A&E

This was a bizzare experience.

I started feeling like someone was pressing against the wall of my stomach, and it started getting worse and worse. For about 2 hours it went on. Suddenly I found myself spewing into the toilet bowl without feeling better after. I hate throwing up but the pain was so unbearable I willed myself to just let it go. About 10 minutes later, the next round came. I still didn't feel any better. This went on for about 4 times and finally the last one came and it felt like my belly was gonna turn inside out. Everything came out including acids.

I decided that the pain was too much to take so we headed to the A&E near our home so find out what was wrong. I couldn't event straighten my body for most part of it.

I'm feeling better now but doctor says it was gastritis. I've never had it before and I sure hope this is not going to be a re-occuring thing. I really really hope not.

Now my stomach is cramping from all that abdominal work-out, Thanks for all the messages. This was one bizzare night for me. It literally hit me from nowhere!

I'm sure i've developed abs from this.

Another reason why i Love my job

So I was walking down town - in the business district actually, trying to get photos to illustrate the GDP numbers rising... when I saw this lion dance troop (as part of the Chinese New Year celebrations) dancing in front of one of the buildings. I was hoping to get some cool lion photo with skyline in background. (illustrating wealth and prosperity) which didn't really work in the end.

This lion apparently decided to play with me and ate my camera, along with my hand.. but after many weeks of hostile environment training in the UK 2 years ago, I reacted well. Shoot first, suffer later! haha.

Touching the lion is supposed to be good luck. I wonder what mine translates to?!

Another Happy Post

This is literally a camera you can hang round your neck!

Another R.B.S. (and i'm don't mean the royal bank of scotland here) moment.

Thank you darlings

These 2 women brightened up my Sunday, the very last day of the airshow after a taxing week of being baked in the sun. My birthday was celebrated with 2 cakes which went through some thought process - two flavours just in case one can't be swallowed (literally). Carried all the way from the airport, through security x-rays and expensive cab rides... I made such great new friends and everlasting company. We feel like we've known each other for yonks. And not to forget Lishan, whom i'm so happy to be reunited with! HUGS! GIRL POWER!!!.. we're off to lunch now cause we can't get enough of each other!

Multimedia project #2

On a Thursday night, I suddenly remembered Thaipusam was just round the corner and it sure was. I decided that this year, I would make an effort to put up more multimedia slide shows. Adding sound to pictures always give your story and photos an added dimension.

I've also always enjoyed how BBC used to have those really cool sound stories, which allowed me to almost "be there" in the reporting scene.

For almost 8 years, i've covered this Thaipusam hindu festival but started to feel all stagnated when it came to the subject recently. The pictures were the same and waking up at 3 in the morning was not really a push factor for me.

I guess we all got to find fresh ways of looking at things and doing this multimedia definitely gave me that push. I was lucky enough to find an anchor as a voice-over. He was a friend of Steve, our SNTV guy. So i went over to his little convenient store to interview him the night before and realised that he was going to perform his ritual only at 5pm that day.

Part of me, as usual, asked myself why I was doing all this and started thinking of two words to descibe it all.

SELF INFLICTED.

Firstly.

To get nice photos out of Thaipusam, you've got to wake up early to catch the blue blue sky at dawn.

Next, you've got to remove your shoes and risk losing them while you move around a temple and go home smelling like temple.

Then, you've got to squeeze with thousands of people, only to take photos with messy backgrounds and worse..have your frame filled with like a hundred other photographers next to your subject.

Oh and in this case, if I want the blue sky, and my friend whom i've interviewed, I've gotta go there twice.

As usual, I complain the whole way and as i'm doing this, i ask myself why...

But the final project excites you and overrides all these questions.

Now pain fades with time.. and it hasn't been that long really. I'm already thinking of what I can do next.

It's only the beginning of the year. I hope you find your inspiration too.

(:

Click HERE to see the slideshow

2nd byline as a text-ty

click here to get the link

So my second multimedia piece was about the Thaipusam festival in Singapore.

On top of that, I had to put out photos and a text block to accompany it on the wire.

I don't have the link to the multimedia yet but i felt a small thrill seeing Washington Post and Seattle Times pick up my story. Yay.. my second byline since the Genee Ballet piece. (:

Chinook

I've been busy at the airshow this whole week and apart from getting my biennial tan, i've met some really nice girly company (icon-shout yay!). A really nice break from the usual chest thumping group that I've been surrounded with. Don't get me wrong I still like my men. Another great highlight, which I can't stop looking at from my seat in the media center is this "man-eating-chinook-of-a-helicopter" I love it. If I sit here any longer, i will start a cartoon strip out of this and call it "Hellafaeater".

I like it. It's too cute.