseless, one by one.

Sometime i would wounder what if there are really heroes amount us, real men and women with a heart like a courageous lion. If this would to happen, maybe, just maybe the world would be a little different and much safer from any terror threat. However all this imagination that all of us hope someone will save the day for us are just only happen in the movies or comic books, just like the Justice League.

In some ways, the real heroes of today maybe exist is another view. They may not be in colorful costumes with heroic poses that scares off bad guys, they are just the everyday of men and women from law enforcements, rescue workers, military specs, etc, etc. They are just only ordinary beings that either follow their superior's order or just follow what is right in their hearts to fight for. Heroes doesn't actually need to have capes to help them fight terrors but instead an old fashion calling called bravery and courage.

I guess no one really has yet to thank this life action superheroes in a real hero ceremony or parade. These men and women do deserve the glory that only comic book heroes were would overwhelm by their fans. So do you still think the world needs of a real Justice League that we only see them in the comic books? Maybe not, we already have our own, now it's up to us also to try in to continue keeping the peace and harmony with our own neighbors living among us in different colors and believes.

Through the lens

In these roll of film, i have managed to capture some of the sprite of before the Chinese Lunar New year of 2007. Every chinese house hold in Singapore will normally flog down to the famous China Town to get their last min shopping done.

Start of point (Lasalle SIA)


The night scene


Fierce bargaining


Trying a self portrait


Carefree


Business man

Time pieces

Earlier this year, i had the sudden interest in shooting on film again. In this roll of negative film which had lasted me about almost a year, always kept in my trusty camera. Once in a while i would bring this German made camera out for a walk to capture some of the most priceless moments. About a year pass-by, the final frame in this roll of film is now ready to be developed. It is all about the surprise that you may or may not know what you will capture on film or how it turns out to be.

Preparing for a play


His first cook (My cousin & aunt)



As for some, photos are just photograph that are for fun in snap shot. But others may have a different point of view, i am one of them. They are more then just any photos, but a moment capture to perfection, an event you may not ever see again, a documentary of a life that grow so fast that you may just share a tear with a photograph. As watches are called time pieces, if you care for it well enough, they will last you a life time looking the same. But not a photograph, once destroy or lack of the care this priceless time pieces maybe lost for ever.

In the play house (My nephew & niece)


Tunnel jam


In this 21st century we are living in now, photography somehow became digital, even a camera became hi-tech. Nowadays we could even restore old photographs back to new, as if they were just taken today. However, the tradition of photography seems started to vanish into the 21st century technological black hole.

Paper work


New attraction

Portrait of my world

A rainy day that brings down the mood of most who does lots of outdoor activities, i too had lost mine just today. However I didn't want to disappoint myself further in wasting the journey and my heavy camera equipment that already gives me a backache.

The ice-cream aunty


Learning point


Refreshment


The balloon sisters


A nation's rehearsal


A self portrait


Most of the photos seen here are taken today and a few weeks ago as well.

Good bye old campus

On 29th of June 2007, the old art school Lasalle-SIA at Goodman Road had now come to an end. But before the school is going to give up its life to something new, the students and the people that had brought together this old campus together, they had organize a last campus night party. They even brought back the old students and lecturers back for the event. Now the new campus is located at 1 McNally Street, just next to the famous IT mall Sim Lim Square.

After such a long break from photography and due to my busy schedule, finally i have once again enjoyed this hobby and hope to do this regularly. However brushing up my skills in composition of a subject i would hope to improve better.


Stands alone with the heat


Sun in my eye


New life


Imprisonment


Global warming