Life on the streets

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IRONY OF PARENTHOOD

When my daughter was little, the toll of looking after her had me wishing she'd grow up fast and faster. She is our only child and I was her only playmate at home. I hung in there over countless playtime, bearing the weight of afterwork tiredness, hoping to give her some decent childhood memories. She's a youth now, and I should be glad (I am), but whenever I took a photo like this, I found myself hoping I could go back and enjoy her at that stage again. Such, is the irony of parenthood. It may be painful but enjoy it while it lasts. I guarantee you'll miss it.

 

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PARTNERSHIP

Coming together is beginning;
keeping together is progress;
working together is success.
- Henry Ford

 

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APART

I have a confession. I went to the zoo and I didn't take photos of animals but people. I often wonder what do the zoo animals think about us as we pass by their enclosures. Do they see us in different races as we see see them in different breeds? In the eyes of the orang utan, is this an Asian boy? I really wonder.

 

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SOUL FAR SOUL GOOD

Always remember you're real. Therefore be real, even when you're outnumbered by fakes.

 

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FOREVER YOUNG

From time to time, I'd remind my daughter to enjoy her youth - to wonder, to appreciate, to learn, to explore, to discover and to grow. Upon reflection, I realised these are experiences not exclusive to the young. I need them just as much. I heard someone mentioned before that although our bodies grow old, we can't afford to let our minds do the same. Pablo Picasso once remarked, "It takes a long time to become young." Could the fountain of youth be real?

 

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LET'S EAT

Remember this one? The food is good but the company better? Across all cultures, the twain go hand in hand. I admit sometimes I like to eat alone. But I do believe a good company makes any crappy food palatable. When can we do lunch?

 

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THE REAL DEAL

It's ok if you can't pose nor look as well. All that matter is, you're real.

 

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BETTER

We envy the pigeon because it can fly. It envies us because we can eat ice cream.

 

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NO IRON IN IRONY

The irony about Singapore's Orchard Road is its lack of greens. If you must, it's more a concrete orchard. Sure there're trees planted along the main road but they're more to build the ambience of the Lion City's most well known shopping belt. One more thing, there're no lions here neither. Sorry.

 

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VIVA FOREVER

I remembered that magical phase, being young and in love. Just like everyone else, I moved on, because youth waits around for no one. But love stays, if I choose. It grows with me and the person I choose to give it to.

 

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TO FRAME SOMEONE

I just framed the ice cream seller but she needn't go to jail. The joy of walking the streets and looking for someone to frame. Tell me if she's not your focal point in this photo. That's what framing does. If you see me hanging around with my camera, please let me set you up and frame you.

 

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LOOP



The place that kickstarted my Street Photography journey. Haji Lane. It was good to be back, though briefly. My wife and I grabbed dinner nearby and I happened to holster my camera that evening. Told my misses to drink her soup slowly as I made a quick 10-minute round this familiar estate. Thought I heard some buildings greeted "long time no see, my windows are still intact and I can still pose". My reply was, "sorry fellas, I'm here for the people."

 

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WAITING TO BLOSSOM

This is the story about a princess who learns to wait. I’m glad she’s starting young because patience is a great virtue to inculcate. Good things happen to those who wait purposefully. They may come in packages better than someone charming or a white horse.

 

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BEST OF BOTH WORLDS

This is the story about a princess who learns to wait. I’m glad she’s starting young because patience is a great virtue to inculcate. Good things happen to those who wait purposefully. They may come in packages better than someone charming or a white horse.

 

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THAT FAMILIAR FEELING

I’m back! Malacca Town! It may be a school trip this round but my unquenchable thirst for capturing life on her streets remains constant. What’s amazing in this trip is the body of shutterbugs with me. All 74 of them, who hit the streets with a fervour – observing, composing and trying hard to see from different perspectives. They don’t have a choice cause their photos are tied to a school assignment. The street photographer isn’t alone for once. I’ve the energy of my students to draw from. The only difference is, they are hitting their shutters pretty hard on the architectural marvels of this UNESCO heritage sight. Me? I’m always about the people. This was my favourite shot on the first day. Good to be back.

 

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FLAVOURS OF THE PAST

This street vendor cooks and sells wanton noodles, a humble but magical dish that often inflicts me with the notion that one bowl is never enough. Stall like this is part of the amazing identity known as Malacca Town. Every trip here is one that goes down memory lane as my growing up years in Singapore were fed by many of such stalls. Although I can’t complain about the air-conditioned food courts that replaced these stalls back home, I do really miss those authentic flavours they brought. As for wanton noodles, you can have them in soup or dry. My take will always be: “Dry. No chilli. Lots of ketchup, please.”

 

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GREENER PASTURE?

My fascination with Malacca lies in many of these classic houses which are fond reminiscence of the 70s to me. This old time appeal is what defines this amazing place. Imagine my shock when I heard from our tour guide that Malacca seeks to delist herself from the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reason? So that she can modernise. The houses in this photo were in ruins at the point I captured them because the owners have moved on, leaving these buildings to become only a shell of what they used to be. The local grass-cutter walking past them is a symbol that he's heading to where the grass is greener to cut.

 

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TOP OF THE WORLD

Amidst the plethora of things traditional in Malacca, it'll be injustice not to mention this amazing craft I came across. I stood with dropped jaw witnessing what this gentleman demonstrated within the confines of his little shop. He walked with a limp but his pose upon striking a spinning top was nothing short of a pugilistic master. The traditional craft of spinning a top is pure skill as there're no complicated mechanism to do the job. It's a delicate art of tying, handling and throwing. I was so amazed that I bought plentiful tops from him and left almost addressing him as "Shifu".

 

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WISH UPON A TREE

Make a wish, write it upon a scarlet ribbon, tie both ends to pebbles, toss it high up unto this tree and hope it catches your wish. I witnessed the mesmerising scarlet threads dancing in the breeze on this wishing tree. The hanging threads revealed to me that to wish is a good thing. My belief is that if I act upon my wish, it's more likely to come true.

 

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MOVING ON

To be frank, I always hesitate taking photos of the handicapped. Even if I do, I struggle to post them online in fear of misrepresenting them. Sebastião Salgado said, “If you take a picture of a human that does not make him noble, there is no reason to take this picture. That is my way of seeing things.” My intent to show this photo is not to highlight this man’s disability but rather, his mobility despite his handicap. I know there are things that can stifle more than a physical limitation, such as bitterness.