Yesterday afternoon, I noticed an older post was got back to the front page. And I wondered to myself, What could be missing?
Luckily for me, I could recreate that particular post, thanks to google cache. I couldnt save the older archives though. I am not able to save the comments either.
In a way, I did anticipate that something like this would happen and did backups. But interestingly enough, when I uploaded my wordpress backup, it messed up my blog with an additional 200+ categories and another 200+ duplicate posts. Was it because my posts were imported from blogger from December 2006 and earlier ?
Last night I spent several hours having to delete all the extra categories and posts. I was really agitaged. And then I thought to myself, why should I stress myself over this? So I’ll just let it go for now.
Bye bye missing posts! May you rest in peace in technoheaven above…
I was just reviewing some of the pictures that the kids from the media club has taken for their sports day. And they look great!
Thus I thought I’d share some simple tips on how to take better pictures.
For me, in photography, composition is very important. Each picture needs to tell a story. I enjoy looking at a photo and try to make out what the subject is thinking and imagine how it feels to be in that situation.
1. Focus on a subject
When there too many things going on, it makes the picture seem cluttered and impersonal. Zoom in to something that catches your eye and focus on it. Dont be afraid to move or getting closer to your subject.
Much better right?
2. Crop away unecessary distrations
But if it is impossible to move closer, take your pictures in the largest resolution possible. While in Picassa or in photoshop, cut away the distractions.
3. Try different angles
With different angle and position, you could create a bland picture, to something more interesting. If you crouched down, you could make the subject appear more omnious
And if you take a picture from an elevated angle, you could make the image appear as if you were a being, looking from above.
4. Capture the moment
Some of the best pictures arent even posed! Be in the moment and let the subject personality shine through
Finally
5. Take as many pictures as you want
Its okay to make mistakes! We’re using digital cameras anyway. Just delete the ones you dont like and have fun taking your pictures
I hope you find these tips useful. Happy photographing! 🙂
Ping.sg is a bloggers community that I’ve been with for some months now. I don’t remember exactly how I stumbled onto this website, but it is a great place for Singaporean bloggers to gain some eyeballs to their blogs as well as finding interesting posts by Singaporeans.
After much contemplating, I decided to go for the meetup last night.
The evening didn’t start very promising. My lion hair decided to puff up and while riding my scooter on the road, the sky decided to rain. I went to seek shelter at a petrol station nearby and listened amusedly to two Indian men chatting amiably together.
At long last the rain abated and I went forward to the journey.
Holland Village! It has been quite a while since I last been here. It isnt really my type of place as I was more of a heartlander, a neighbourhood person. But its a lovely place to go to. I should have brought Cartcart here.
There were heaps of well dressed people and expatriates there getting their groceries, having dinner in nice looking restaurants and people just walking about enjoying their saturday evening.
At length, I reached Essential Brew where the gathering was held. It looked very cosy. The decor was a mix of zen and homeliness. It looked like a good place to spend time with friends.
The first person I saw was Uzyn (Yes thats his real name!) as he waved at me from the room upstairs. As I entered the room, I saw Kevin, NTT and DK whom I met previously from the Nexus meet. As I sat down, I met this very sweet lady. She introduced herself as Tstar. She was very friendly! We hit it off instantly.
I was curious to see Ridz, who was sitting beside her. He was wearing the army uniform.
me : Did you just got off camp, Ridz?
ridz : Oh no, I am doing this because Tstar said that she’ll only come to this meeting if I wore my army uniform. She said she loves men in uniform. I’ve already completed my army training.
me : Ohmygosh. I cant believe you actually did that!
ridz : Yeah, too bad I couldnt find my camoflage cream for the face. I would have put that on too!
I realised later that the man who was sitting at the head of the table was Ebie, one of the owners for Essential Brew. He is a ping.sg member too! He sat with us for a while, but couldn’t stay long as it was a very busy night for him.
Clappingtree arrived shortly after. She told me that she just came from mass from her church and that she lived nearby. It was really lovely to talk to her upclose. She was very friendly, warm and very easy going. The first time I saw her was at the Nexus meet, some weeks back. But I only managed to see her from a distance away and we didn’t get a chance to talk.
Any meetup with the Ping.sg gang will bound to have a plentiful of cheerful laughter. I am always amazed at how friendly these group are. I chuckled at the jokes and conversation. The topics ranged from the Pingnation netcast that Kevin planned to host, to the spontaneous netcast that Clappingtree suggested, to my cloudy drink ( Uzyn : It’s cloudy because its going to rain ) and practically everything else under the sky.
I looked at everyones dinner. Ridz had this yummy looking fish and chips. Uzyn had a plate of cream pasta. I think Tstar had a plate of beef and she looked like she enjoyed it. I decided to have the Vegetarian Verdure Pomodoro pasta. It was pretty good. So good that Tstar and I forgot to take a picture of our dinner 😛
Kevin and NTT had to leave after dinner, due to prior engagements but shortly after, Eastcoastlife and her husband arrived. She jokingly introduced him as her boyfriend. True to as what DK mentioned, she was a charismatic and attractive lady. When she talks, her eyes sparkled and it seemed that everyone warmed up to her.
Actually, I suspected that there could be something going on with Eastcoastlife and DK. Whenever they were in the chatroom, their chatting would dominate the entire chatroom that I got disgusted by it, quite frankly.
But DK explained that he has never met her before and regarded her as his “aunt”. They were both so funny and friendly that it was hard to stay mad at them.
Ebie was so kind as to give us complimentary desserts after our dinner. Thank you Ebie! You rock! Each of us had a Panna Cotta with strawberries on top. It looked too pretty to eat. But when I started, it was so delightful to eat that I sighed when it was all gone.
We also had a plate of Ice Cream Bombe. I had to take a picture of this really quickly as everyone were eyeing on it. They couldn’t wait to devour it.
And it really was very very good. It had an entire medley of yummy treats like ice cream and lovely crunchy hazelnut bits in it. In no time at all, it was gone!
See!
It was a very lovely evening, well spent with the group. The night seemed to end too quickly and we had to say goodnight to each other. I waved goodbye to clappingtree, saw Eastcoastlife walk the opposite direction, hand in hand with her hubby, saw chilvarous Ridz accompany Tstar to the bus stop. Uzyn and DK still wanted to to have coffee though.
I had to decline as it was nearly 11 pm. My parking was only valid till 10.30pm. Clappingtree said that this was a hot spot for parking wardens. Ack! I really didn’t want to get fined!
I had a really lovely time. It was definitely a great meetup! Here is a short clip from during dessert. Enjoy 🙂
Can you imagine finding these three books at almost unused condition costs in total for about $20?
Wow right? Yeah, thats what I thought so too.
It has been a while since I’ve been to Bras Basah Complex. I used to go there some years ago while undertaking digital design course in a distant lifetime. I love this place as it has plentiful of things for people who are interested in books, design, or just looking at stuff. I used to patronise there to print for posters and name-cards designs.
I think its really worth going there. For $2.50 you could print an A3 sized poster and for $10 you could create a stack of 100 cards which are as beautiful as moo cards.
I stopped by this place on the third floor, called ‘Book Point’ where there were loads of treasures that you could find. You do need a little bit of patience as the place was rather large, and will take a while if you have a specific book to find. I was hooked for a couple of hours in the literature segment looking for some books that I wanted to read. There were some books with some scribbles in them, after all, this *was* a second hand bookshop. But most of them were almost pristine.
Exploring the rest of the floor, I found myself at ‘Art Friend‘. My gosh, this is a great place for crafts. There were so many tools for art here, I could go crazy. Everything that you could want for art is here, from painting, to pottery, to sewing, to welding to things that I don’t even know of!
I was almost inspired enough to create my own Nimmo and friends plushie. But the only thing is, that they don’t really have exactly what I want to create a decent sized plushie. I think a better place for it would be at the area near the Sultan Mosque where mum, a seamstress, gets her materials for sewing clothes.
And at length, I stopped by the fourth floor to take a peek at the famed graphic-book bookstore, Basheer. I poured for a long time over their beautiful, colourful and artistically designed books. It’s a great place to get ideas by looking at the creativity of other designers.
That was when I find myself stuck reading this book. Design Basics Index by Jim Krause. It has loads of info about composition, concept and component. Although I wasn’t a designer per-se, I thought that this book was a very fascinating read. On a whim, I decided to buy it.
But zomg. This book costs $47! It’s almost as expensive as the $60 computer book that I bought some years ago.
How come graphic and computer books are so expensive?
Anyway, do drop by Bras Basah Complex if you’re anywhere in town. It’s a great place for the creative soul 🙂
Recently, I’ve received a notification from the Land Transport Authority to renew my road tax. This task wasnt as difficult as I thought it would be – after consulting with the Vespa Club forum, I now have a better idea of how to do it.
Here are the steps on how to renew your road tax :
1. Send your vehicle for a full check up
I had my GT200 checked at Tong Aik after being recommended by a colleague. I like Tong Aik as they specialised in Vespas and they know what they are doing.
Tong Aik was professional, friendly and the prices are quite reasonable. I definitely recommend them for Vespa owners.
2. Head for your nearest Vehicle Inspection Center
Because I live in the west, I chose to go to the Vicom at Bukit Batok for my vehicle inspection. It was just a couple of minutes away from my workplace.
You’ll need to position your motorcyle along a line. There will be a person examining the alignment, the tyres, breaks, lights among other things. The entire check shouldn’t take more than 10 minutes. Once the inspection is passed, he’ll hand you a certificate. This will be used in conjunction for the road tax.
3. Renew vehicle insurance
It is a legal requirement to have insurance when owning a vehicle. I renewed both my insurance and road tax at Asphoon, where I purchased my scooter. I handed my road tax disc as well as the certificate from the vehicle inspection.
A couple of days later, you’ll get your new insurance as well as a stamped road tax disc to attach in your vehicle.
Last Sunday evening, my brother Nazry and I went to IMM for dinner when we passed by a wedding booth. They were promoting their studio. Bro stopped a while to look at the photos so I looked too.
That was when the owner came up and asked us, “Are you thinking about getting married?” I replied, “we need to think about that first …”
He asked again, “How long have you two known each other?” And bro replied, “We’ve known each other for a long long time ..”
The owner continued asking, “You’ve known each other for such a long time and you’re still thinking about getting married!”
I was amused as bro and I looked very similar. How could we possibly look like a couple? I didnt know what to reply, so I just smiled abashedly and continued to play along and asked him about the bridal packages.
It seemed quite attractive though. For an outdoor shoot with make-up and 2 choice of outfits with a 20 picture album comes up to about $1k. They even do overseas shots, complete with hotel lodgings for about $3k.
Is it worth it?
But personally for me, having taken studio shots of other people during my photography classes, sometimes I feel that some makeover studiots can be a rip off.
Juli and me wanted to set up a makeover business together for a long time now. We spent some time to hone our skills. Juli took professional make-up courses in Cosmoprof while I dabbled in photography.
In October 2005, together with our friend Geri, Juli and I decided to have a makeover session at coverlooks to see how it actually works in a studio.
I guess the experience was alright.
But to be honest, we were not too impressed about the whole deal. With no egoism intended, we both knew that we could do better.
Here are some shots during our practise sessions:
Juli’s makeup is definitely more expressive. We are both passionate about doing makeovers.
But I guess the factors that are holding us back is the cost of actually setting up a studio, the equipment and time constraints.
It would really wonderful when it takes off. We can do it, bit by bit. Baby steps.
Once upon a time, marina has just completed her diploma in computer studies. With alot of free time in her hands, she immediately agreed when a friend asked her to do relief teaching in a school nearby.
She found out that she loved it. Oh how she enjoyed teaching! How she loved talking to kids and imparting knowledge to them. Each day, she’ll find new and exciting things to do to share with her kids.
Then one day, the principal asked her to go to her office. Curious, marina stepped in gingerly where she told her that they have found a permanent teacher and they she doesnt need to report for work anymore.
marina felt as if her heart would break. She bravely smiled and said thank you and then rushed off to the toilet and bawled her head off because she already felt very attached to her kids.
After brooding despondently at home for the next 3 days, marina decided to search for a job. A more permanent job. She decided to teach IT for a secondary school and she was hired by a company to do so.
Her first job started well enough. She went to teach in schools and assisted in websites and other IT related work. But after time, her boss made her teach new things. Things she didnt want to teach. Programming!
Marina said no. She wont do it. She doesnt want to teach someone in something that she is not good at.
Soonafter she got fired.
Next, she decided to work for a private firm just to see how it goes there.
It started well enough. She went to teach businessmen and working adults. But after time, her boss made her work for longer hours. When it got to her working for 7 days a week for a month, it got to the point when marina got severely depressed.
She resigned.
Marina decided to take it slow. She became a part timer and went to teach where she is needed. When the times are good, she found out that she could earn quite abit. But when there was a period when there was no demand at all.
That was when an ex colleague asked her to work in his company.
It started well enough. For about two years, she taught students in computer applications. She helped out in the school competition. She bonded with the kids. Even when the management claimed that their funds were dwindling and effected her pay, she still pushed on because of her love for teaching.
And yet the company maligned her. Even with the support of the principal and staff to back her, she still got fired.
Angry, depressed and emotional. She made a report against the Central Provident Board. She collected evidences for legal actions. But before she started anything, the company folded.
For the longest while, marina wondered to herself about all the bad situations that she was in.
But she is a believer of fate and circumstances. Everything happens for a reason.
Now marina is working for one of the top educational portal in Singapore. Her job isnt easy and does get demanding at times. But so far, it has been one of the most fulfilling ones that she has. She gets to do the things that she loves to do, and more importantly, express herself creatively.
marina looks forward to what the future will bring.
When I was a little girl, an ustadzah told us that in our lifetime, there will be 6 people in this world who are similar to us. I think I found one person who is similar to me.
Meet Wati.
Okay, so we don’t look exactly the same. But I see some mannerisms of hers which are similar to mine. She’s funny, she’s lively and she loves photography and video.
Wati is a Singaporean Malay woman who fell in love and married to a UK guy. They recently have an adorable baby boy together and are currently living in Japan.
Wati recently dropped in my blog and being curious, I decided to peek in hers and now I’m hooked.
If reading blogs is like seeing a window through another eyes, then this is a great view! In her blog she writes about her travelling experiences, life in Japan, her updates in her pregnancy and her baby as well as other interesting things that she’s discovered.
And its such a treat to watch her videos! I find myself laughing while watching a video of her husband eating a durian and chuckled when watching her teach Malay language to her husband and cringed at the different type of ice cream flavours that they had in Japan. (Horse Meat Flavoured ice cream? Charcoal? Wasabi? Yuck!)
Such an adorable family. Do drop by World of Wati. I am sure you’ll love them just as much as I did 🙂
