shutterbugISm: the art of seeing

WPN lunch 03 Dec 2009

2009-12-17T01:27:00.005+08:00

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - I just realised that I looked a little like Gilbert here with my new specs :p

(click for larger image) - just a random stitched collage 1500 x 269

the poor neglected blog of mine...

2009-12-17T01:11:00.006+08:00

Wow...

I didn't realised that my last post was more than a month ago..... October and November have been just crazy with lotsa assignments coming in from all directions and in addition to that, we were also going away for our much-anticipated (and this time round, a very much needed) vacation to Japan for a good part of November for the 3rd year consecutive.

The appeal of Japan in Autumn will always be our mainstay as we can't think of any other places that we wanna spend autumn in - we had our 1st foray into Japan to celebrate our engagement in 07', took our PreWedding photos there in '08 and in our 3rd visit, we just chill (literally) and celebrate the joy of togetherness with each other. Clearly the joy were all over our faces and showed in the photos we took :)

Anyway.. lotsa post will be coming up I promised. TO start it off, here's some of the places we went to for makan after coming back to Singapore:

(click for larger image) - Wild Honey @ Mandarin Gallery

(click for larger image) - we love the cosy ambience and great selection of international breakfast food!

(click for larger image) - this portion reminded me of some cafes in Paris

(click for larger image) - Here's my Yume-chan. You will be seeing more of her on this blog and on FB :D

(click for larger image) - Ippudo lunch with Silver CRV, Wenzzz & Lil Ms Snooze
despite the hype, I still think Ichi-ran makes the best ramen I have ever eaten! Ever!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Wenzzz tried to eat Yume-chan ~.~

(click for larger image) - she loves Asahi Black :D

Reels...

2009-11-03T23:44:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image)

Just a random post to make sure this blog ain't dead.

These were the backdrop pieces for the corporate shoot this morning.... Love the light today (that was before it started raining in the afternoon)

:)

Augustine & Rachel (ROM @ Equinox)

2009-10-29T12:12:00.006+08:00

(click for larger image) -
I love the lighting for that day... it was drizzling but the diffused light makes for great portraiture

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - trying something out so yes it's on purpose :)

(click for larger image)

10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do

2009-10-26T01:59:00.000+08:00

10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do

Finally, an article that conclusively speak the gist of the job :)

Light

2009-10-11T07:50:00.001+08:00

(click for larger version)

I wonder if I should send this in for competitions....

Fly away....

2009-10-10T13:36:00.003+08:00

Just some misc shots taken during Evans & Lilian's PreBridal shoot :)

(click for larger version)

Pregnancy photography for an old friend :)

2009-10-09T13:58:00.004+08:00

I like shooting thru' the M.F camera.... sigh... thinking of changing the Kiev 88 for the Hassy 500 CM....

Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Nanie! :)

(click for larger version)

我喜欢...

2009-10-03T22:55:00.001+08:00

(click for larger version)

Evans & Lilian - Bridal Shoot 290909

2009-09-30T01:55:00.004+08:00

Just a very quick one before I crash for the night.... :)

(click for larger version)

I have shot so much the past 2 days that I'm actually having problems selecting my favorites!!

*Evans & Lilian: you guys really rock! :D

Evans & Lilian - ESession 28.09.09

2009-09-29T00:38:00.004+08:00

I always think the 6 degrees of separation notion is quite incredible :)

When I met up with Lilian who contacted me some time back for her PreWedding & Actual Day shoot, I had the surprise of my life when her husband-to-be, Evans, turned out to be my OCS mate during the Tri-Service term! And talking about coincidence, Lilian's bestie was someone I met 4 years ago while working in Comex together!

Again, like the old saying goes:"of all the gin joints in the world..." Anyway we had a blast shooting today for their ESession despite the ridiculously humid weather but we were blessed with great lighting, great company and lotsa fun! :p

(click for larger version)

Seeking simplicity

2009-09-26T01:50:00.004+08:00

Simple images speak to me best :)

(click for larger version)

Spontaneous trip to KL

2009-09-24T20:58:00.006+08:00

Some of you may have found out from Facebook or Twitter that Ms. Clover and I took a short weekend trip to K.L, just to relax and get away from things for a while. It has been a stressful period for the both of us and so with a long weekend coming up, it makes perfect excuse to go up North :)

Cheap air fares from budget airlines made traveling in the region so much easier: just click and go basically. Armed with our passports and 1 set of clothes, we headed off to explore KLCC. Not very adventurous this time coz' we just want to go away from our sunny island... only to land in rainy KL for the evening.

Trader's Hotel was our top choice due to its concept liken to G-Hotel Penang but Trader's, being more of a business hotel, lack the cosyness and funkiness of G-Hotel and the spa can't really compared to Danai Spa also.

Okie. I'm being biased here. Its a great hotel to stay in: 4 minutes to KLCC's Suria Mall, 7 mins to Pavilion KL, lovely view of the Petronas tower day and night, lovely view of the garden park in the golden triangle, the staff are professional and warm, love the interior decor of the business centre, executive lounge and the cafes... etc.

Here's some pics from the Ricoh GrD v.1 to share:

(click for larger version) - Petronas Towers @ Dusk

(click for larger version) - The night view from the hotel room

(click for larger version)

(click for larger version) - Lounge chair in the room

(click for larger version) - Breakfast with a great view :)

(click for larger version)

(click for larger version) - Love the Business Center

(click for larger version) - Piggy Paus @ Dragon-i restaurant in Pavilion Shopping Centre

(click for larger version) - TWG cafe... really value-for-money English Afternoon Tea

(click for larger version) - Ms Clover took this.. I like :)

(click for larger version) - Reflecting who we are.

WPN.sg Workshop on 18 Sept 2009

2009-09-24T20:38:00.005+08:00

The WPN workshop was successfully concluded that Friday night @ the scenic Hort Park's function room where we shared on the business viewpoint of wedding photography.

A very good exchange of ideas & queries although it was time-tight to try to impart the details of some of the very important aspects within 45 mins. But nevertheless, we raised an awareness for the participants that in business, you have to look more into the details than to skim along the surfaces in order to build and sustain the model till the desired end result.

Anyway enough rumbling from me. Many thanks to the WPN team, namely George, Yu Hsin, KC and the rest of the gang for the concerted effort in making our 1st workshop a general success!

Following are photos courtesy of Gilbert of 9 Frames, love the M8 :D -

I took a chance also to snap some quick photos here - Click to jump to FB album

Untitled

2009-09-14T20:55:00.003+08:00

(click for larger image)

Plug for PUPSIK STUDIO - sale sale sale!!

2009-09-09T06:28:00.005+08:00

Here's a quick plug for my wonderfully creative friend, Su Ling, owner of the online baby store Pupsik Studio (& author of the blogs: Laissezfaire Design & Pupsik Studio) on some of the enticing promotions they are having in the Pupsik Studio online store now!

(Click for larger format - an article on Su Ling in Home & Decor Mag issn Jun 2009)

a) Pettiskirts by Princess Ratbag - click here for link

Pupsik Studio is currently doing a MEGASALE on some of the designs that will be discontinued (or while stocks last) so hop over to http://www.pupsikstudio.com/catalog.php?sale=yes and click YES!

u.p: $ 89.90. NOW : $ 65.00!

and the deal gets sweeter!

b) Special Promotion when you quote EYEDEAS!

Yupz! For all other regular priced item by Princess Ratbag (including tops, dresses etc), Pupsik Studio will be happy to offer a 10% discount to the readers/wedding clients of this blog for the month of Sept 2009!

All you have to do is to include a comment at the check-out that you got to know about Pupsik Studio through this blog or quote "EYEDEAS" and you will be entitled to a 10% discount on the order you have placed on the Pupsik Studio online store!

If you are not sure how to go about placing an order, all you have to do is email Su Ling at hello@pupsikstudio.com on your queries! It's that simple! :)

So looking for that special gift for your nieces or even for a different outlook for your flower girls in your wedding?

Pop over to Pupsik Studio's online shop and check out the merchandise today!!

WPN.sg presents : The Business of Wedding Photography seminar

2009-09-09T05:53:00.005+08:00

Come and share in our experiences of being in the Singapore Wedding Photography scene this coming 18th September 2009 @ Hort Park!

Join us WPN photographers in this exchange of how to bring your passion to a new height in business.

Registration : workshop@aphotostory.com (email)
Fees : SGD$ 100.00
Time : 07:00pm - 10:00pm
Place : Hort Park

Time to start blogging!

2009-08-18T11:11:00.007+08:00

Finally, the blogger interface is fixed... thanks to a link given by TonesOfPink! Apparently Singnet's proxy is the culprit *grrrrr...* but it's okie... as long as I can start blogging again...

Nope, I've not gone to Timbuktu and lost contact with the world (still Twittering and FBing) but this little proxy thingy set me back for quite sometime till Jojo came to the rescue!

So here's a backdated one from the recent trip to Penang's G-Hotel:

It was a short trip over the weekend to get away from Singapore for a while... tix were bought like very early this year from TigerAir for S$0.00 so we made the best use of the cheap airfare to revisit some of our fav. haunts in Penang + some more recommendations from friends!

We decided to stay in G-Hotel this time round due to the fact that we couldn't get a single booking at our old favourite Northam All Suites over that particular weekend as it coincided with the Penang Run as well as Heritage Weekend so most hotels were full. Why G-Hotel was spared the bursting room demand.. no idea but I think cost is one. We couldn't get a normal deluxe room so we had to up the budget to the Executive rooms which we had no regrets upon reaching the establishment.

Totally worth the money spent! More pics here !

(click for larger image)

No updates on this blog due to.....

2009-08-18T09:08:00.000+08:00

So sorry for the 'radio-silence' on this blog... since the last post, Blogger.com has been giving me a lot of problems with the posting page in gibberish..

No ideas why it's like that but I hope to shift over to the Wordpress blog very soon... it's just terrible that it has to be this way after so long with Blogger.com
Meantime you can still find me on Facebook and Twitter :)

Stay tuned! :)

Humid Sunday but great weather.. I can't complain...

2009-08-05T00:09:00.006+08:00

Blogger.com had been giving me a bit of problem the last 2 days when I tried to post something... but finally on a Wed morning, it's resolved and I'm back to blogging normally again. Anyway, hopefully this will not happen again when I move over to my new blog that's in the works still.

So... what I'm going to blog about since I have been really blogging less frequently due to my latest fascination with the 140 characters of micro-blogging a.k.a Twitter..... I think I tweet faster than I answer smses sometimes:P

Shot a wedding on Sunday... very humid day and an early start for me. I love morning weddings, don't get me wrong, the light's pretty and not that intense as the afternoon but sometimes my body refuse to cooperate with my mind and I suffer from insomnia at nights so I really kinda get stoned in the day.

Okie, about Max & Kris's wedding.. Kris is a very close friend of Jojo, godmum to Jojo's daughter and bridesmaid of honor as well. Now Jojo is married to Nic (whom I shot their PreWedding as well as their wedding a few years back) and (it's gets a little lengthy) Nic is the younger bro of *drum roll*... Silver_CRV! Ta-da!! hahaha... :D

It's wonderful shooting for friends of friends so here's some quik previews:

(click for larger image)
Max drives a huge truck... love it! It's the kick-arse monster truck kind.. woo hoo!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Republic of Singapore Yacht Club (RSYC)

Just a random insert:

2009-08-01T00:29:00.003+08:00

This article got it all... it's something that I would definitely encourage people to read up on. It's not just in the field of photography but it applies to various fields of work as well.

I'm always amazed that some people I talked to think that photography is something that is extremely easy to do, earns you sh*tloads of moolas and thus able afford all the luxuries of the world.... :)

If you come to think of it.. it's "just pressing that shutter button" on your big arse dSLR with your expensive looking lenses and viola! an awardwinning photo. *raised eyebrows here*

That's akin to telling the doctor or consultant that for a less-than-5-mins of consultation, I have to pay X amount of money for things I already know from common sense!

Of coz I don't expect anyone to understand the business unless you are in the business itself but this article really put a lot of things into perspective and yes, there's a lot of elements we look into, not just those mentioned.

Maybe we photographers made it look too easy :p

The Wonderful World of Wedding Photography

Month of Editing.....

2009-07-15T04:46:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image) - Just a little something to start off :)

I have uploaded a small selection of Baby Bernice's pics in my Fotologue Gallery also :D

Since I'm up @ 3.30am....

2009-07-03T04:50:00.010+08:00

** wanted to post this last night but Blogger.com seems to be malfunctioning in terms of uploading the individual pics so I'm linking it to an awesome FLASH-based online gallery **

might as well post some photos....

while editing Tehpeng & lil' Nat's photos taken about 2 weeks back, I had the opportunity to reflect upon the relationship between a child and a father. It's not so often when you stop to think about the r/s you have with your dad coz we see him everyday and it sorta of slipped our mind and continue to busy ourselves with our daily lives.

From the photos, the look of pride and love from a father to his child often eludes us coz we, as children, tend to take their presence for granted. My dad was a disciplinarian when I was young (as well as my mum) who believed the rod is the only way to get things right. So thru' the rod, I (my brothers never got spanked so you know I'm always the trouble-maker) grew up with a love-hate relationship with my dad whose silent composure made me always wonder what is he thinking about.

I remembered a situation only a year plus back when I had fallen terribly ill and was rather weak to even climb out of bed to get dinner. I called my dad to help me buy some food and medication and the next thing you know, he was back with a bowl of hot beehoon soup with bittergourd and flu medications despite him being somewhere else on the island ferrying passengers. He didn't spoke much as of most typical Asian fathers but his gestures are enough to let me know he cares and he cares in his own ways :)

Anyway I digressed. Here's the pics to share:

http://fotologue.jp/ron-eyedeas/

-- spaces --

2009-07-01T01:19:00.003+08:00

(click for larger image)

"hallo.. :)"

2009-07-01T01:06:00.003+08:00

I was invited last weekend to shoot a short family session for a close friend of mine since Army days and what do you know.... their little daughter has grown up so much! I last saw her when she was 8 months plus and now, she is a bouncy, sprightly princess of 2 y.o plus!

Have to admit I'm getting old :(

She is just so adorable and really photogenic!

(click for larger image)

Twitter-ed

2009-06-24T07:49:00.002+08:00

http://TWITTER.com/EYE_DEAS

Yeah... I have caught on the craze of Twittering with the Twitters all around.... so if you are on it, just Follow Me :D

Daddy's Day... :)

2009-06-20T23:20:00.004+08:00

It was a Saturday of great food and great company with Yveon & S.CRVs :)
As it is Father's Day on Sunday 21st June, we took the opportunity to shoot a little Father-Son shots for both families.

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - The Daddys and their Kiddos

(click for larger image) - The families

Making ni-tamago...

2009-06-18T20:56:00.007+08:00

I guess it was one of those nights when we wanted to try our hands on making some of our favorite food and we decided to go cruise the supermarket for something simple to make.

From a simple shabu-shabu beef asparagus wrap idea, we headed down to the eggs section when suddenly, we hit upon an inspiration of making the ni-tamago which we both love. Ni-Tamago is basically a sauce-seasoned boiled egg that has nice firm whites with a runny center which accompanies your bowl of ramen in most authentic Japanese ramen restaurants.

In fact, I also remembered Vinc, C, Jean and I had an 'indepth' discussion on how to make it on the day of their pre-wedding shoot.. heheheh....

So we bought like 14 eggs (10 medium + 4 large) to go home and experiment. Thankfully, the recipes and techniques are no lacking on the internet but I remembered ChubbyHubby's version and went on to experiment with his technique while I also did another version of my own to see if there's a difference.

Our 1st 3 attempts were failures coz we tried different volumes of water, different cooking timings as well as overcooking... and using chubby hubby's method, we also managed to end up with Onsen Tamago after 18-20 minutes.

The trick is the timing and the method which you cook the eggs. CH used a slow-cook method which yields an even texture throughout the whites of the egg while my method is flash-boil cooking which yields a slightly firmer exterior (which is great for removing the shell later on).

(click for larger pic)

Basically the methods are pretty similiar but here's my flash-boil variation:

a) Bring to boil about 4-5 cups of water (enough to cover the eggs)
b) When the water's bubbling away, lower the eggs into the water gently to prevent cracking them on impact
c) Cook for 5 - 6 mins (medium eggs), 7 - 7.5 mins (larger eggs) on high heat
d) Prep an ice bath (volume enough to cover the eggs totally)
e) Once the cooking time is up, just scoop the eggs up and dump them gently into the icebath to stop the cooking process
f) Ice the eggs for about 3 - 4 hours while you prep the seasoning sauce.
g) Gently peel off the shell of the eggs before steeping them into the sauce and leave them in the fridge for at least 4 - 6 hours. I left them for 24 hours actually) - the longer you steep them, the better the taste :D
h) When ready to eat, leave the eggs to room temperature (you can also heat it slightly in the microwave but dun cut the egg open 1st and then add to your rice/ noodles/ etc

Sauce:

a) Combine Japanese Dashi sauce (in accordance to how many eggs you have) with 4 tbs of Teriyaki sauce, 1-2 ts of Mirin, 2-3 tbs of sugar, water to dilute the mixture a bit and 8-10 slices of old ginger. (I actually used Tempura sauce coz I can't find Dashi)
b) Bring the whole mixture to boil and set aside to cool
c) Transfer the sauce to a deep bowl to immerse the eggs for the next 4- 6 hours or more

Try it out and let me know if it works for you!

Untitled

2009-06-14T04:10:00.003+08:00

(click for larger image)

One of those days...

2009-06-13T21:25:00.001+08:00

(click for larger image)

Can't resist...

2009-06-12T14:51:00.003+08:00

... from posting some shots from the session yesterday but after much control...

here's 2 quikedits to share :p -

(click for larger image)

Some details from the shoot today...

2009-06-12T02:42:00.003+08:00

It was a good day... great weather with the last bit being unpredictable in the evening as we were hoping for a late sunset but since it decided to be overcast, we switched to shootin a little differently.

Vinc & C were absolutely great... guess last week's warm-up shoot helped in loosening them up for the shoot day. As the bride has requested not to post any shots of them... yet... I will just put up some detail shots for now... :D

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) -
Jean, close friend of C's, was around to help out with today's shoot. Without her help, some of this evening's shots weren't possible at all so thank you Jean!! :D

Random foliages

2009-06-12T02:37:00.005+08:00

Just some random shots of the little abundance of plant life taken midway the PreWedding shoot of Vinc & C :D

(click for larger image)

ISO 1600

2009-06-07T14:16:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image)

Back to basics....

2009-06-07T13:58:00.003+08:00

It's always amazing how we are connected by 6 degrees of separation...

Vinc has been my Army colleague in the NSF days serving in the same Bn abeit different companies but a full circle came about when his lovely fiancee contacted me about doing her Pre-Wedding shoot.

At that point in time, I haven't the slightest idea that Vinc was her fiance so imagine the surprise when the both of them stepped in through the door on the day of our appointment and the rest was history. We caught up with each other's lives and talked about the shared experiences when serving in the Army, the funny stories and the colleagues we haven't seen for the longest time. In fact, after that meeting, we organised a gathering of sorts later on to reunite the old Armyheads in our batch of officers who served during the same period.

Anyway, back to the topic.. we had a great day of recce yesterday although the weather was excruciating warm but nothing beats great company, good fun and great foodie outing! Starting off with B&J's ice cream, we proceeded to Sunset Bar & Grill for their Level 6 buffalo wings (1st time for Vinc and it's a really funny sight to see him steaming from the spiciness), a very nice dinner @ Prive Bakery and then ended the day with yummz ice cream from 7th Heaven :p

C, apparently, is an ice cream fan whose sweet tooth will definitely divert the mosquitoes' attention from us when we shoot the actual PreWedding next week.. heeheehee... ;p

So here's some quik edits from yesterday... the light in the evening these days is just awesome...

(click for larger image)

No idea why....

2009-06-05T00:53:00.002+08:00

I've been feeling down.... something is weighing heavy at the back of my mind but I don't know what exactly... which is kinda causing bouts of unscheduled mood swings, nagging headaches and mild depression...

sigh....

Waking the next day....

2009-05-29T15:24:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Captain Jet @ Lebua... :p

DREAMing in Bangkok...

2009-05-29T02:55:00.005+08:00

A short update from the Land of Smiles as we made our escape to Bangkok this morning. Nothing much to our itinerary (in fact, there's no plans at all!) - just go where our feet and eyes take us :)

We decided to check out a new hotel in the Sukhumvit area called DREAM Bangkok which didn't really impress us that much as from the website but the interiors are starkly decorated with nice clean lines, very nice services, good room pricing and pretty near the BTS/ MRT station. Apart from that, it's a little like the boutique hotel, Cosmos, in HongKong.

I didn't take any interiors of the room coz we crashed almost immediately upon reaching the hotel... Too little sleep the night before and too short of a flight to sleep on the plane which was exceptionally uncomfortable with a bunch of overly excited youths and their b*tching about some classmates' plight.... but the place is comfortable overall, room service food was good and best of all, ample space to even include a L-shaped sofa as seen on their website. Shot the following with the Canon 5Dmk2 to test out the high ISO response... so far, Loving It!

Anyway, here's some pics to share:

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - They have 2 buildings so this is the main one - shot this on ISO 6400 and the image is darn clean.

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Spinach risotto with Sea Bass fillet from room service

(click for larger image) - New York burger : grilled Angus beef served with aged cheddar and wedges

(click for larger image) - Love how the 5D2 allows clean night shots with intel ambience support :p

Well, we are looking forward to going back to staying at Lebua @ State Tower tomorrow after first visiting it in 2006 :D

Cool....

2009-05-27T22:04:00.001+08:00

Funky Drummer from Rudy Vasquez Jr on Vimeo.

Indiana Cafe @ Cottesloe Beach

2009-05-25T23:53:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image) - the last bit of sunset on the beautiful Cottesloe Beach...

Randoms again...

2009-05-25T08:56:00.006+08:00

This blog is going to grow cobwebs already... So sorry for no updates in a long time. It has been a crazy month of May with so many things going around.... but here's something to fill in the void before the massive updates starting next week...

Anyway here's some more randoms from S & A's Perth PreWedding shoot :D

(click for larger image) - The famous Crawley Boatshed

(click for larger image) - The weekend quartet at Subiaco...

(click for larger image) - Love the space.. love the space... juz loving the space :D

(click for larger image) - Love & miss the lighting & cool weather in Perth...

(click for larger image) - They came in Peace... so I photographed them :p

the big 3-0....

2009-05-16T02:59:00.008+08:00

A pleasant surprise was hatched in a shroud of secrecy complete with radio silence, secret code names and a whole bunch of people whom have come together to give this ole' bug a wonderful surprise @ Pasta Inc tonight :D

Given that I turn 30 only on next weekday Wed, the close friends have been in cahoots with Ms Clover (since last week apparently) in arranging a celebration at the lovely Pasta Inc restaurant tonight where the order of the dinner was lovely Italian Pastas, delicious appetizers, sweet desserts, great wine and most of all, being in the fantabulous company of the people that are close to our hearts :) Of coz, an ad-hoc KTV & rounds of Victoria Bitters @ Sharky's ended the night perfectly...

Ms Clover has really outdone herself this time with this surprise party coz she hid it rather well from the prying mind of this kaypo shutterbug who kinda sensed something was going on but half clueless as to what exactly has been planned. The details were mind-boogling so to speak b'coz of all the coordinations she have to arrange but I have to admit, she's really good in looking quite nonchalant while making sure everything is going as planned.

The only clues I had were her odd insistence of having dinner somewhere near town (we hate to go squeeze with the weekend crowd unless necessary) and her dressing-up to go cheong Mustafa afters today. The question on my mind is when but as to what and how... hehehe... I already have some clues....

Meeting everyone @ the restaurant was a feeling of comfort and loved coz I really missed spending time with them and they are the people that are of paramount importance to who I am today. Hahaha... so was it a surprise then? Nah... but it wasn't important compared to being able to spend time with and being in the presence of these friends Ms Clover and I have placed very close to our hearts.

Thank you, my dearest friends, for a wonderful celebration and for your generous & thoughtful gifts tonight!

Reflecting on the question of turning 30 this year, I would have to say that life still goes on but in the past 29 years of my life, I have experienced nothing but blessings upon blessings... yes there are always trying times and times when I'm defeated to the core and lost all motivations to stand up and soldier on but I wanna give thanks to God for seeing me through those times, for sending me selfless friends and aid in my times of need, to give me the words and actions to push me onwards to who and what I am today.

30 is just a number. What counts is who are you inside.

Lastly, to my beautiful Ms Clover.... thank you for organizing this surprise celebration. Even though I have suspected something already but I know from experience not to burst the bubble until it was fully formed :p but still, what touched me more is how you managed to organise and pull this dinner off despite being very busy @ work and having other commitments to boot. Thank you very much darling :D

Will update this entry with photos when the rest have posted :p

*in ref to this blog post earlier, the Canon 5D mk2 miniature has actually became the REAL THING, courtesy of Ms Clover :D I'm highly favored and greatly blessed! *

-------------- Update: 17 / 05 / 09 ---------------

(Pic courtesy of Silver-CRV)

Here's the coverages by Lil' Snooze & Silver-CRV :D

Some randoms of Perth...

2009-05-08T09:42:00.003+08:00

(click for larger image) - the place for the famous fish & chips?

(click for larger image) - Encountered alot of gulls....

(click for larger image) - Little Creature's pale ale and chilli mussels rox!

(click for larger image) - Skyline of Perth City from the foreshore

(click for larger image) - fell in love with Point Walter Jetty point

(click for larger image) - I so agree! :D

The adorable Noah in Perth....

2009-05-07T18:34:00.005+08:00

It was quite a coincidence that the Ongs were in Perth the same time I was and thru Facebook, we arranged a casual afternoon meet-up in London Court along Murray Shopping street in the city for some catching-up and coffee :D It's always nice to meet up with friends when overseas!

Since I was carrying my camera gears along, I can't miss out on the opportunity of capturing Noah who is really adorable with his big eyes and lovely smile!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - playing with his fav. toy of the moment

(click for larger image) - no idea why but I love this funny expression of his!

S & A in Perth... :)

2009-05-02T23:43:00.004+08:00

Updating this from Mac'kers (Mac'Donald's) near the apartment I stayed in... The weather here in Perth is really cool (litterally) and very clear... Practically can keep shooting till batteries run dry and still you get inspired by every nook and corner in and around Perth.

Have been travelling here and there with S & A, shooting a warm-up shoot on Fri and then their formals on Sat... it was fun and funnily, not the least bit tiring coz the weather has been great!

Anyway, here's some quikedits to share but I'm not very sure if they reflect the right tonal range as I edited them on my uncalibrated MBPro but what the heck, weather's good, everything go!

(click for larger image)

Basically shot a lot of images.. will be arranging to meet up with the Ong family and little Noah when they get here for their short getaway on Monday! :D Meantime, I'm just nua-ing ....

Back to Reality....

2009-04-29T18:48:00.002+08:00

Blogging this from Changi Airport Departure gate while waiting for Princess Antz and her beau... I'm totally bushed and sun-burnt, down with a bad throat due to shouting too much but hey, I clocked another high key (5th year liao!)

Anyway, will be boarding soon so just an entry to say hi and bye!

Ron is seeing green....

2009-04-21T22:22:00.003+08:00

Dear friends and couples who emailed me on your wedding enquires,

currently I'm donning the SAF greens (ie: RESERVIST) and exploring the barren landscape of Singapore training grounds from 20th April 2009 to 29th April 2009 and flying off to Perth for a PreWedding shoot from the 29th April's evening to the 7th May 2009.

So the replies to your enquires and emails will be a little slower than usual during this period. Do allow me some time to get back to you all on your queries yeah? :)

Hates wearing green,

Ron ^.^

EyeDeas Photography

Beautifully imperfect...

2009-04-10T12:04:00.001+08:00

A very simple but extremely touching 3min TVC. Kudos to Yasmin Ahmad!

Canon 5D mk II...

2009-04-10T11:01:00.004+08:00

Bought!

(click for larger image 1000 x 369 px)

The miniature version that is... :D

It's actually a very cute 2GB thumbdrive.

First saw it on WS's blog then on ieatishootipost.sg's post so I took yesterday off and went down to Canon Link in Vivocity to grab 2 of these cute pieces. That added to my other Canon miniature collectable of the EF 600 f4L on a 1Ds body (30 million EF lenses production 1987 - 2006 commemorative)... heehee... I'm a sucker for such friv0lous stuff :p

But I'm still seriously contemplating getting the 5D mkII later half of this year *evil grin*

Juz 2 images

2009-04-10T10:16:00.002+08:00

(click for larger image) - details & gestures that I like

(click for larger image) - this shot just cracks me up :D

The month of April...

2009-04-10T09:22:00.002+08:00

the lazy blogger finally gotten his arse (more like fingers) moving to blog after a small period of 'radio silence' since late March...

Some friends have been asking where on earth have I disappeared to... well... sorry to disappoint peeps, it's nowhere actually. I have been 'lurking' around reading everyone's updates on my growing list of blogs to read so that I'm not out of touch, just that I have been feeling a bit lazy to reply or comment or just blog about my day which can be darn boring.

I mean if I were to blog about my typical day... it will look something like this:

Typical routine:
7.30 am - Woke up and done all the toilet necessities.
8.00 am - Turn on computer.
9.15 am - Finish reading the online news from CNN, AsiaOne, StraitTimes Online and CNA at the same time, eating breakfast.
9.30 am - Work and stoned for inspiration
1.00 pm - Lunch
1.30 pm - Work and stoned for inspiration
7.00 pm - Dinner
8.00 pm - Work and stoned for inspiration
2.00 am - Sleep and the cycle starts again tomorrow.

But I digressed. April is a busy month for me coz of a shorten working dateline as I will be going for my reservist high key training starting 20th till end of April and I'm not exactly enthusiastic about it coz it's really disruptive to my schedule as well as the mounted responsibility this time round.

Worst is when I have to leave for Perth on the 29th's evening so I have to pass the baton to my 2IC to hold the fort on the last day of an Outfield Exercise. Not a very good start as OC of a company. Sigh.... I was just sharing with Ms Clover on the stress of assuming command coz I'm really happy to play 2nd fiddle as 2IC (which was my previous and designated appointment) but as my OC has formally been drafted off to other pastures, the Bn has decided to move me up :(
Not good...

Anyway... I'm looking forward to great weather and of coz, great pics of the Poop-flinging S & his Princess A (that's another story)'s Prewedding shoot in Perth. As they both have lived there extensively during their uni days, it will be a joy and eye-opener as they show me around the city and the outskirts.

Will update sporadically on the blog this month but regular blogging will resume in May :D

Till then! :D

Sweet basil..... :D

2009-04-07T15:36:00.001+08:00

read this from Imp's blog post:

You Are Basil

You are a mild mannered person. People feel naturally calm around you.

You are warm hearted and loving. You have a close knit circle of friends and family.

You have the courage to be who you are in life, even if others disagree. You're proud of your uniqueness.

You are good at caring for and healing others. You are naturally soothing.

What Herb Are You?

Email is up and alive :)

2009-03-27T12:31:00.002+08:00

Dear clients and friends,

The official EyeDeas email is up and running again, many thanks to the Chief IT officer, tehpeng, and the support people at Vodien.
Sigh... Time to clear emails and apologize for the late replies....

Quick announcement from EyeDeas Photography

2009-03-27T00:40:00.004+08:00

Dear clients and friends,

Please note that my EyeDeas email (ron@eye-deas.com) is down at the moment and I'm in the midst of rectifying it with my chief IT officer :D

Kindly email me if you have any enquiry to my temp email acct: ron.eyedeas@gmail.com
Will revert back when the official email is back online.

So sorry for the inconveniences!

Here's wishing everyone TGIF and a great weekend ahead!

Ron :)

~~~~~~~~~ edited on 27 Mar 2009, 12:34pm ~~~~~~~~~~

My main email acct is up and running again :)

A little peek.... ;p

2009-03-23T06:59:00.006+08:00

Actually I have the RAW files which Ead shot of us in Japan for some time already but never really got down to looking thru' them in details and when I did, they are so full of memories and it truly recorded us in that frame in time... That's the power of photography and that's coming from a wedding photographer himself as well as from Ms Clover herself (thanks Ead! :D)

So I did a little quick selection of the shots that caught my eyes and put them up here. The DI is minimal so credits to Eadwine Lay of Plush Photography :)

(click for larger image)

Brian McKnight

2009-03-21T16:34:00.002+08:00

This song's really a classic to kids who grew up in the 80's and early 90's (yeah.. I'm old already...)
And the way he rendered this song... breathtaking! I love his voice....

2009-03-20T02:40:00.002+08:00

I'm not an idealist in romance... but I believe in chance encounters. The odds are indeed staggering if you really think about how 2 persons of different backgrounds can meet, fall in love and be united as one.

If not for that little plucky courage to send an innocent sms to Ms Clover 8 years back in Mar 2001 that started it all, I wouldn't have met the woman who later then became my best friend, soulmate and wife.

So let this youtube clip inspire you.... :) I was smiling and truly touched while watching it.

Cherry Blossoms: Hanami - A Film by Doris Dorrie

2009-03-09T20:47:00.006+08:00

An appropriate time coz it's the cherry blossoms season in Japan now :)

Lovely film about life, beauty and love... read more here
Apple Trailer link - here

Battle of Salads....

2009-03-09T19:53:00.004+08:00

We are an odd pair... :)

When Ms Clover wanted to do a salad for dinner to bring to work (she is on shift tonight), I decided to pitch in but we have very different ideas of how the salad should turn out and so, we decided to make it a competition using the same main ingredients and do a Salad-2 ways.

The main ingredients consist of Baby Spinach, pan-seared chicken breast & Yellow bell peppers. No time limit and we can use any spices or methods to achieve the end results.

Ms Clover did a warm salad using a Bacon + Sherry vinaigrette toss while I went for the healthier Mediterranean-style salad that uses flavoured olive oil and sauteed bell peppers with spices.

(click for larger image) - My version

(click for larger image) - Ms Clover's version

No winners yet coz I liked them both :D

For anyone who's interested, here's my recipe for the Mediterranean-style salad:

Ingredients -

~ Baby Spinach leaves
~ 1/2 to 1x Middle size Bell pepper (yellow or red), de-seed & cut to thin strips
~ 1 piece of Chicken breast, sliced to bite size
~ Fresh basil leaves (about 3 will do), chopped finely
~ French Sea salt + freshly grinded Pepper to taste
~ Basil & Sundried tomato flavoured Olive Oil
~ Lemon juice (adjust to taste)
~ Lemon zest
~ pinch of thyme (dried or fresh is fine)

Cooking -

~ season chicken pieces with a bit of shoyu (soya sauce) or teriyaki sauce, sugar & freshly grind pepper
~ Saute the bell pepper strips with a bit of sea salt and sugar without oil and then add a pinch of Thyme.
~ Pan sear the chicken pieces after seasoning. You can have it a little charred on the surface if you like. No need for oil, just a good non-stick pan will do fine.

Combine the Bell pepper strips, Baby spinach, chopped Basil leaves into salad bowl. Drizzle the flavoured Olive oil over them and toss the combination till even. Squeeze lemon juice over (adjust to your liking) and add sea salt and pepper to taste. Toss the combi one more time to even out the dressing.
You can also add the chicken in at this stage or leave till later.

Serving:

Just before serving, you can add the chicken pieces on top and grate some lemon zest over :)

Visit to Tatsuya...

2009-03-08T23:17:00.007+08:00

...left us both gasping for more... ^.^ from the moment we stepped into the restaurant, the familiar smell of being in Japan hit our nostalgia glands and instantly, we were transported back to the delicious eateries in Osaka and Tokyo... apart from the mix of Japanese/ English spoken by the staff, we were mesmerised totally by the magic of this place.

I have always wanted to come try the food here after reading Imp's gastronomical accounts of the delicious authentic Japanese food here... and decided to bring Ms Clover for a little Omakase meal on Saturday evening. The presentation of the food, the freshness of the sashimi (okie, it's still not as fresh as we expected coz we had super fresh sashimi from Tsuikiji Market before but this is really the closest we can get to getting top-notch Japanese food) and the service quality of the staff.

I'll just let the pics from the Ricoh GrD whet your appetite a bit:

(click for larger image) - The Sushi Bar

(click for larger image) - The feeling of eating in the sushi bar in Osaka all came flooding back :)

(click for larger image) - Starter: seasoned eel strips

(click for larger image) - Sashimi moriawase : OTORO!!!

(click for larger image) - Bamboo clam in Misomayo.. HEAVENLY!!

(click for larger image) - Tempura Yam in prawn broth and a Sakura petal

(click for larger image) - Shio Grilled Rockfish with grated yam

(click for larger image) - Otoro with plum nigiri (Aburi)

(click for larger image) - Mentaiko Ebi with Cavier (nuff said.. I floated to Cloud 7 on this)

(click for larger image) - Seared Scallop with Foie Gras and Sesame Sauce
(another winner in our book!)

(click for larger image) - Uni sushi
*I know I once mentioned that I will NEVER touch Uni (Sea Urchin) or Wasabi in Singapore but I just have to try it here and it certainly didn't disappoint although seriously, I can still taste the difference in freshness. At least, I'm comforted that they have freshly grated wasabi which complimented the entire meal :)

(click for larger image) - Grilled Anago Eel Zushi

(click for larger image) - Dessert of Strawberry and Japanese Melon (sweetness beyond words!)

(click for larger image) - Chef Watanabe

The experience left us wanting more and of coz, a much lighter wallet but I must say, it's all worth the experience! We will definitely return for the lunch bentos as well!

* got an sms from Tatsuya (Ronnie) this morning on thanking us for patronising them... wonderful service this is!

the new WPN.sg Website...

2009-03-02T21:21:00.001+08:00

The revamped WPN website has gone LIVE, thanks to the tremendous effort from Wansheng (Feldberyl Images)!

do check it out here! - http://wpn.sg

Celebrating Lian Rong Pau's B'Day!

2009-02-27T11:34:00.006+08:00

We had a grand time last night @ Lian Rong Pau's B'day celebration @ Sharky's Pub (Telok Kurau Rd). With the main conspirator non other than Char Siu Pau, we deviced a series of 'white lies' to lure her to Sharky's for a drink which turned out to be a surprise party for her :D

The evening was great with the Lychee Martini Birthday Cake from Chip Bee Gardens, finger food and desserts from Garden Slug and lotsa lotsa booze from Sharky's. Service from the pub was most excellent and efficient with Ron (Pub Manager) and Lewis (Pub Hand) catering to our requests :) Friends and family gathered to wish our birthday gal a wonderful celebration of her presence in their lives, old and new acquaintances were made and we ended the night with a promise that 3 years later, it will be a grand-scale surprise for Lian Rong Pau again! :p

Happy Blessed Birthday Naomi!
May God continue to bless you with grace and wisdom from the years and for the years to come, beauty in His eyes and Love from His heart!

Well, will post more photos later but here's 3 for the time being:

(click for larger image) - The B'Day Girl!

(click for larger image) - The Couple :)

(click for larger image) - The princess: lil' Siu Mai :D

a few woahs...

2009-02-24T17:44:00.002+08:00

While searching Youtube and the Net for more info on the Guitar Heroes World Tour band set 4 (in particular, the drumkits), I chanced upon these 2 great clips:

I think those who were in the military bands before and fervent enthusiasts of rhythmic & performance drumming will appreciate the amazing skills and showmanship :D

Mykii - A little bit of Greece tucked away in Holland V..

2009-02-24T01:28:00.007+08:00

It's amazing that once in a while, a little bistro pops up as a new establishment and magically whisk you away to a place where the sea surrounds the beautiful islands of Greece and the beautiful chalk white and blue architectural buildings of Mykonos and Santorini stand out in the warm evening light.. Just imagine yourself sipping cold bubblies and enjoying the alfresco dining under the blue hour dusk...

Wait... I'm still in Holland V :)

Well, that's what I personally felt when we walked into Mykii's this evening for dinner. I would have never heard of this place until I did a search on HungryGoWhere.com to see what is nice around Holland V since Ms Clover needs to go there to return her books from EMC bookstore.
We have yet been to Greece or to the wonderfully romantic island of Mykonos or Santorini but this place, this evening, gave us a taste of what it would be like :)

I totally love the ambience, the beautiful simple theme that reflects the isles' signatures and of coz, the fusion food that came along. Maybe it's just us in the mood for some tranquilty and a dinner just for us both coz it was empty in the bistro except for the 2 of us there. The evening was cooling and clear which added to the whole magical dining experience... hahaha... :)

Although the fusion food was a surprise (I thought they would try serving up authentic Mediterranean crusine before taking the fusion step in order to entice more Singaporeans), but it's a mixed review between Ms Clover and me (on the food)... Here's some iPhone pics (do forgive the poor quality though) to share of the place:

(click for larger image) - the very cool and bright interior

(click for larger image) - One of their signature appetisers: Pissaladiere
We love the pastry bottom which goes well with the sweet peppers, kalamata & green olives and arugula leaves.

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Grilled tofu & pumpkin stack, Sweet Basil and Tomato Coulis
Loved this one but I would think a bit of sundried tomatoes to counter the balsamic vinaigrette would go well also :p

(click for larger image) - BBQ baby back ribs
Pretty normal stuff but the ribs are juicy but not enough seasonings in depth

(click for larger image) - Grilled Goby fish
Ms Clover finds the chinese styled dish pretty good but the portion is a tad small, the fish a little too deep fried but sweet and tender on the inside

(click for larger image) - Lemonie Crush Granita
Most excellent drink for the evening coz it's cooling, super refreshing with the ice and mint. If you are not a fan of Mojitos but wanna try a Mojito, this is a Mojito-zero (without the alcohol)

Well... overall, it's a great experience.. I would give it a 7.5 out of 10 for ambience, 7 out of 10 for food. Definitely will be back to try other stuff :)

Check out the review from HungryGoWhere
Check out Mykii's official Website

Another one with the friends... :)

2009-02-21T21:20:00.006+08:00

Another dinner with the close friends :)

This time round, I ventured a 2 course meal with the help of Ms Clover. It's again simple food that we find easy to prepare as well as to cook coz on Friday, I had to take an assignment in the midst of the afternoon.

We started off with an appetiser of Panfried Foie Gras on Baby butterhead leaf, then a simple homecooked Chinese Borsch Soup (as Char Siu Pau says, for the Soupsters) which I started cooking in the morning, then the mains of pan-seared salmon seasoned with seasalt, basil, olive oil, thyme and lemon juice, raisin & cashew nut pilaf rice and a side sauce of japanese honeyed curry....

Frankly, there are a lot to improve on but at least I managed to get the salmon cooked nicely (juicy and not dry) this time round :) Of coz I added a little secret ingredient (the famed fungus oil) for the smell and taste also...

Anyway, it was a good time of fellowship and Wii-Gaming for the Yveon duo as S_CRV and family had to leave early for lil Edgar's bedtime :)

*thanks you guys for being my 'guinea pigs' on my culinary learning... :p

(click for larger image)

Celebrating Xiao Long Pau's birthday...

2009-02-21T02:55:00.009+08:00

I know this was kinda overdue.. supposed to be posted last week but have been really busy with corporate shoots and personal matters... so here's the pics to share!

Yes... I'm a homeboy :)

(click for larger image) - Ms Clover's Cheese board (literally)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - The Happy Birthday Gal :D

(click for larger image) - Lil Shan with her Dinga Cats

(click for larger image) - Wii Moments... :p

(click for larger image) - from this, you will know why Wii is so popular

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - The one about Air Hockey

Shuffling along... like a Tattoo :D

2009-02-16T01:31:00.005+08:00

I thought it would be funny to do it after reading it off LilSnooze's and FaerieImp's entries :D

a. Put your iTunes on “shuffle”.

b. For each question, skip to the next song to get your answer. You must use the title of that song as your answer, no matter how silly it may sound.

1. What would you say if someone were to say, “Is this o.k.?”
Us 2 - Victor Wooten (Palmystery)

2. What do you like in a guy / girl?
She Is - The Fray (How to Save a Life)

3. How do you feel today?
Perfect enemy - T.A.T.U (Dangerous & Moving)

4. What is your life’s purpose?
Dancing Queen (Remix) - Autumn Leave (Turn To Me)

5. What is your motto?
But Beautiful - Randy Crawford & Joe Sample (Feeling Good)

6. What do your friends think of you?
Nao Vou Fugir - Ive Mendes (Shanghai Lounge 2)

*Translation from Portugese to English - "I do not go to run away"

7. What do you think of your parents?
Oxygen - Colbie Caillat (CoCo)

8. What do you often think about?
Salvation - PlanetShakers (Free)

9. What is 2 + 2?
你呼吸是海 - 游鸿明 (台北寂寞部屋)

10. What do you think of your best friend?
Waiting for You - Seal (The Best of Seal 1991 - 2004)

11. What do you think of the person you like?
True Colors - Olivia (Fall In Love with Olivia)

12. What is your life story?
失落非主流 - 周杰倫 (魔杰座)

13. What do you want to be when you grow up?
How to Save a Life - The Fray (How To Save A Life)

14. What comes to mind when you see the person you like?
Joy - Hiromi Uehara (Another Mind)

15. What do your parents think of you?
Look After you - The Fray (How To Save A Life)

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Kiss Of Life - Sade (The Best Of Sade)

17. What will they play at your funeral?
Its probably Me - Sting (The Best of Sting 1984 - 1994)

*hahaha........... :D

18. What is your hobby / interest?
You Are Near - HillSongs Australia (For This Cause)

19. What do you think of your friends?
Trust Me - The Fray (Live @ Electric Factory)

20. What is the worst that could happen?
London in The Rain - Variety Lab (Best of Hotel Costes)

21. How will you die?
Fly With Wings Of Love - Joe Sample (Sample This)

22. What is the one thing you regret most?
早操 - 周杰倫 (不能說的祕密)

23. What makes you laugh?
Exceeding Joy - Hillsongs Australia (Hope)

24. What makes you cry?
At The Cross - Hillsongs Australia (Mighty To Save)

25. Will you ever get married?
What I've Done - Linkin Park (Minutes To Midnight)

26. What scares you the most?
Cling & Clatter - Lifehouse (No Name Face)

27. Does anyone like you?
Mesmerized - Lifehouse (Who We Are)

28. If you could go back in time, what would you change?
Fields of Gold - Olivia (Kiss in The Air)

29. What hurts right now?
All Or Nothing at All - Diana Krall (Best of Diana Krall)

30. What will you post this as?
Like A Tattoo - Sade (Best of Sade)

Go on and tag yourself for this... let loose and have a bit of fun. Leave me a comment on this blog so I can share your funny answers too! :D

C'mon people.. let me know your funnies :)

Will you be like this if you missed your flight?

2009-02-16T00:51:00.002+08:00

Saw this very, very, very funny clip from AsiaOne:

Do watch this -

Before it's taken off Youtube :p

Apparently, she went to the loo (just listen carefully) to take a dump (Yeah right... I think she went shopping till she forgot the time and ignored the last min boarding announcements) and the boarding gate for her Cathay flight was closed. Her dramatic entrance could put an NFL linebacker to shame and that more than 3 mins of wailing can make for Golden Horse for Best Drama :D

The War in El Atatra - by Photographer Tyler Hicks

2009-02-06T14:44:00.003+08:00

There's always something beautiful and haunting about war journalism...

Here is the link to see photographer Tyler Hicks's work on the coverage in Gaza -

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/middleeast/20090203-atatra-slide-show/index.html?ref=world

The Vroom....

2009-02-05T16:44:00.006+08:00

I snuck off to JB with some of the WPN photographers (WS, Kelvin Koh & Eng Hong, together with WS's friend, Suter) for a very fun session of Go-Karting in JB this morning... heheehe.... yes I need a break desperately these days....

Thanks to WS (Feldberyl Images - do check out his new revamped website too!) who organized this little road trip, I got a mini-break from all the editing work and pumped up the adrenaline on the tracks in this Go-Kart Club inside JB.

Boy, it was shiok lor... I have tried Go-Karting in Singapore (Toy-Karting in this case), Taipei Indoor Track, Brunei Night Track and Batam Open Track but seriously, this track is really something as well as the Go-Karts they have are of different caliber! Again, I discovered I have heavy pedal feet so subtlety in controlling the GoKart from entrance - exit in hairpin curves on the track resulted in either lost of control and tailspin the car or too much drifting till lost power in the momentum. It's really being a long time since I played a Go-Kart....

But it was sure addictive and cheap! I can only imagine how much we would have to fork out to play like this in Singapore! This experience also made me appreciate and admire those F1 drivers more coz of the rigorous demands on their mental and physical aspects that's required of them when they drive their F1 cars @ above 300mph and going for so many rounds. I was quite bushed out after 9 - 10 laps total and going @ a pityful 30 - 50 km/hr

Anyway, here's some pics to share :)

(click for larger image) - The Pit

(click for larger image) - The 0.9km track laiden with hairpin turns

(click for larger image) - The fun-loving photographers :D

(click for larger image) - WS

(click for larger image) - Eng Hong

(click for larger image) - Kelv

(click for larger image) - mua

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - The gang of 5

Here we go again.... :)

2009-02-03T04:50:00.002+08:00

Yupz... let's start posting more wedding pics as this lazy blogger should be doing :p

so here's one for now that I'm working on...

(click for larger image)

The CNY celebrations....

2009-01-30T23:33:00.005+08:00

I know I have not been blogging much coz I have been really busy with the house as well as sorting my work and schedule.... anyway, just a short one for now.

Here's wishing everyone a Prosperous Lunar New Year of the OX! Have a Moo-Moo good time!!

This CNY season is of many close friends, loved ones and the new abode + simple cooking :)

(click for larger image) - Celebrations with the Bloggee frens @ Yveon Loft

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - the very adorable Shannon with her very cute 4 finger pose!

(click for larger image) - Welcome back Xiao Long Bao!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - The whole gin gang! :D

Meloncholy Tuesday....

2009-01-20T16:08:00.002+08:00

funny Tuesday but I kinda liked these 2 songs by Landy Wen Lan (温岚) and they have been looping on my iTunes...

傻瓜/温岚

夏天的风/温岚 (Summer Wind)

Of coz, the one that got her on the billboard after her duet with Jay Zhou (屋顶) is this one:

藍色雨/温岚

Hallo 2009...

2009-01-19T15:38:00.002+08:00

2009 began in the midst of frenzy house renovations and house-moving for Ms Clover's family....

the new place looks really good and both Ms Clover and I felt that it's really a place we can call home for the next few years. It's funny to think that I moved out of Bukit Panjang area when I was 7 years old and now, I'm back in the same area after 23 years.

Certainly, the area here has changed quite a bit since I last stayed, with LRT system, many more HDB flats and alot more amenities. I used to remember having to take a bus down to Beauty World along Upper Bukit Timah Road to visit the shopping centres when I was young.

Revisiting my old area in Teck Whye Lane certainly brings back a lot of fond childhood memories of the mamashop @ Block 18, playing marbles in the playground (which is still there but given a modern facelift) and making a lot of noise, chasing my ole' Labrador (named Sandy, she died of old age after we shifted from the area to Yishun) around the void deck downstairs, the PAP center which I used to go to... the childhood friends I remembered...

So many memories...

2009 reflects a new beginning for us :)

Reflecting 2008 and Hallo 2009....

2008-12-31T23:55:00.003+08:00

As we all ushered in the new year of 2009 wherever we are on this planet, I reflected upon the past year during my short walk home from Yveon Loft gathering where we all had a wonderful time of fellowship over a superb dinner whipped up by Chef Lil' Snooze (I love the cauliflower puree & the roasted veg with rosemary and thyme!)... a continuing 'tradition' since last year when we had our first New Year's Eve dinner @ Yveon's... next year, let's try a themed party dinner! hahaha...

Settling down after a quick shower, I asked the question to myself: has it been a year already? 2008 just seemed to pass us by so fast and in a blink, I'm writing for 2009... every year seems shorter as we grow older.

During that short walk, I was thinking on how to begin writing this entry.. there are just so many things to write about but yet, where to begin from? Should I start off with my 2009 resolutions or to summarise my most fond memories in the past year (which are too many to count)...

2008 has been a year of ups and downs for many and personally for me, it's another year of thanksgiving for the love from God, family, friends, clients and peers. Without their support in all the aspects in my life, there will not be me.

2008 marked a few milestones where firstly, EyeDeas Photography turned 5 on Dec 1st. Although I didn't blog about it or celebrated it, I'm deeply thankful for the amount of support that I have recieved from everyone throughout these few years. There is still a very long road to travel for EyeDeas but with God's help and blessings, I know this road will not be alone for me to walk on :)

2008 also marked the year we applied and gotten our abode... a home to call our own :)
We have officially recieved the keys to our flat in Lompang Road (Bukit Panjang) on the 15th Dec 2008 and have been really busied with the renovations since (will blog about this when everything is completed with pictures). We marked another significant milestone in our relationship since knowing each other in May 2001 :)

We have been blessed to be within God's purview and timing for the whole house & reno issue. Blessing us with a trusty contractor and an experienced, hardworking and responsible foreman, an amicable arrangement as to how the house should be done up and lived-in... the sources that flowed through when the economy took a hit which affected quite a lot of factors. For all the troubles, headaches and 'good' problems that gave us learning experiences for the future... just so many things to be thankful for!

2008 marked another year in fostering deeper and more meaningful relationships with our close friends... significant people who are very close to our hearts and dearly called 'friends'. As time shorten in each passing year, may we all grow stronger in one another and treasuring the precious memories of friendship always.

2008 marked also the forging of new friendships thru' work, social networking like Facebook, blogs and life. It's amazing how the world gets smaller with technology and suddenly someone knows someone you know...

So what are my thoughts for 2009? That's another entry for tomorrow :D

Till then, Have a wonderfully blessed start to the year 2009!

Ron & Serene ^.^

the WPN photographers X'mas shoot....

2008-12-19T18:12:00.004+08:00

The weather last Wednesday was so absolutely fantabulous that got most of us wondering how come we ain't shooting any pre-wedding or ESessions on such a beautiful day :p It's so funny right... when the weather was so perfect such as this, most of us ain't shooting...

WPN Photographers had our monthly gathering @ the tranquil and lush settings of Dempsey Hill and for the X'mas photo to be uploaded onto the WPN Website. Looking at the photos.. it's just really funny that when you place a group of photographers together for a shoot, you really get some very interesting reactions and photos... and as Ead said in his post, we do belong BEHIND the camera instead of in front of it :p

anyway, here's some previews from Yuhsin:

(click for larger image) - WPN 2008

(click for larger image) - Wansheng (Feldberyl) & KC (Greymatter) performing their 虎鹤双飞

(click for larger image) - Love the light and randomness. Wasn't in the picture coz I was the one shooting it :)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Absolutely love this shot! :D

Movie: Xmen Origins

2008-12-19T15:36:00.003+08:00

Finally... the spin-off from the original Xmen Chronicle - the Weapon X program is coming to the big screen in 2009, May 1st.... and the trailers looked really really good...

I love Gambit!

3D car in Augmented Reality.... really cool ...

2008-12-19T13:35:00.000+08:00

Check it out!

I want....

2008-12-18T23:23:00.001+08:00

iPhone's nice but I'm getting tired of it so next year, it's a time for change and going back to my trusty brand Nokia :p

X.M.A.S hiatus

2008-12-17T13:48:00.003+08:00

Realised that I haven't blogged for sometime already... so here's a short one:

Since coming back from Japan and trying to make sense of the spiraling feeling that I like overseas so much better than in Singapore... I have been really busy with designing and laying out a Christian book project which have to meet the dateline for production and distribution by 1st week Jan while at the same time, trying to sort out my photography work and schedule.

These days in my heart, I was kept reminded the small little phrase "Count your blessings."

I felt God really ants me to count my blessings: to be able to have so many choices is a blessing, to have a budget to work with is a blessing, to have advice from friends and family who knew and have experience is a great blessing :)

Just this week, we completed and recieved the keys to our house in Lompang Road. It's a blessing as well as a stressful time for me coz the possibilities of designing the new abode is nearly unlimited but we do have a budget to keep to as well as limitations to think about. Stepping from one designing project (the book) to the next so quickly is not a good idea seriously...

I have to admit that I flared up a lot during this period coz living conditions and personality has to fit with what we can and cannot do... and becoz' we are using a contractor, the onus on designing the outlook is left more or less to us which added more pressure.

SO many points to consider, so little time coz we need to get the house ready before Chinese New Year in end Jan 2009 so work has already by and by started with the demolishment. We spent countless nights just going through the whole layout and planing spaces... and finally came up with designs that made everyone happy.

So for the next few weeks, I don't think I will be posting much on the blog coz I will be really busy with the house as well as settling Jeremy & Chrystal's pre-Wedding photos for the final vet and print, not to mention, 2 weddings to edit...

Have a Merry X'mas everyone!

Ethan & Gerri - Part deux

2008-12-08T02:40:00.005+08:00

Here's a little preview on the details from Ethan & Gerri's wedding - part deux :)

(click for larger image) - Festive X'mas along with the wedding... perfect!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - I love the Audrey Hepburn inspired look on Gerri :)

(click for larger image)

Ethan & Gerri...

2008-12-05T20:57:00.003+08:00

Kicking start December's string of weddings is Ethan & Gerri's AD this morning being part 1 and part 2 tomorrow evening.

The weather today was, granted, perfect for wedding but it was really really humid and hot (gosh! I miss Japan... again.) But we managed to have some fun along the whole process of gatecrashing and customary stuff.

Gerri happened to be one of the bridesmaids for Jac & Gary whom I've shot in early 2006 and fast forward to 2008, I'm having a small 'reunion' with the same click of ladies and Gerri's the bride this time round :) Had a fun time catching up with Ernest of Miror Creations and making new friends with Rae (EJ's friend)...

Well, enough talk.. here's some quik edits (here's your preview Gerri & Ethan :p ) -

(click for larger image) - The adorably peeky bride

(click for larger image) - I love Ethan's side profile :)

(click for larger image)

I know, I know.. B&Ws only for now... color ones I have 'deleted' coz somebody too Taiwanese already..

And Part 2 of the dinner portion coming right up... tomorrow :)

a little blah blah blah....

2008-12-04T03:46:00.006+08:00

Still suffering from Nippon withdrawal symptoms (read: no civic mindedness found locally here, no good tasting sushi or Japanese food.. not even Tomo's, no pick-me-up-and-make-me smile instant cup coffees from Starbucks or Maxim in our very barely equipped 7-lls.. ohh yeah, no Lawsons or Family Marts too... missing the clean crisp air and that beautiful light that makes shooting anything a breeze and inspiring..etc... you get the gist)

Well, caught up with Char Siu Pau for a little coffee as well as with CY for dinner... met up with Mudgod & Ms.P over dinner oso to pass them their wedding works....

Discovered that I'm really behind in Christian contemporary songs and I'm falling in love with the worship songs by PlanetShakers (Thanks CY! Playing them non-stop now :D)

Data migration of my library of songs and iPhotos to the new Macbook Pro is slowly but steady on-going... upgraded my iPhone 2.0 to the latest firmware 2.2... I got to say, I LOVE the new MAP's google Street View! I am using it now to revisit the places we went to in Japan! And of coz, lotsa new apps from the Apps store to play around.

Need to sleep... need to breathe in the Autumn air again... sigh....

so here's some quick edits from our Japan trip again to remind ourselves why we love it there:

(click for larger image) - gorgeous sunlight...

(click for larger image) - just one of the many shots of autumn leaves taken

(click for larger image) - Osaka Castle Park grounds

(click for larger image) - Miyajima (Hiroshima) isle's Tori Gate @ low tide

(click for larger image) - Momijidani Park in Miyajima isle

(click for larger image) - Taken @ 1 degree coldness on top of Souzan, Hakone

(click for larger image) - Ms Clover shot this.. hahaha.. I love it!

(click for larger image)

Tokyo Reality - A presentation on the Canon 5D mkII

2008-11-30T03:26:00.003+08:00

This video just made me miss Tokyo so much..... so much....

Tokyo Reality ( Canon EOS 5D Mark II )
by lejapon

This video demonstrated that a dSLR shooting HD video with the range of Canon lenses is just plain cool for the consumer. Enjoy! :)

Sitex 2008...

2008-11-29T18:34:00.005+08:00

Well, it's a good time to go a little shopping and a little browsing of the latest tech and prices...

the crowd on Sat is almost crazy with so many auctions going on .. yupz.. the latest trend to sell is to have limited sets at nearly jaw-dropping prices.. imagine a LG 47" LCD Plasma with full HD is going for $1999 with $900 giveaway in vouchers... in other words, the TV is only $1099! 2 years ago, you can hardly find a reputable brand for such prices!

Anyway, in helping with the ailing economy, I'm guilty of purchasing a big ticket item... yet again...

yupz, I'm blogging this from the new 15" 2.4Ghz Apple MacBook Pro :p

hehehe.. yupz, I blogged about getting it but I didn't expect it to be so soon but the offer @ Sitex is hard to beat also... 4 Gb ram upgrade and some freebies as well. Time to retire my ole Powerbook G4.. (Any takers?) Selling it cheap!

And becoz LCD moniters are so dirt cheap these days, I got myself a 24" GW2400W BenQ moniter for my PC (was debating between Dell's UltraSharp 24" and BenQ's but in the end, figures that my PC is really more for watching net TV channels and movies, the BenQ is enough coz it had also HDMI/DVI support for future upgrades :D

Ms S and Mr A's Wedding :)

2008-11-29T04:05:00.008+08:00

Nearly 12 months ago, I shot Ms S's ROM and in a blink of an eye, it's their customary wedding this year... man, time really flies! :)

Well, once again, I had the honour to be their photographer for this important day and I also had my 5am wedding for the 1st time in the longest time... heheh... but it was good although the weather could have been kinder in the morning.

Frankly there's just so many shots I took that day that I had trouble choosing what to post on my blog so... I will just concentrate on the little details and teaser.

I was very impressed with the gowns that Ms S had donned for her big day... very impressed by the whole performance of that night by her relatives and that impromptu dancing made great photos!

Here's some quik edits:

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - I just love the lace!

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - One of the most hilariously short speeches ever written :D

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - I love this shot... very hauntingly beautiful

(click for larger image) - the bella amongst the boys...

(click for larger image) - ... Mr.A went a-drinking

(click for larger image)

A new mouse....

2008-11-26T04:52:00.003+08:00

for the powerbook after the Mac's Mighty mouse (not so mighty after all) failed on me in Tokyo...

After seeing Ead's microsoft ARC mouse which he bought in Yodobashi Camera in Akiba.. I was tempted and in the end, got one at the end of the trip coz the Mighty mouse died on me (the ball scrolling went dead for unknown reasons)...

Read here for more info...

The red has a irresistible appeal to me but what I really like is the shape, compactness and the laser precision :)

Back ....

2008-11-26T04:41:00.003+08:00

"We travel, not to discover new places and countries but to discover our deeper selves."
- anonymous

That summed up our trip to Japan this year :)

Ice Bar Tokyo...

2008-11-23T01:48:00.003+08:00

Alcohol day for us as we went around to Yebisu Beer Garden and sampled their brew... then at night, we headed down to Hiro-O for the Absolut Ice Bar Tokyo...

(click for larger image)

So touristy right... heheheh :p *hic!*

Of beautiful sunlight and Tokyo...

2008-11-22T01:48:00.003+08:00

The thing that I sorely wished I had with me most the time is a tripod coz as much as Japan is beautiful in the day, the night scene is also truly awesome... (funny how I actually forgot the tripod also)

Here's more pics to share:

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - View of the Sozan Station

(click for larger image) - Sunset viewing from the Mori Bldg Open Air Observatory in Roppongi

(click for larger image) - The all famous Tokyo Tower in the late evening.. The night wind is so cold I can hardly shoot... and that's when I missed the tripod the most

(click for larger image) - The beautiful Tokyo Tower...

Voice....

2008-11-21T00:30:00.003+08:00

There will come a time when you feel super lousy about yourself... like you know you have the shot in your head but why it did not materialise after you shot it and try as you might, you just can't frame it or have it the way you saw it in your mind's eye...

For the past 2 days we have travelled down to Izu Peninsular (Atami) and Hakone for ryokan stays and thus no new pictures as they don't have in-room internet connection.

Atami was alright, quiet seaside resort town which I think is more popular in summer than in Autumn... best if we have arranged for self-drive coz the places that we wanted to go are better accessible by car than taking trains and local buses.

Hakone was a whole different story. We had very fond memories of Hakone the last time and we stayed in Hakone-Yumoto... this time, we decided to venture deeper into Hakone and we was very glad we did coz we discovered a lot of new stuff about the area. The only nagging pain that's bugging me to write this entry is my inadequacy of conveying what I actually saw into pictures that will give the same feeling.

1st off, we visited the crater top from Sozan (早山）, accessible via a ropeway cable car from Soenzan （早云山）which gave the most magnificent view of Mt Fuji at all times of the days from dusk till dawn to night even but becoz we were rather ill-prepped for the sudden onset of cold front that decented on Japan island on the 19th, we totally froze ourselves out at near 1 degree coldness with the super chilled wind @ nearly 900m above sea level. It's almost like being in a freezer with the fan blasting in your face and body the whole time...

It makes shooting extremely difficult and the powerful gusts of cold wind didn't make it easier either. It's like I tell my finger mentally to press down on the shutter button and a minute later, the finger move slowly to depress and execute the command. The mind's a blank and on 1 hand, you want to stay and shoot more but on the other, your body is giving up on you. Tough choices.

The view is sooooooooooo (x 1 trillion times) awesome, I can't even begin describing the entire beautiful landscape that laid out from the view in Sozan except praising God for such natural beauty in the world!

We had to escape frequently into the heated marts that sell the famous black onsen eggs (they say, if you eat 1 of such egg, you gain 7 years of longevity each time... crappy advertising but the eggs are delicious btw!)

The light is so fantabulously amazing that no matter how I shoot it, I just can't capture that aura of beauty... Ms Clover was so right to say that sometimes you just have to come and see it for yourself to have your breath taken away by the sheer beauty of Mt Fuji... sigh.... so here's 2 very humble shots of the many many many shots I have taken in order to capture that special aura of Mt. Fuji:

(click for larger image) - taken at Otome-toge

(click for larger image) - taken at Sozan @ 5pm

Osaka Castle...

2008-11-18T03:25:00.006+08:00

Just some randoms from our visit to Osaka Castle park in the heart of Osaka City... beautiful surroundings, esp from the top floor of the main castle building :)

In the days of old, the entire area of the castle looked really formidable and many foreigners in the olden Japan (mostly missionaries) gave praise and awe to Shogun Hideyoshi Toyotomi's feat of constructing this beautiful castle of such scale.

Read more here: click for Wikipedia's resources

(click for larger image) - meow...

(click for larger image) - I love this shot.. the stones that formed the foundations of the castle made for very good textured background :)

(click for larger image) - the main castle building (8th storeys high)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - Osaka Castle lighted at night.

and now for some B&Ws...

2008-11-16T23:55:00.002+08:00

Just some shots of Ms. Clover in Tokyo...
* I need the new Macbook Pro... it's a pain to edit photos on my 3 years old Powerbook..... *

(click for larger image)

Jellies...

2008-11-16T01:33:00.003+08:00

We made time today for the Osaka Aquarium (Kaiyukan) today... it's just therapeutic to just sit at the awesome display area and watch the fishes.. the layout of the aquarium is children & people friendly, with lotsa seats @ the largest tank which houses 2 whale sharks and a host of other Pacific ocean fishes

Frankly, I wish that if ever I go diving in those regions I won't meet up with any of the fishes coz their sizes are just simply colossal! The manta ray is so huge that I just sat down and stare and admire how graceful it is in the water...

Anyway, I didn't really shoot much in the premises but here's some Jellyfishes to share:

(click for larger image)

At night, we decided to try something different for dinner.. we blindly ventured into the back alleys of Dotonburi and Nipponbashi to look for good food and found this authentic Japanese 居酒屋 and ordered whatever we thought it is on the only-Japanese menu.. hahhah.. turned out to be the best dinner we ever had so far in Japan! We had the Sashimi Moriawase that is so exquistely presented that we couldn't bear to eat (but we did lah!), a Tai (Sea bream) kamamese, Yasai Tempura... and some small items which we have no idea what they are till they are presented.. haha.. that's what we like about travelling.. just being adventurous!

Autumn & Us....

2008-11-15T02:43:00.007+08:00

Looking through the folders of images shot @ Miyajima, I am at a loss on how to present them on this blog coz' the beauty of the place is simply just too overwhelming. I can't do the place enough justice with my photography, try as I might... the light is just so beautiful and the colors of the leaves (if you are thinking these colors are enhanced, they are not. It's as accurate as it is shown..) Breathtaking yeah? :D

Both ms Clover and I were totally captivated by the tranquility as well as the beauty of this park (we took a nice & slow 2 hours trek in it) and agreed unanimously that it's the perfect place to shoot an entire pre-wedding in this setting... much to the bemused stares and foreign well-wishes of the park visitors :p

The following are just my humble attempts on the 5D to show you what Autumn is like @ Momijidani Park.. enjoy! :)

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - don't you just love the clear, crisp light?

(click for larger image) - resident Miyajima deers. You find them everywhere and they are just so friendly!

(click for larger image) - Here's one deer who doesn't shy away from human proximity.

(click for larger image) - inside Itsukushima Shrine

(click for larger image) - Grilled and Fresh Oysters from Hiroshima....

(click for larger image)

(click for larger image) - again, the evening light here is so awesome that we made an impromptu stop @ Yokogawa (enroute from Miyajima Guchi to Hiroshima JR stn) to shoot @ the river and its vast expansion of space on its banks.

(click for larger image) - Interestingly haunting but we love this combi of shot.

Now that we are in Osaka, we will be zipping to Universal Studios and the Osaka Aquarium (where they have a ful grown whale shark on display in a ginormous tank display!) for a look-see... more later! :D

The bride...

2008-11-14T19:03:00.004+08:00

Thanks so much to Eadwine (Plush Photography) for coming along with us to Japan on this trip and for the wonderful, wonderful shoot experience! It really feels weird to be on the other side of the lens but Ead made the shoot so easy, so fun and so good!

The shot of Serene @ Fushima Inari Shrine in Kyoto is simply stunning... framed by the famed Tori gates that lined the entire walkways along the mountain path... this shot encapsulated both beauty, style and culture, in short... WE LOVED IT!!!!

(Click for larger image)

Will update more as we go along... we were in Hiroshima's Miyajima island (the famed giant Tori Gate in the water and the floating temple, Itsukushima) and that trip alone is worth the trip to Japan! Seriously.... the Momijidani Park is so beautiful, I shot till the camera nearly went dry of batteries!

Will post some of the Autumn colors and shots of Serene later tonight... after dinner in Osaka!

Once again, thanks Ead for the beautiful memories in Kyoto and Tokyo! Hehehe... you are indeed a photographer's photographer!

Ron & Serene

Zen

2008-11-12T09:54:00.003+08:00

(click for larger image)

Yupz... I have 职业病, even for my own pre-wedding shoot... :p