[Yapster]~2008

[Yapster]

Hi guys, i decided to do some cleaning up of my A.P.A.W thread and have started a new thread for my street stuff~

Streets By Yapster~

Please have a look~

Thanks~

 

[Yapster]

7月6日

Lawnmower

Didn't shoot yesterday due to work...

Decided to sacrifice the usual Sunday Long Sleep and go for a short shoot before the weekend is over.

While i was packing my stuff, i saw this lawnmower from my window...

And i was thinking, "Hmm, maybe i should go there, and take a wide angle close up shoot on it."

But i didn't, as it was off the path for me to go to the kopi tiam for my breakfast.

But the idea of shooting the lawnmower keep coming to my mind.

And so, after breakfast, i purposely walked back and wanted to shoot it...

But i didn't again, bus stop quite some people, a bit paiseh...

Well, i tell myself, maybe can get some other stuff in the city and i set off as planned.

Went to shoot, walk, shoot. Ended my walk in about 3 hours time and went to Jurong Point to do some shopping for lunch.

Took the bus home. And i was still thinking of the lawnmower shot...

Alight the bus and hoho~ It was still there.

This time round, i heck care about the crowd at the bus stop, about the coconut milk spilling from my lunch, about anything and took out my cam to shoot~

And hoho, this is the output of the short 2 mins shoot.

So, after the longwinded stuff, moral of the story?

Just follow your feel~​

Special Thanks to Velasco who suggested to me to change my fonts & Andrew who told me the font he was using~

And the rest of the shots from this walk are Here

 

[Yapster]

7月12日

Anticipation

Flying tomorrow for installation...

Not my usual habit to shoot the day before i fly as i always leave the day to chill out at home and do some final packing (and settle all the bills!).

But i guess i can't stand the idea of not shooting with my D80 for 3 weeks. (Changed my plan to bring it as the reported weather over there is quite bad. Stormy and Rainy.)

So i went for my usual walk with a maximum time duration target of 2 hours of shooting. (Ya, i pretty much hate schedule and target on my rest day.)


Hmm, walk walk shoot shoot, no form. All the way from Chinatown to Singapore River.

But decided to hit Funan to get the X-Mini Portable speaker to entertain myself in the hotel room. ;p

Just as i was about to keep my camera and stuff near the Padang. I saw this couple.


Hmm, i pretty much like the way they eagerly waited for the bus by the turn of their head in a common direction.

Took it, lens cap mounted and off i go to Funan and head home after that.

Decided to title this shot "Anticipation" because it pretty much remind me of my older colleagues who told me their story of bringing up their kids and of the programe i watched on Channel 8 last night about a billionaire from New York doing voluntary works to help out the school which they wanted their beloved daughter to get into.

Apparently, parents and kids nowadays have to undergo this society pressure to get into good schools, study hard, get a good degree, get a high pay job or get a scholarship etc.

Nothing wrong with that. But not all children's has the studying talent. They may have talents in other aspect that the rest don't have. And some of these talents may just go into waste if their path is restricted by their parents.

Like my MD always tell us, "This is not my expectation, this is the business environment expectation."

So i suppose the "expectation of the society" applies here. Not personal at all.

But how many of us are actually brought up this way? I am definitely not one of those. My parents give us full freedom to do what we want (except illegal stuff of course), do what we feel is right, to regret, to fall, to pick up ourselves from where we fall.

Ultimately, To Learn. And keep learning.

So, does young parents nowadays remember where they come from and how they were brought up?

And where they are comfortably sitting at?

Just like the couple sitting on the pavement of the old buildings, the old foundation.

And one more shot from this walk is Here

Ok, gadgets are fully charged. Finally packing liao~

 

[Leong23]

7月12日

Anticipation

Once again, very nice photo and write up. :thumbsup:

 

[Snowywolf]

7月12日

Anticipation

​

always enjoy reading your write ups..

it's raining in china.. perhaps will prompt you to write more​

 

[Yapster]

Once again, very nice photo and write up. :thumbsup:

Thanks Leong23 bro~

Your expression of macro without words is another high level that i guess i won't be able to achieve too. :thumbsup:

 

[Yapster]

always enjoy reading your write ups..

it's raining in china.. perhaps will prompt you to write more

Thanks Snowywolf~ Just hope my writeup ain't too much of complaining or grumbling. Haha.

Yup, drizzling whole day. I just had KFC for dinner in my room. Manz...

Building up the emo.

 

[Yapster]

7月15日

归根

Mission for this phase almost accomplished. The load has lessen on my shoulder.

Next phase will start in 2 days time. So mentally can take a short break.

Dug out some shots i took on the day i travel to Huizhou.

Only this shot survived. Rather like the feel of it after i PPed.

Why 归根?

Cos my Grandfather was from Huizhou.

Didn't know about it till i chatted with my dad, say, 1.5 years back. During the period when i already left Sony.

My ancestors came from a rich family. Doing business.

But my great grandfather, splurged the wealth away.

And because of this, my grandfather, 13 at that time, went further south with my great grand mother and uncles to settle down in Malaysia, Kedah, Butterworth.

My great grand father didn't follow. No one knows what happen to him...

And there, my father was born. My mum was from Penang and they got married.

And my dad came to Singapore to make a living and decided to settle down with my mum for the sake of our future.

I was brought up the Singaporean way.

But sad to say, have no interest in history of my family until i graduated, worked and become slightly more mature.

The last time i saw my grandpa was 14 years ago when i was in secondary 3 as we seldom visit my relatives due to work and studies.

Impression of him was vague...

He passed away 10 years ago when i was in BMT at Pulau Tekong. Didn't managed to see the last of him.

My dad was very sad. Though we (the kids) are not close to my grandpa, but the sadness in my dad's eyes remains in my mind till today.

Whenever we talked about my grandpa, i can see tears in his eyes.

Conincidentally or pre-destined, I've been to and fro Huizhou for work since 2005. ( I Re-Joined Sony in 2007 Apr )

But never do i feel the sense of belonging here.

Time changes everything.

The buildings, the streets, the people.

The "feel".

The impression and description of Huizhou in the past were vague.

I've lost my roots.

But i know where i came from.

This is good enough.

And so, where did your ancestors come from?

Time changes the looks of our surroundings, but never our origin.

Find out while you can.

Grandpa, Dad, I'm Home...

 

[Yapster]

7月19日

Lotus

"莲花再美，也需要绿叶的襯托"

Reminds me of the recent experience at work.

My boss wanted to "promote" one of my group Senior Engineer to be the next Key Member to our customers.

However, as he is new to this group, he need guidance on the way we worked, how to handle the customers and how to make things work. Especially in China.

And well, i was the one of the "leaf" this time round and i was "unopenly" appointed as the window here.

Though this project is mainly electrical and hardware, i (am mechanical)was the one doing the groundwork here by co-ordinating things with my china colleagues who knows me well.

Try making the project work without the cables for the machine, waiting for them to install program and without noticing the wrong software is installed.

All these are not within my scopes.

I remember the word, "Teamwork". But not everyone does.

And of course, i have a batch of other colleagues doing the groundwork in SG.

But it is ok. Cos i am not one who like to shine. Even my other colleagues as well.

We just hope to get the acknowledgement that we did our job well. or at least in their eyes, we did our job.

Take a look at the shot.

Will the lotus standout without the leaves? I doubt so.

So well, groundwork guys, 辛苦了。

(Thanks to my friend, an IT Engineer Cum Lyrics Composer, Chua Kaiyang for his help. Haha, i forgot those chim chim chinese phrase).

 

[Yapster]

7月27日

Playing With Bubbles

Yup. I am talking about the China Property Market Bubble.

Prices for property has increased tremendously and in a very scary way.

Here, in Guangdong, Huizhou, their normal apartment which is size of our 3-4 room flat costs about 400-500K SGD.

And their pay is like, for an executive, 3000-4000 RMB per month?

See the difference? I really wonder how they are gonna clear their housing loans completely with that amount of salary. And this is just Huizhou. Think about city like Shenzhen, Shanghai or Beijing.

A plate of Fried Bee Hoon cost about 5 RMB when i first visited this city in 2004. And in 4 years, you can only get it at a minimum price of 18 RMB. And you can't find any more shops selling it at 5 RMB. Even if you can find it, you will see the shop close down in 1-2 months time as the raw material cost is really too high to sustain the business.

Reason why i title it as playing with bubbles is also due to the next generation.

The kids in the shot kinda makes me think or even worry how they are going to afford a proper shelter in years to come if the bubble keeps growing or even burst.

If the bubble grows, they will find themselves slogging like mad at work and may not be even able to clear the loan before they leave this world.

If the bubble burst, the social unrest that were to come will be something i guess no one hopes to see.

And the burst of their dream since young is something money cannot compensate.

Come to think of it, i am glad i stay in Singapore.

At the very least, i can still do some saving and spend some money on luxurious hobby with the 3k i am earning.

Seriously, i wonder if those investment, that we have now for save keeping of our future will ever be enough in years to come..

Who knows when a plate of bee hoon will cost us 15 SGD in future?

I guess the rule is always to save up for rainy days.

We never know when we gonna need it.

 

[Yapster]

8月3日

Running The Show

The temperature outside was 37 degree celsius.

I was in the air conditoned Hong Kong Restuarant.

Saw this scene outside. I shot it through the dirty window.

The little girl was helping her mum to tend the store at the alley.

Saw a modern lady walked up to her and ordered some stuff.

And this little girl did the packing etc effortlessly.

A good choice for running the show when the experienced one is not around.

Kinda make me think again.

How many young ones, or even older one like me, nowdays are willing to work or help under such environment and is capable to handle tough situation well? (i am not referring to packing, i mean talking about tough situation like financial and family problems)

And i mean, without complaints.

Looking at my new and young colleagues, their mindset is so much different from me.

And my seniors also tell me, my mindset is different from theirs as well.

The gap between, the 60s, 70s, and 80s seems to be getting bigger and bigger.

In terms of thinkings, experiences and expectations.

What about the the 90s and 00s and 10s that are arriving?

As living standards gets better and better, i guess, the hardship and pain that the majority older ones went through is something the majority younger one that may not experience.

And never learn.

Yup, living standards do make a big difference.

So should we hope living standards remain the same or better so that our young ones don't have to go through the hardship ( i would say inconvenience, like no air con etc) or do we hope they learn?

Let's hope photography let them see the world around them. which they never seen or noticed.

 

[Leong23]

Hi Bro

Very nice series and write-up.

 

[Yapster]

Hi Bro

Very nice series and write-up.

Thanks bro~

 

[Snowywolf]

very nice writeups once again..
i particularly liked the one on ur great grand dad..

it's like.. prying into ur 'family business'

cheers.

 

[Yapster]

very nice writeups once again..
i particularly liked the one on ur great grand dad..

it's like.. prying into ur 'family business'

cheers.

Thanks Jayne~

Yeah... I wonder, if my family was still rich, will i be in Singapore? :think:

I guess, everything is kinda pre-destined.

 

[Yapster]

8月10日

Keep Running

The Terrain may be Uneven,
The Stability may be Impaired,
The Load may be a Burden,
The Gears may be Inappropiate,

The Going May Be Tough,

Keep Running.​

 

[Yapster]

8月12日

Where'd You Go

​

One of my favourite song since 2006.

It pretty reminds me, Life is not just about Work.

Went back office today to settle some admin and took half day leave to come home and did some packing. Pretty moody day and the heavy rain in the west added the impact.

Manz, these 4 days in SG is short.

I've always have this dilemma when it comes to flying.

I would say i love to stay in Singapore but i prefer the more dynamic working environment in China.

I guess, meanwhile, i work for the money.

But i need to get my direction real soon.

And the lyrics from the song. Take a minute or two to think about it.

By Fort Minor featuring Holly Brook

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.

She said "Some days I feel like ****,
Some days I wanna quit, and just be normal for a bit,
I don't understand why you have to always be gone,
I get along but the trips always feel so long,
And, I find myself tryna stay by the phone,
'Cause your voice always helps me when I feel so alone,
But I feel like an idiot, workin' my day around the call,
But when I pick up I don't have much to say,
So, I want you to know it's a little ****ed up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family here singing "Where'd you go?"

I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...

You know the place where you used to live,
Used to barbeque up burgers and ribs,
Used to have a little party every Hallowe'en with candy by the pile,
But now, you only stop by every once in a while,
****, I find myself just fillin' my time,
Anything to keep the thought of you from my mind,
I'm doin' fine, I plan to keep it that way,
You can call me if you find you have somethin' to say,
And I'll tell you, I want you to know it's a little ****ed up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', at times debatin',
Tellin' you that I've had it with you and your career,
Me and the rest of the family here singing
"Where'd you go?"

I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...

I want you to know it's a little ****ed up,
That I'm stuck here waitin', no longer debatin',
Tired of sittin' and hatin' and makin' these excuses,
For while you're not around, and feeling so useless,
It seems one thing has been true all along,
You don't really know what you got 'til it's gone,
I guess I've had it with you and your career,
When you come back I won't be here and you'll can sing it...

Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone.
Where'd you go?
I miss you so,
Seems like it's been forever,
That you've been gone,
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...
Please come back home...​

 

[Yapster]

8月16日

Break.Broken

​

Saw this, no offence, beggar having a tibits break (or maybe his dinner) outside my hotel while my colleagues and i were on the way for our dinner.

Kinda reminds me of those beggars i saw in crowded places in SG. especially those outside the temple at Middle Road (near Bugis Junction).

Most of them are young and middle aged man with certain parts of their body amputated.

Reminds me of some scary stories i've heard.

There are stories like, some desperate people from China actually asked to undergo the amputation so they can gain the sympathy of the public and earn money by begging.

For these people (if the stories are true), i really don't understand why they must go through such pain and agony to earn money this way when they have an able body to carry out other jobs.

And what they are doing is actually "breaking the ricebowl" of actual handicapped beggars.

Maybe they are really desperate.
Maybe their earnings are insufficient to support themselves or even their family.
Maybe they want fast money.
Maybe they are cheated.
Maybe... Well, Maybe.

I guess, they must have their reason for doing so.

But if the reason is because they want fast money and are lazy to work hard for it, i can only see it as plain stupidity to do it.

What's the point of having tonnes of money when you have a missing arm or leg?

And err, it somehow link back, what's the point of having tonnes of money when you don't have the health and time to spend it on yourself or with your love ones at all?

I guess, we are handicapped in a way.

 

[Yapster]

8月25日

Little Red Dot's Reflection

​

Beijing Olympic 2008 came to a close yesterday.

I watched the closing ceremony and events recap till 1230 midnight in Guangdong, Huizhou.

A pity i am not in Beijing.

17 Days of events which manifest excitement, emotion and inspiration.

Restuarants were flooded with cheers, shopping malls were flooded with China and Olympics flags, roads were flooded with banners on being civilised to show the world what they can really do.

Unless you are in China, if not, you won't feel the atmosphere and spirit.

Unless you have cable TV in SG, if not, you won't be able to follow most of the events.

But i guess, the opening ceremony was enough to let us know something.

China can do it.

Regardless of all the negative predictions, prejudices and comments.

They made it.

They have shown the world what they can really do.

They are simply... Good.

Yes, some may say they are a big country.

They have lots of manpower.

They have lots of money.

They have anything, we FEEL or ASSUME we don't have.

But think again.

The bigger the country, the harder it is to implement new policy, rules, orders and laws.

But they made it.

We are small.

We are little.

And all the more we should be able to produce things of higher quality with tighter control.

We can make it too.

If we want to.

Quote from Adidas Slogan,

"Impossible Is Nothing."

 

[Yapster]

9月2日

Sweet 16

​

16.

It was the year when i first went out to work part time in a factory after my "O" levels.

Spotting long hair and wear Cross Colours Jeans, my friends and i were working for the sake of killing time and earning money to buy the JPG bags, Versace belts, Ralph Lauren Polo Tees and other stuff to satisfy our vain mentality.

But it was never the case for these young girls working in China Plants today.

Most of them entered this plant at the age of 16. The oldest age allowed to join is 18.

Many of them came from Hu Nan, Jiang Xi, Chong Qing and Si Chuan.

Almost 80% of them came from rural places like villages and farms.

They all came here, on a 16-20 hours bus journey, with different purposes.

Many to earn money to support their family and at the same time, to save up so they can further their studies.

Some to kill time as they find it bored staying in villages and they want to see how life in bigger cities or more urbanized places are.

Some are still looking for their right path.

Nevetheless, all of them came here with a reason. For a living.

Life here is not easy.

They are trained like army recruits.

Scoldings can be heard every morning when they fall in.

The intense output competition between different lines results in blaming one another, scoldings, angers and tears...

Why so uptight you may think?

Well, they treat their job with respect and integrity.

Thus, the response that come with it when they did not meet their target.

And their pay was about 800 RMB per month in 2004.

Recent adjustment see their salary goes up to 1000 RMB per month.

Seriously, from my 4 years of frequent visit here, not many made it to a post as a permanent staff of this plant.

Yes, when they join the plant, they are on contract basis.

A minimum of 3 years. Following that, renewal of contract on a yearly basis.

And if they are recognized or lucky enough to be spotted as potential staff, they get promoted.

And only then, are they allowed to stay out etc.

Of course, the company take care of them well too.

You see should how happy these young girls are during their sports' day, Karaoke Competition, Annual Dinner etc.

Simple and easily satisfied.

So why do they travel so far from home to earn that little amount of money, get scolded, lead a regimental life and with no job security for their future?

Do they have a choice?

Do you?