Day 330 : Freez-zard

The clock on my elongated wall-desk told me it’s 9.30am when I woke up. It’s a Sunday. I loathe it that I cannot go back to sleep after I have woken. Unless I’m dead drunk the previous night, I lack the ability to sleep in on a weekend.

Tired of fighting wakefulness with cooling the room, soft music, and lavender oil in the aromatherapy burner, I dragged my dreary ass to the bathroom. What shall I do today? Okay, let’s cook a soup, lotus root soup. Sounds good. Let’s see what ingredients we have in the fridge and what I need to go market for. I converesed in my head as I brushed my teeth.

After splashing away the slumber, I proceeded to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. What I saw grossed and froze me…

Wahbiang! There’s a dead lizard in my fridge… Or is it drunk from the stash of booze huh? So skin-crawlingly gross!

Wahlau… at a loss for what to do. Better take some photos with my Casio Exilim ZR200 first as I’ve not encountered something like this before. How did this crawlie get in there? So cham… become 冰冻僵尸.

After getting all CSI with the unfortunate bugger at the location of death, I placed it on a tissue paper to take some more shots before wrapping its body in it. But as I was shooting, I noticed that the lizard twitched! Was it coming back as a zombie??

I recalled from some National Geographic docu that cold-blooded mammals such as frogs, lizards and geckos can sometimes halt their metabolism during winter and reanimate in spring. So I warmed it up with my hands.

Ta-da! The Nat Geo theory was right! It defrosted and came back to life.

This species is the Four-Clawed Gecko commonly found in homes. As its name suggests, the gecko has four digits on its front limbs, but five on its hind legs. The gecko can grow up to 12cm in length and is one of those vocal ones that can make pretty loud noises.

To help it regain mobility quicker, I stroked it for some time with my finger to accelerate its blood flow. It seemed really comfortable with me. I’ve not observed a live gecko so intimately before as they are usually high up on the ceiling and nimble on escaping capture.

I think the Four-Clawed Gecko looked so beautiful and especially cute when it licks its snout with its little tongue. So tempted was I to keep it as a pet but decided against the idea as I don’t want to end up killing this fragile thing from lack of knowledge about its care.

After it has fully recovered, I freed it by the stairwell outside my apartment. What was yuck at first sight quickly turned into a really lovely close encounter of the weird kind.

I hope it will visit me again… and stay out of the fridge this time!

Day 266 : Johnnie Walker Circuit Lounge

Panache, glamour and class roared into the Lion City with Johnnie Walker’s Circuit Lounge F1 party and I had the privilege to experience the Striding Man’s magic yet again.

Held at the Flower Dome within Singapore’s latest talk-of-the-town attraction, Gardens by the Bay, Johnnie Walker pulled out all the stops to helm yet another winner of a great F1 fringe event. Join me as we step into the exclusive world of the premium Scotch-Whiskey brand…

The air-conditioned Flower Dome is a conservatory that houses flora and vegetation from the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions of the world. Such an exotic location to hold a party!

The dudes and their pet… a sort of cat and gorilla hybrid.

Three-quarter pants were frowned upon but Anis got the pass for being fashionably put together.

This is about as close as I would get to the action of F1. Heh heh.

Let’s get the party started!

A massive constellation of small spheres created a curious focal point for the ceiling.

Johnnie Walker’s parties are renowned for bringing in superstar DJs to delight the earlobes.

Cheers to the start of a fantastic night with a refreshing cocktail called Singapore Soda. Concocted specially for the event, Singapore Soda consisted of Johnnie Walker Black Label, soda and a dash of pandan leaf essence that paid homage to our local flavour. The result is a fragrant nectar that’s soothing and addictive!

Three special cocktails coaxed guests to let their hair down and have fun. The Johnnie Yuzu Sour had a tangy, light note that would go down well with people who do not appreciate the taste of whiskey.

Walker Colada brought the tongue on a tropical holiday with a delicious blend of whiskey, coconut rum and I think pineapple juice.

Champion mixologist – Manabu Ohtake, Global World Class Winner 2011, adding a twist to enjoying whiskey.

Guests were dressed to kill and in this case, thrill! Bobby Luo and Ritz Lim adding horse power and a touch of sci-fi to the event. Our pet has been upstaged.

Our pet logging into her Facebook account. Throughout the venue were interactive photo booths where we can have our pics taken and posted directly onto our Facebook pages. Cool!

A photo we took at a booth and downloaded from my Facebook page.

Making a pledge the hi-tech way. Guests can have their photo taken and ‘sign’ their names with a laser wand to make the pact of not drinking and driving.

Guests posing for photos with F1 stars… but where are the racers?

This is my favourite booth where we get to ‘take’ a photo with F1 stars! We choose the scene, pose, and snap!

Desperately trying to be dashing.

The resulting photo. Thumbs up for the fun use of interactive media to engage and entertain.

At the stroke of midnight, a 3D projection sequence and pyro confetti marked the start of Johnnie Walker’s Gold Reserve being served. From this point onwards, the heat of the party got turned up several notches!

The little spheres on the ceiling also came alive and lit up in a rhythmic trance.

Spot the out-of-syncers.

Girl gone wild.

Kungfu duo on the dancefloor.

And I became the pet.

We were Johnnie Walkered and loved it!

Day 255 : Devour Flower

Attraction.

Like a moth to a flame, like a bee to a flower.

Addiction.

The weakness that seduces us to welcome devour.

Day 211 : Sun Chasing at Southern Ridges

Living in the urban jungle provides many conveniences but robs us of unobstructed views to admire the beautiful sky cloak at the end of every day. Unless one stays atop a west facing skyscraper, places to catch the full splendour of sunset are few and far in Singapore. And one of these few, and not so far spots to frame the dusking hues of a dusk would be at Henderson Waves.

Part of a 10km green spine that connects various parks in the southern ridge of Singapore (collectively known as the Southern Ridges trail), Henderson Waves is a 274km long pedestrian bridge that qualifies as one of my favouritest sunset destination on our tiny country-state.

Although we can’t really see the sun dipping into the horizon, the organically-shaped bridge offers an awesome vantage point to admire the colour parade as a day bids its farewell. So goaded by the recently anointed princess of nauture and adventure, I came on a photo outing and here’s the celebration of they evening’s colours…

Entrance to Marang Trail. Love the secret garden feel.

Rolling into the deep of Singapore’s manicured green fingers where even the wilderness observes obedience.

The sun batted its leafy eyelid at me.

Have I discovered Jack’s beanstalk?

Trying to e cool on a scorching hot day.

Along the way, we passed by Mount Faber that offered a smattered aerial view of Sentosa, a.k.a. Pulau Belakang Mati (Back island of Death).

‘S’ marks the spot. Stepping onto the boardwalk of Henderson Waves with Juliana’s kick-s gorilla sneakers. This gal is so full of monkey business!

Artistic, stylish and organic… Henderson Waves is paved with all-weather timber and a lot of character.

Love how the lines and curves look so dramatic in photos.

Spotted! Butterfly on the bridge bench. Or is that a caterpillar?

Keeping the photo outing light and handy with my Casio Exilim ZR200 digital compact camera.

What a great place for romance while CCTVs keep a close watch over any hanky panky.

Goodbye Sunday… Although the sunset was obscured by a tree and the hillside ti sits on, the celestial palette was delicious nonetheless. Shot with in-camera Sunset Mode to enhance the orangey warmth.

I’ve been to Henderson Waves on a few occasions but this is the first time I shot a sunset here. And I have a feeling this won’t be my last

Day 162 : Frame of Mime

Dropped by one of my favouritest rooftops in Singapore en route to dinner and filled up on the evening hues with my Casio Exilim ZR200. It wasn’t a planned visit but we were in the vicinity of Orchard Central and that Sunday’s orangey farewell was just too delicious to resist not catching some shots.

Whenever I’m here, the wireframe humanoid sculptures by artists Victor Tan and Yayoi Kusama never fail to fill me with a spur of energy and movement. And the changing sky is a perpetually evolving backdrop that fills up the hollowness of the wire men. If I’m not careful, a trance would take over me as I stare at the sculptures. They have this meditative aura that magnetises me. I feel at once wistful and wishful…

How are you wired? Suspended in mime, the empty space formed by the wires is filled with the moods of the sky, seeming to taunt our power in resisting the effects of external forces on our inner being.

Forget the Great Singapore Workout. Here’s the great camera exercise!

Stomp stump.

Bewitched by the seductive evening blushes and flamboyance.

Sunset Mode of EX-ZR200 deepens the colours of the evening palette as the wire man heads off to infinity and beyond by staying where he is. The mind is the greatest traveller.

The floating field of water hyacinths were in bloom. I’ve never seen so many hyacinths flowering at one place… Quietly spectacular.

Another camera workout : Exercising the abs. I think photography leads to a healthy lifestyle as it works the mind when you’re thinking about your shot and the body when taking the photo!

Just as pretty in black and white.

Enough of sky, wired sculptures and hyacinths. Now for some ‘fashion’ shots with the queen of queens of a thousand looks, Juliana. Check out her fashionlicious blog spunktitud3.wordpress.com. It’s a really good read with out-of-this-world dress sense and accessories!

The girl in pink had a Prometheus moment when she stumbled onto Juliana sitting on a passageway leading to the toilet. She looked so shocked, it’s hilarious. The photo doesn’t show it but she actually turned back and forth a couple of times as she struggled with not disrupting our shot. As you can see, Juliana was totally oblivious to the drama behind her.

It was a spontaneous trip to Orchard Central’s Rooftop Garden but I guess the place is so nice, any time is a good time to come by. Maybe one of these days, I shall try coming up here for a picnic. Or maybe camp overnight since access to the garden is 24/7!

Related Posts :

Orchard Central – The Art of Shopping

天长.地久.永生.

Day 153 : High on Speed

Thirty minutes was all it took to get from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to KL Sentral on the KLIA Ekspres Train, which gave my travel buddy and I enough time to jumpstart the vacation with some cranky shots.

I’ve seen and scoffed how the planking and levitating phenomena almost succeeded in replacing peace signs when posing for photos but never tried them to protest the idiocracy of putting oneself in danger of getting hurt with such exteme voguing. But we decided to give them a try.

So while other travellers were comfortably holed up on their seats anticipating the things they’ll do when being brought to KL’s city centre, we brought the fun onboard with our very first attempts at planking and levitation shots. Having done them, I now understand why they are totally addictive!

I had more planking shots taken with my HTC One X handphone but it was snatched by crooks in KL so I’m only left with these shots on my Casio Exilim ZR200. Thank goodness I took the shots with different cams!

High on speed… by car or bus, the journey from KLIA to the city centre takes around an hour or more if traffic condition is bad. With the KLIA Ekspres, it takes 28 minutes to be exact and costs RM70 (S$28.70) for a return ticket.

I call this ‘plankivating’ – planking that looks like like levitating at the same time! Not for people with fake boobs.

 

Day 146 : Terminal 21 Bangkok

Bringing the world to Bangkok takes on a whole new meaning with Terminal 21 – a gorgeous lifestyle mall with an airport theme at the heart of the city’s Sukhumvit business district.

Bangkok may have no lack of swanky, glossy malls but the toilets alone make Terminal 21 a winner and a place definitely worth checking out. Or well, in this case, checking in!

View of Terminal 21 through the open roof of Asok BTS Station.

I wouldn’t have known about Terminal 21 if not for my Thai colleague, Jan, who brought me here for lunch. The poor gal has been working so hard on some of the projects I handle that I’m compelled to treat her to a good meal.

The mall has a different country theme for each level.

From London to San Francisco all in a matter of minutes.

A colourful constellation of Turkish lamps at the Istanbul level.

Great attention to detail and synergy in decor between Terminal 21′s developer and retail tenants.

I’ve never been to Japan but it seems I’ve seen the best part here at Terminal 21. Love the abundance of set pieces to pose with.

Even the toilets are elaborately and thematically dressed up. I can’t believe this is a passageway leading to the toilet!

I didn’t need the loo but I went to almost all the toilets and loitered around to take photos. I must’ve seem weird. But I wasn’t the only one. Heh heh…

Not into stuffed toys and animals, especially at my age where being seen with something cutesy like this is vomit inducing, but this hedgehog from the shop Anee Park is just too irresistable! So I departed with 250bht and brought back a piece of Terminal 21 with me.

I’m so glad to discover Terminal 21 during this Bangkok trip. Really love the strong concept and creativity in both the mall design and eclectic merchandise offered by the shopowners.

Generally, I’m not a big fan of retail therapy and find window shopping pointless. But Terminal 21 is definitely my gateway to becoming a shopping king!

Day 132 : The Birth That Birthed Me

It’s birthday cum Mother’s Day celebrations tonight at Lai Huat Restaurant (17, Upper East Coast Road, Crescendo Building) and we had such a blast. Mum never seems to grow old and she’s such a big kid when it comes to singing birthday songs! Haha.

Words cannot express how much I love you, mum. You’ve gone through many devastating hardships but you are never defeated. Thank you for showing me inner strength, diligence, compassion, empathy and kindness towards others.

Happy birthday and thank God for you. You are forever beautiful in my eyes

Happy Mother’s Day!

The most beautiful smiles in the world are the ones that make us laugh on the inside.

Love you lots and lots and lots!

Day 106 : MacRitchie Reservoir with Casio EX-ZR200

I posted in Day 054 that the generous folks at Casio Singapore had given a set of their latest innovation in digital compact camera, the Casio Exilim ZR200 (EX-ZR200) to use and keep. Since then, I’ve been taking photos on and off with it because I’m still using the Casio Exilim ZR100 won from a blogging contest.

Right up till now, almost all the photos in the FUNicating daily shot series have been taken with either EX-ZR100 or EX-ZR200. The cameras have become my handy companions and I seldom leave home without either one of them. Although I’ve been using the EX-ZR200 for some time, abett sparingly, I haven’t actually test-driven the camera and put it to use for different shooting situations.

I had wanted to take the camera for a good shoot-out but work had been crazy busy and the weather went cranky rainy of late. So today, blessed with good weather and a release from work, I took EX-ZR200 to MacRitchie Reservoir to see how well it performs for an outdoor cum sunset shoot. And here are the photos…

MacRitchie Reservoir was completed in 1868 and was originally known as the Impounding Reservoir of Thomson Reservoir. It was renamed in 1922 when it underwent expansion works by an engineer, James MacRitchie. Shot with EX-ZR200 P Mode.

When I was younger, I used to come to MacRitchie Reservoir for jogging. The reservoir and its surrounding park looks so much better now. Shot in P Mode.

The scenic reservoir attracts many joggers as well as photographers and families. Shot in HDR Mode.

Donut chains. Testing how the place looks in black and white. Shot in P Mode.

Shot in HDR Mode and converted to black and white in Photoshop.

Shot in Best Shot (BS) Scenery Mode.

Shot in High Speed Mode.

Shot in BS Scenery Mode.

After some scenic shots, I tested the camera on floral and fauna with the Macro Mode and I must say the camera does a really great job at capturing details.

Shot in BS Macro Mode.

Under the fronds of a BIrd's Nest Fern. Shot in BS Macro Mode.

A man and his accordion filled the air with a sort of county fair flavour. Shot in P Mode.

Though his tune was light, the uncle didn't seem happy. There was no joy in his melody. Maybe he's playing the favourite tune of his wife or loved one who has passed on. Shot in P Mode.

The iconic pavilion and a zig-zag bridge of MacRitchie Reservoir. Shot in P Mode.

Shot in BS Scenery Mode.

Like my nail polish? When I came to MacRitchie Reservoir, I said a prayer for good shots and I found this little fella on my T-shirt while crossing the zig-zag bridge. Thank God for sending me this beautiful subject! Shot in BS Super Macro Mode.

This Jumping Spider is so cute! Shot in BS Super Macro Mode.

What an unforgettable encounter. After some shots, I placed it amongst some bushes even though I was so tempted to bring it home. But that would be betraying the trust the spider had on me. Shot in BS Macro Mode.

Shot in HDR Mode.

Shot in P Mode.

Shot in BS Blurred Background Mode. One of the awesome settings EX-ZR200 comes with is the Blurred Background Mode when you can achieve DSLR quality photo of a sharp subject (be it a person or item) in the foreground and blurring out the background. Absolutely luuurrrvvvveeee this feature in the camera!

Reflection of sunset. Shot in HDR Mode.

Shot in BS Sunset Mode.

Shot in BS Sunset Mode.

Shot in BS Sunset Mode.

Shot in HDR Mode.

Shot in HDR Mode.

Shot in HDR-ART Mode.

As you can see from the modes I’ve been using, P Mode and HDR Mode turn up tops (if you are unfamiliar with HDR imaging, click here to find out what it is). The camera is so intelligent, it automatically selects the mode and settings to get a great shot regardless of the shooting requirement. That’s one of the improvement EX-ZR200 have over EX-ZR100. The former activates the HDR Mode automatically so long as it detects a need for it when shooting in P Mode. With EX-ZR100, I had to turn on the HDR Mode manually.

The other feature I really like is the Blurred Background Mode. It’s really amazing to get DSLR quality effect with just a small compact camera. However, the Blurred Background Mode needs a certain technique in capturing images to get the effect. There were some photos I took in that mode but the camera wasn’t able to process it.

Apart from those features, what I also like about the EX-ZR200 is its start-up time when turning on the camera. It’s super fast!

Overall, I think the EX-ZR200 is an easy-to-use digital compact camera with good imaging capabilities and useful shooting modes pre-programmed for all kinds of photographic situations.

All photos in this post has gone through minor Photoshop post-processing such as Shadow/Highlight adjustments, Brightness and Contrast, Colour Saturation, and Sharpness. I do these to all my photos regardless of what camera I used. I consider that as make-up for the photos… just like how pretty girls can enhance their beauty further with some mascara, powder and rouge.

If you’re thinking about getting a compact camera, consider Casio Exilim ZR200. It’s a really smart gadget that idiot proofs idiot-proof cameras!

Day 054 : Casio Exilim ZR200

Thanks to the good folks at Casio Singapore, I was given a set of its latest innovation in digital compact camera - Casio Exilim EX-ZR200. The EX-ZR200 is an upgrade from the EX-ZR100 which I’ve been using all this while (in fact, all my FUNicating 2012 daily shots have been taken with it except Day 036 of the peacock) and I must say it’s a really nifty camera that packs a lot of features such as HDR, HDR-ART, High Speed Shooting, Multi-Frame SR Zoom, etc.

I’m not a technical expert in cameras, all I care about is image outcome and the EX-ZR100 gave me great results in a lot of situations and it’s simple to use. And now, in my hands, is the next evolution! I’ve yet to take it out for test shots but two of the most significant enhancements are :

1) Much Higher Speed. If EX-ZR100 is fast, ZR200 is faster still. As I turned on ZR200, I observed that the start-up time is much faster and the camera shoots at a 0.27 sec interval between shots. It also features a high speed HD Movie Mode which can record at a whooping 1,000 frames per second (fps)! Generally, our television which uses the PAL or NTSC systems only record and playback at a frame rate of 24 – 30 fps. What this means is with EX-ZR200 capturing more frames than the playback system, we can effectively slow down our video without loss of resolution. This is great for slow-mo playback of sports or action videos.

2) DSLR Quality Portraits. I think this function is going to set this compact apart from the competition. Casio has developed a original technique of blurring the background in portraits shots to achieve bokeh effect similar to photos taken by Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) cameras. Once I find a nice model, I’ll test out this function and post up pics.

I’m really excited with this new tool to experiment and play around with. Will take it out for some clicks soon!