Another day at the office..

Can't decide which is more happening.. swine flu or the reds. Either way, it's still nice to be shooting SOMETHING.

Spider-nate

heh

Basic Social Etiquette

my dear colleague fen, together at an assignment this morning

Does it really take a big pandemic like Swine Flu to remind people to wash their hands and cover their mouths when we sneeze or cough? Are we that anti-social? This is almost embarrassing... people... and joking about having the Swine Flu is one thing... but coughing at each other on purpose, or at the nurse just to take the mickey out of the situation and pretend to actually be sick is really rude. Swine flu or not, no one wants to suck in your germs. So please, grow up. And be a little bit more sensitive to the people who actually have the virus cause I don't think you'd like it if you were really sick and I was making fun of you. (I actually saw someone cough into his friend's face on purpose to pretend to be sick when standing in line to get his temperature checked - what and ass)!

rawr

need . to . work . out . but . so . little . time.

rawr

Swine-Flu

a gowned nurse at TTSH shot on assignment

This is really a de-ja-vu moment for me when I first worked for the AP and SARS hit the world. Suddenly everything looked surreal and yet familiar. Friends that we had started to cancel appointments we had made earelier with them only because they were worried that we would be exposed to the virus. We milked every possible angle of coverage we possibly could at that point. People buying masks, nurses masked, hospitals, funerals, holy-communion intinction method, culling of chickens etc.. you name it, we got it. Singapore has come a long way now and we are better prepared. Of course all these diseases are bigger than us right now so it's important to work together. We're still free from the swine-flu but anything could happen.

Nate 2 yrs, 5 months and 5 days old

I love shooting but

but.. I don't like molotoff cocktails exploding next to a GAS Station. I don't like people firing bullets aimlessly from panic; though gun shots sound ok. I don't like ballbarings being fired at us. I don't like tear gas attacking the eyes but biting the skin is still ok. but i like having experienced it so i know how to respect the situation in future!

I don't understand the Thai security system

Saturday 11th April, 2009

There were a total of 3 of us over in Pattaya by the time I got there.

Sakchai, our Thai photographer tells me "maye-e, thong chai helmet na.. last year, pom maidai sai helmet... a rock hit my head.. Mai bpen lai bullet.. te wah rock antaria gua kup."

Basically asking me to wear the helmet provided by the police because there's nothing worse than flying rocks. Nevermind the bullets but the rocks!?! haha.

You know, shooting protests and demonstrations is harder than it seems. When I was younger, I would say that in situations like these, it's so easy to get pictures. Close your eyes and shoot, pictures are everywhere. But over this trip, I was humbled. Its so hard. Demonstrations are fun. Its expressive, explosive and drama. A photographer's dream.. But when you come across a group of angry thais, who've been out drinking all night and day, you worry. It is Songkhran... the water festival or Thai new year. People drink all day, get high, and then come to these demonstrations. They can't tell you apart from friend or foe. Now that's the scary part.

Anyways.

soldier remove razor wire so protesters can walk through

This was when things started to get really bizarre. I come from Singapore where even the thought of starting a protest can get you arrested. Over there, the Army were moving the razor wire and barricades to allow protestors into the hotel premises. They were practically useless. It got to point where the protestors moved towards the last check point. And still they let them in.. visually, there were no efforts in trying to stop these reds. It was just a matter of time before they broke into the hotel itself. And they did. You could see them pushing their way, sqaushing the pathetic line of guards into the glass, the glass just started bending and bending til it popped and in they ran, through the whole meeting venue, looking for Abhisit, tearing up the place.. but still no action from the police. The leaders had to be evacuated in helicopters from the hotel roof.. It looked like a scene from Vietnam. Sheesh. It just left EVERYONE puzzled what this Army was doing.. plus, there were negotiations. Everytime they finish negotiating, the check point would open up.. I know Thailand is crazy, but even crazy i can normally understand. This just seemed too surreal...

Amazing Thailand

wason stole a shot of Vivek and I standing on the bridge

I've been pretty quiet on the blog because i've just returned from Amazing Thailand. Giving the country a tagline like that is really asking for us to start "taking the mickey out of it" with its current affairs. But now i'm back and rested, i'm also given fresh perspective to life at home. I've always believed that once in a while, you've got to defragment and reboot our own systems so that you can come back fresh and clearer in thoughts. I've been caught at at home for the longest time, shooting the same old assignments that I even started to get bored with what I was doing (photojournalism).

the AP photo team minus David Longstreath.

(left-right, Wason, Sakchai, Apichart, me, Vincent Yu, Vincent Thian)

The moment I stepped out of the pool last Thursday, my phone started ringing. It was my boss, asking me when was the soonest I could get to Bangkok. At this time, Anti-government protesters and supporters of former prime minsiter Thaksin Shinawatra were gathering in full force, hoping to overthrow the current Prime Minister Abhisit. These people are known as the Reds or si deang. I was overjoyed. Booked a flight and headed right there the next morning only to find out the the si deangs have also moved over to Pattaya, to try and stop the ASEAN summit meetings which hosted heads of states from all over the world. So, in the evening, I headed out there. No one expected it to get as crazy as it did.. At times it felt like a total war zone. At times tensions were high, at times it seemed like a total joke and at times it felt like it would never end.. Amazing thailand... yeah.. (: Anyways, i'm glad I could be part of the team covering the news up there and at the same time, experience it all, the drama, the fear, the excitement, the calm... This all helps with the growing process as photographer, colleague, mother, friend, wife. Most importantly, it re-kindled me love for what i nearly forgot how to be passionate about... my job.

Some days...

You just feel like lazing around. And that seems to be the favourite past time of Charlie, a giant Sumatran Orangutan at our Singapore Zoo. I am always amazed at his size.. he's bigger than me, and a lot more hair as well.. makes you want to hug him tight and squeeze him. Literally 'embracing nature'. On that note, Orangutans are one of the quickly dimishing species on this earth so we should do our part and support as well as applaud the wildlife preservation efforts by our own Zoo.

The Sniper

Yes, that's what Edison Chen was in Singapore to promote.. his new movie entitled "The Sniper".

I'm not a fan because i don't watch mandarin movies or sex scandal news. Especially when I had to cover this press conference and work on a Sunday when everyone else was sleeping at home in with the rain and thunder falling outside your windows.. booo. But Since so many of you requested for a picture of him.. Here's one.... he wasn't very smiley to begin with. Ben... you wanted this??? heh..

scary mary

is when you find out that some have been tracing network for a long long time and when you've also recently been proven right. freaky right?

muahahaha

22.03.09

Race Day.

It's crucial to start and finish well on race day but the journey and training leading up to it wins by miles in terms of importance. This year, I crossed the finish line happier than when I raced the same distance 6 months ago. I grinned till all my gums were exposed (but i didn't really care) as I approached the finish. I was just happy to have raced the best that I could and focus as hard as I could with whatever my energy my body could usher out. I was a little short from my targeted timing which i kept to a conservertive level but am satisfied nontheless. I'm not complaining because I was very lucky to avoid mishaps by thumb tack saboteurs and painful jellyfish stings which caused many to withdraw from the race.

Before the race, most people including me, start to feel pains and aches in different parts of our body. We start to complain about not getting enough rest or worry uneccessarily about inedequate training hours. But when the start gun sounds, we become a 100% race machine and all the little things that bothered us, dissappears.

This year, we got there early and good. There was lightning in the horizon which threaten the race committee to consider cancelling the swim leg of the race. That's 1.9km of swim. It would have been a real waste if that had happened. And to me, it's not favarouble because that is the leg of the race where I can create a little distance between me and some of the other competitors. I'm not rocket ship fast but it's one of my favourite legs of the race anyhow. This year, the swim seemed a little tougher. There seemed to be more current and we had to fight some rolling waves on the way back towards shore. It felt like it was taking forever for me to reach the last buoy but soon I was done. My start was not as smooth as i'd like it to be. For some reason, I positioned myself in the middle of the pack - something which I never do. I've always been a believer in starting on the outside line, where I may swim a little more distance but at least my path is clear from elbows and feet. But moving on...

Off to the bike leg..

I dunno why, but I just couldn't get into the groove of things. Of the whole race, this seemed to be the toughest for me this year. It was excellent seeing a familiar face on the route though. As I approached the first hill, I saw a familiar looking man sitting among the bushes with a camera.. it was my HUBBY.... YAY.. He's been my rock and my pillar of support. He didn't have to sit in the sun but he did. Just to capture pretty picutres of me and my friends pedaling fiercely down the Shears Bridge. Wow.. thanks terence. Anyway.. of all the 3 disciplines, my bike has supposedly improved the most. The last time I rode with coach and gang, we clocked 100km in just over 3hrs. That's a lot more distance than our race which was 91.1km. Drafting or not, my timing shouldn't have been that bad. I'm a little disappointed about the bike leg. I felt sluggish approaching the hills. I can be a real grandma while cycling on the straights sometimes but I just felt tired. For some reason I couldn't power up. My muscles felt cold. And i think i know why. Due to some overtrainig and fatigue, I was forced to stop training too early. Tapering too early definitely had some disadvantages for me. Now i know. Now i learn. I'm a little suspicious as well when I noticed that my front breaks were not aligned. One side was rubbing against the wheel. Oh well. Race is over now and I can only learn from experience.

I remember approaching the last u-turn before heading back East to the transition site, becoming very mental. I was just praying and singing hymms and trying to enjoy the race. There were moments when I aksed myself why I was doing this and that I should give up Triathlons altogether after this and have another baby. hehe.. short lived thought. Pain fades with time. And my pain faded off in 5 minutes. Soon, the ride was over and It was time to approach my "hardest" hurdle.

The run.

This year, the run leg felt shorter than the last even though it's still 21.1km. Nothing changed except for that little ramp we were made to run up. I found myself breaking the run into segments, using landmarks to motivate myself from one point to another. Soon i was halfway through and I just kept telling myself that as long as i keep running.. even if I jog, i'll be fine. Just Keep Moving. And that worked. Towards the end however, I started to cramp up. Disappointed that i couldn't run hard and fast for the last 4km i trudgged on and prayed again. I just kept talking to God and remembering that this race is done to Glorify God. That I am able to do all this because of Him. That my very existance let alone conquering this race was not possible without God's Grace. I carried on. Towards the last u-turn, a dear friend adviced me to pour cold water on my cramps. AMEN. it worked. hahahah seeing Sandy was like seeing and angel. (: Finally it was time to sprint to the finish... and all cramps were gone and forgotten. The feeling made you feel like you could fly. I guess you really can do anything if you put your mind to it. I managed to shave off half hour from last year's timing but even with the disappointment of my bike timing, I'm still satisfied. It seems like heaps of improvment but i'm staying grounded about it because i'm still relatively new to the sport. Learning curve will be steep now. The better you are, the less obvious the improvements in timings.. Coach always reminds me that with endurance racing, you've got to be patient. With the Grace of God of course who also blesses me with such wonderful family members and friends that make this painful sport fun. Sandy, Jacq, Carol, Wung Yew, Lynn, Leader, Commando, Jiayee, Liping, Lixia, George and all those other inspirational persons whom I falied to mention.. Your training time and dedication spurs me to go on.. Thank you for all your support.. Here's to another Year of self-inflicted pain. Muahahaha..

boo

i'm suffering from a serious case of needing to swim bike and run. I wanna get well so I can sweat it out again... Feeling so restless!!!aarrrggghhh

Laura and Victoria

The first time I heard and was aware I was listening to Jazz (like when I was 11 or 12) sans the usual numbers like Take Five and Wave and Puttin' on the Ritz, it was always songs by Laura Fygi. I know she's someone more likely from "my father's time" but a good singer's a good singer. I've shot pictures of her for the paper back when I was still working there and even bought tickets for my parents to watch her Live in Singapore because they love listening to her. Feels like a really long time ago. Well, I finally got to photograph her on a different capacity yesterday. Apparently she's a conservation activist while she's not singing and was here at the Night Safari at the Singapore Zoo to name a 1month old Malayan Tapir "Victoria". Aside from being all starstruck, Victoria is still much cuter than laura. (: It was another one of those pleasant assignments anyhow.

0808's the number.

A day before the Aviva Singapore Ironman 70.3 race on 22nd March 2009, I found myself trying to keep calm and not be nervous. Race pack collection happened 2 days before the race. I'm not one to be superstiscious but it's always fun to see what race numbers I end up with each year. Also, when you're a little stressed before race, it's always nice to be put at ease by little things around us. At last year's race, my number was 0068. Sounds nice and lucky in the Chinese language. This year, it was even better. It was 0808. Even luckier. I knew however, that no amount of luck could help me finish the race. It's good to have some luck though. Its all based on months of preparation before race day. The rest, I leave to God. I can't control the weather, I can't control who crashes in front of me and I sure as well can't control anyone from sabotaging the race course with thumb tacks. I was very blessed that I didn't get a flat on the race course. Amen! But my heart goes out to all those who had flats. I admire those who had flats and walked the rest of the way, just to finish the race. Amazing. That's what I call dedication. The usual pre-race routine included us racking up our bikes at transition areas a day before the race. Second time round, i'm a little less lost and a little more confident setting up my stuff. This time, I had a little elf for a helper. Nate started to pass me things that he thought I needed. He even tried fitting himself in my transition box which I thought was hilarious.

nate trying to fit into my transition box valet service for jeanette's bike

I'm blessed to have friends like Lynn and Wung Yew who are always up for a laugh to ease the mood. They've been great training buddies and we reinforce each other in very positive ways. Thanks guys. Looking forward to bigger races with you (; We managed to survey the race area and grab a few happy snappies along the way. Pre-race is actually bigger than race day itself. And it always helps to have friends who are accountable around us. To push us.

Sinus and Tigh Chests

I seem to be getting this every now and then.. Especially when I get ill, or catch something from Nate or some other sick person. The virus attacks and my cold turns into a bad backflow which infects the chest... then I get really congested and phlegm starts turning green which means secondary infection has set in. At the same time, my hearing goes bezzerk because my ears are blocked all day and my chest feels tight from a slight asthmatic reaction. This is starting to become a pattern. I also get this when I start to sleep late in consecutive nights and do not get enough sleep. Right now, as i'm typing this, I can't help but feel like i'm some kind of machine that constantly needs the Rhinocort, pumped into my nose (2 puffs a day) and Symbycort (1 puff a day) for the lungs and 2 Allertec pills every 3 days. Must Pray and Pray.. living like this is very tiring.

April Fool's Joke

This got me.. funny thing is, I can imagine China doing something like this ...

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2009/04/01/2003439917