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2012-02-02T21:55:00.001+08:00

Universal Studios Singapore AGAIN!

2012-01-13T23:38:00.001+08:00

2nd time outing with my lovely sisters, Wenwei and Chong Liang. Although that was my fourth time, I had not tried 4 new rides. Transformer 4D, Human, Cylon and the new Madagascar water ride.

Transformer 4D and Cylon were the most awesome rides ever. I would give as many thumbs up as I could for Transformer 4D. The team behind this ride made a NEW 2-minute 4D movie. You will be seated inside a car wearing 3D spectacles. The movie was spectacular one. It is as though you were the hero at war with the Decepticons.

This Optimus Prime was an alive and kicking.

Human-size dryer that cost S$5. Made for those people who are soaked to the skin after the Rapids Adventure @ Jurassic Park. To make your money worthwhile, should have at least 2 person utilizing it.

Lovely sis.

Went for the Monster Rock show. Fantastic songs and dances. Managed to get the 2nd row seat. Not suppose to take photos but who cares!

There was supposed to be parade and we went around to get the best spot. But was cancelled! Argh!

Fox Glacier

2011-12-29T22:59:00.001+08:00

A 4.5hr drive from Queenstown to Fox Glacier – Glacier Country. As we drove from the east to the west coast, the landscape changed dramatically. West Coast resembles South East Asia’s tropical forest except for some of the weird-looking plantations. At some part of the highway, we thought we were in Genting Highlands.

Fox Glacier is a very peaceful town. To some, it can be quite boring. The general store is very small and things that the store sell is quite expensive. I would recommend to stock up the ration at bigger towns before going to Fox Glacier.

One of the nature walks along the highway before reaching Fox Glacier.

Knight’s Lookout Point. The horizon seems to have an endless border so much so that the curvature of Earth can be seen.

Approaching Bruce Bay. The weird-looking trees that I’m talking about.

Walking to Fox Glacier. We booked the half-day trek with Fox Glacier Guilding. Eye-opening tour especially for me, who loves Geography! The reason we chose Fox Glacier is that the walking distance is much shorter compared to Franz Josef Glacier, which means more time can be spent on the ice.

How insignificant we are, compared to Mother Nature!

The air was freezing cold even with the gentlest breeze. Cold air sinks above the glacier which creates wind. Our faces were literally cold and smiles were much frozen.

Ice Arch.

Queenstown, New Zealand

2011-12-25T11:25:00.001+08:00

Queenstown, a small awesomely beautiful town known for its extreme adrenalin activities. I read that the first bungy jump started from Queenstown. I totally LOVE this little town! Tranquillity town surrounded by Remarkables (mountains).

Tourists (not us) getting ready for jet boating.

One of the days that we can wake up late and slow down our pace. Besides its magnificent view, there’s a famous burger store. The size of its burger is bigger than Wen Wei’s face.

Fergburger – In Ferg We Trust. Tripadvisor reviews here.

Look at its sheer size. To me, it is the best burger in the world. If you think that Carls Jr was nice, Fergburger will win hands & legs down. Due to its delicious taste, I can finish the whole burger.

Even the seagulls were waiting!

~~~

The next morning, we went for the Gondola ride costing NZ25 for a return trip.

The Remarkables (mountains) in the background.

Bungy jump but this is not the highest. One will plunge into the deep forest.

Paragliding - One of the activities that I regretted not playing. The starting and a very high point.

Off they fly!

Ride up to Luge.

On the way to Glenorchy. Look at how clean & clear the lake is. New Zealanders certainly love their country and environment very much.

Best scenic road from Queenstown to Glenorchy

2011-12-18T18:30:00.001+08:00

This is a must-drive road for every tourist who arrives at Queenstown. This is, by far… the best scenic highway of all the roads we drove in our trip. Even Trey Ratcliff (professional landscape photographer) from Stuck in Customs recommended this drive. See his HDR version of the drive.

My HDR version, merging of 5 images.

15,000 ft skydive with Nzone, Queenstown New Zealand

2011-12-18T16:18:00.001+08:00

One of the highlights of this trip was skydiving. We have researched many companies and decided to book the skydive with Nzone. One of the main reasons was the excellent reviews from Trip Advisor, and they provide an individual photographer-cum-cameraman to jump together. Undoubtedly, the package price for video and photos was more expensive, much more than those shot with hand cams. The dive masters in Nzone were all very professional and Nick, who was my tandem master gave me some advices how not to be nervous.

He said, “Once you are out there, adrenaline will rush in and you will not be scared anymore. Trust me.” And I really need to trust him.

With my tandem dive master, Nick.

Fly like a Superman!

Touched down in 1 piece. I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!

Milford Sound

2011-12-11T13:17:00.001+08:00

We based our drive to Milford Sound in Lake Te Anau. The drive to Milford Sound is about 2-2.5hrs with a few scenic stops. The drive itself is already sooooo breathtaking. We booked at Milford Sound cruise with Real Journeys, about NZ85 per person. The nature cruise is about 2.5hrs long. As we only have 2 nights in Te Anau, we went for the shorter cruise which is in Milford Sound. I have a feeling that Doubtful Sound is much nicer. But the trip would have taken the whole day and much much more expensive.

Milford Sound rains about an average 200 days a year. We were considered extremely lucky that it was a fine and sunny day when we went. The west coast of NZ have sandflies problem especially from Spring onwards except for Winter. It is best to purchase an insect repellent from the local pharmacies as they have their own unique formulae to combat the flies. Originally, I wanted to purchase Bushman but settled for Skin Inc. instead. Skin Inc. insect repellent is one of the best that I have owned. The smell is nice and the spray worked well.

Nature cruise with Real Journeys

Waiting for the cruise to depart

Milford Sound is actually a fiord, having been carved by a glacier.

Some say Milford Sound is best viewed during a rainy day as the waterfalls would be even more spectacular.

Seal colony, lazing in the fine weather.

Ultra zoom at 300mm.

As our tour departed at 1030am, the weather was considered cold and windy. I was so frozen… Only hubby managed to brave the wind and had the shot above.

The clouds were so low during our drive, they covered half of the mountains at Milford Sound. Only clearing up in the afternoon. The feeling was mystical.

~~~

After the cruise, we had plenty of time to slowly drive our way back to Te Anau. Day is much longer during summer. We went in November, the sun only set at 9pm. A good sign for photography enthusiasts like us, as we do not have to rush or postpone our dinner.

A 15min return walk to The Chasm. Quite a spectacular sight as the waterfall plunges into the deep.

Tiny weeny winding road in the midst of the majestic mountains in Milford Sound.

Reached this place after driving out of the 1.2km long Homer Tunnel. We were so excited to see the leftover snow/ice.

From iPhone.

Preparing for our couple shot.

Over to the other side of the Homer’s Tunnel, an adventurous “cow boy” climbed up the treacherous rock formation.

Mount Cook

2011-12-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

Had one free day at Tekapo, so we decided to drive to Mt Cook to do the nature walks. New Zealand has many nature walks that are free. I had always wanted to do the 3-hour return Hooker Valley walk but the walk was closed due to the maintenance of the suspension bridges. No luck for me.

Went to Kea Point and Tasman Glacier View walks instead.

Plenty of scenic drives in NZ, particularly in the South Island.

Lake Pukaki, its water is more turquoise-looking than Lake Tekapo.

This is one of the most scenic-looking toilet.

If only I can have some form of perspective, we were actually at a high point overlooking this view.

Majestic Mt Cook

The Southern Alps

Lake Tekapo

2011-12-05T20:00:00.000+08:00

Due to the influx of budget airlines to NZ, we got our tickets from Jetstar at a steal. Booked 6 months in advance, our air ticket only cost a mere SGD 560 with taxes. Woo! We did a lot of research before embarking on a 10 day tour on just the south island. Freestyle.

Sunrise

A gruelling 10-hour flight from Singapore to Auckland, before changing to a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch (80mins). New Zealand is 5 hours ahead of us. So both of us had some slight jetlag.

Mountainous landscape, view from the domestic flight

The drive was so scenic. Coming from an urban city, the sight was definitely breath-taking.

Taken by my iPhone

After reading many reviews, we chose to stay at Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort. One of the few accommodations which offers the best view of Lake Tekapo. We drove from CHC airport straight to Lake Tekapo, a 3-hour scenic drive. Lake Tekapo is easily recognized by its mineral turquoise colour.

A natural wild garden outside the resort.

The Collie dog statue commemorated by the New Zealanders for their hard work at the field.

Church of Good Shepherd

Asian Civilisations Museum Fright Night

2011-10-29T23:18:00.001+08:00

Was strolling along Clark Quay after dinner at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and happened to clash this Halloween event organized by Asian Civilisations Museum. Admission was free, so how can I forgo this chance?! Fright Night was a relatively smaller scale event but nonetheless, I had my first taste of Halloween.

There was a particular gallery which showcases weapons used in the ancient South East Asia. At first, when I stepped into the gallery, I could sense some chills down my spine but I didn’t mention to Wen Wei. In Chinese, it would be described as 阴气重.Its the same feel as one walks to the cemetery. I just wanted to complete the gallery and move out asap. It also happened that Wen Wei had the same feeling too. The most obvious guess would be that these weapons were once used for *ahem you know* killing purposes and should have already tainted with blood.

Anyway……. The same old lovey-dovey walk….. And some forever alone photos.

The Walking Dead dancing.

Free Halloween makeup but it was such a long queue so I didn’t go for it.

And in another life, I would still be your girl…

2011-10-22T23:09:00.001+08:00

Saturday’s Chillax

2011-10-17T19:54:00.001+08:00

F1 Performance by Shaggy

2011-10-02T15:24:00.001+08:00

As we were camping at Turn 2, by the time the race ended it was impossible for us to run to see Linkin Park’s performance. So we headed for the last F1 performance by Shaggy. He was super COOL!

I have always like music photography. Not only capturing music personalities but also the ambience. And if I happen to know the song, it will just motivate me further.

Mic in his pants.

ISO 1250, F/2.8, 1/125s

Due to the lighting, depending on Aperture Priority mode is unreliable. I will have to switch to Manual Mode.

Panning F1 Cars

2011-10-01T10:44:00.001+08:00

I learnt how to pan a moving vehicle through Willy Foo’s Basic Photography course. And this time it had come in handy. Panning is a technique whereby it is hard to get it right the first time. Well at least for me. It is about moving the body according to the same speed as the car. Panning an F1 car was nerve wrecking. Hundred of shots taken but only a few photos made it.

Porsche GT race. ISO 100, F/11, 1/100s. Continuous focus.

Panning in bright daylight is easier than at night. Porsche cars are relatively slower. So after a few shots, I kinda got into the groove.

At turn 2. Shuttle Priority. ISO 2000, F/7.1, 1/160s

I had tried a lot of shots before I got it right. I had a few questions asking, “What are the camera and lens you use?” The truth is, I’m only using a 50mm lens, all of the time I had to adjust myself and the camera to suit the environment. The success of panning lies in the technique. I have witnessed Wen Wei using a Nikon D90 but still able to pan out very nice results.

I tried to challenge myself further, which is to pan an F1 car at a lower shuttle speed.

ISO 2000, F/10, 1/100s

ISO 2000, F/14, 1/100s

A good panning also lies in the contrast of the car. With an F1 car traveling at such fast speed, the camera has to lock the focus point faster than the blink of our eyes. So choose a moving vehicle with high contrast will make panning easier.

ISO 2000, F/13, 1/80s

ISO 1600, F/14, 1/50s

I tried to reduce the shuttle speed as much as I can handle, which means I had to be very consistent during the panning especially turning my body from right to left.

ISO 1200, F/14, 1/50s. I didn’t pan very well with Ferrari cars as the contrast level was much lower than the other cars. So this is my only good panning shot of the Massa’s Ferrari.

ISO 1250, F/11, 1/40s –> the slowest shuttle speed that I can handle.

Red bull, Sebastian Vettel. ISO 1250, F/16, 1/40s. My best shot of the day.

In pursuit of…

F1 – We Love Jessica Michibata!

2011-09-26T22:15:00.001+08:00

We dressed up specially to meet Michibata! We absolutely love her because not only she is Wen Wei’s dreamgirl, she is super friendly.

Top from H&M Girls. He said I’m his girl in reality.

Nadal’s Green Top. He said he wanted to stand out from the fans.

She said that she remembered us!

MICHIBATA!!! She signed on the photos that were taken last year. There was a story why we were so crazy about her. During our 3rd time, we got our tickets at the very last minute and slowly strolled to the circuit park. We happened to enter via the gate nearest to Promenade MRT station. While walking to the Singapore Flyer, a racetrack marshal shouted “Jenson Button is coming!”

Since Wen Wei is not interested in Button, he was looking for Button’s girlfriend. I was totally not jealous because I was blown away by her beauty too. When I approached her last year to take a photo together, she happily said “Yes.” Woo hoo!

Both our hands were shaking even after the photos were taken.

What a proud boy!

The next day, we arrived at Gate 5 quite early so waited at the Asian Civilisation Museum to hide away from the heat. Mad hot outside!

I love the creamy effect of my 50mm lens.

We walked all the way to the Singapore Flyer, again to hide from the heat.

The Ultimate Street Race Under The Stars!

2011 F1 Friday (Practice Day)

2011-09-24T11:08:00.001+08:00

Went to F1 on Friday, just in time to catch the 2nd practice. The air was so humid that most of people are sweaty and some, smelly. I would advice the people going there to read the 20 survival tips by Singapore GP website.

At F1 Village

At such a strong lighting on the performers, depending on aperture priority mode is very unreliable. At F2.8, aperture priority will assume the camera needs shutter speed of 1/100 – 1/160s taking into consideration of the dark environment. But, most of the performers’ faces will be overexposed. I will need to switch to Manual mode and push the shuttle speed to 1/500 – 1/640s to obtain the kind of exposure that I want.

My first Ferrari purchase!

All the 200mm - 400mm primes. I heard some chuckled at my midget 50mm lens. That’s alright.

All Zone 1 ticket holders gets to enjoy unlimited free rides at the Singapore Flyer. My first time to view the track at night.

It’s always the initial part of the ride that my legs started to feel wobbly. I was the only one sitting down.

At Turn 3.

Massa!

Shanghai–Where New Meets Old

2011-09-06T22:38:00.001+08:00

One of the many streets in Shanghai that we have walked. Ever wonder why the aircon compressors are all facing the main street? The probability of dripping onto people is high. Literally, we had to avoid drips… Weaving left and right.

Wires of Entanglement.

Taken with my iPhone, Camera+ app.

One of the shopping buildings in Nanjing Road, Pedestrian Walk. A good pair of walking shoes is required to walk from one end to the other. I wasn’t that smart. Coming from a small island, I can’t help thinking that each MRT stop is within 5-10min walking distance. Not a very good mentality to be applied to big cities. So habitually, we walked from the end of Pedestrian Walk to The Bund. Freaking far! Should be about 2km walk with our camera gears.

One of the must-visit places to taste the over-rated Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao (南翔馒头店), located at City God of Temple (城隍庙). I’m not being mean but their Xiao Long Bao cost RMB35 for 6 pieces. Expensive, according to Shanghai’s gourmet food prices. An eating house outside the hostel that I stayed cost RMB6 for 6pcs. On the bright side, I didn’t queue for hours for the steamed bun. Went to the 2nd floor for the more ATAS (High Class in Malay). Each person need to spend minimum RMB60/person, equivalent to S$12/person.

南翔糟鸡 Chicken pickled in wine (and with lots of salt). The chicken’s skin is rubbed with salt. A dish that we found it hard to savour.

蟹黄灌汤包 Steamed bun with crab roe stuffing. An Okay but must try food item, just for the fun of it.

小笼包 Xiao Long Bao!

Went to Yu Garden (豫园). According to Wikipedia, the garden was first established in 1559 as a private garden created by Pan Yunduan, who spent almost 20 years building a garden to please his father Pan En, a high-ranking official in the Ming Dynasty, during his father's old age.

The garden is huge just to please Pan’s dad. This is my first time to such an old and wonderfully restored piece of historical place. I can’t help but kept imagining what would the Ming Dynasty people wear, the servants and what fishes did Pan keep. Imagining more than 500 years ago, those people walked the same path as we do now. Seeing the very ancient chairs in many of the pavilions gave me goose bumps. I’m seeing these things in real life.

The famous image to show that you have been there done that. Everywhere is crowded.

Intricate craving

Miniature furniture for sale

City God of Temple. That’s all. The rest are all shopping and choking myself with RMB6 Xiao Long Baos…

National Day Parade, 9th Aug~

2011-08-25T23:24:00.001+08:00

Have been capturing fireworks since the 2nd combined rehearsals. Over 16 hours of wait + 16 minutes of practice time in total. But on the actual day, only 1 shot was nicely captured.

This was my best shot. Practice + Patience.

NDP Fireworks with a Black Card

2011-07-17T09:10:00.001+08:00

This time, I wanted to try something different. To combine different fireworks together. The tip is to use a black card. Both Wenwei and I were kind of nervous. Many things can go wrong using a black card than the usual technique. Overexposed fireworks was our main concern and we were right. This technique requires practise and most importantly, Intuition.

Practise time was only 10min every Sat until the actual NDP. Our hideout is Promontory at Marina Bay. The place is so windy and gets a panoramic view of the entire Marina Bay. Besides, ample places to sit!

Last week’s NDP Fireworks without Black Card.

With Black Card.

My Favourite.

Comparing the 2 different techniques, the usual 3-4secs of exposure to fireworks is a lot easier and cleaner. And more photos can be captured. The technique using the Black Card captures less photos but the fireworks will have more dimensions and layers. To get a great image with Black Card takes a lot of practise. Timely, Precision and Intuition.

NDP Rehearsal

2011-07-03T16:59:00.001+08:00

Camped at Promontory @ Marina Bay for the NDP Rehearsal fireworks. After the Marina Bay Sands’ construction was done, together with the Promontory @ Marina Bay, they form a ring which provides ample space for people to view the fireworks.

Reliable Joby Gorillapod

Some couple shots before the fireworks.

Twilight hour

Had a 50mm so view was limited.

50mm F1.4G is Bokeh-licious!

2011-06-26T12:02:00.001+08:00

For the past week, I had been researching on a new lens. A prime lens in particular. Previously, I had a Nikkor 50mm f1.8D and ever since, I’m hooked to the image quality of prime lens. But that lens was adopted. Haven’t have my own lens since the purchase of D700.

Simply googling the lens, there are tons of reviews. Most of the reviewers were sold by the color, image quality and of course, the sweet soft bokehs.

But, here comes the question, is it worth the upgrade?

50mm f1.8D – $190+, 50mm f1.4D – $500+, 50mm f1.4G – $800+.

YES! YES! YES! Raising my hands and legs. I was crazy for that little improvement and its bokeh.

Some reviews that are worth reading…

1. http://ishootshows.com/2010/09/16/review-nikon-50mm-f1-4-afs/

2. http://mansurovs.com/nikon-50mm-1-4-afs-vs-afd

Here comes the photos…

Checking the photos. Zooming in and out.

The bokeh-licious bokehs in the background. Due to its no. of blades in the lens, G lens creates rounder bokehs than the Ds. The bokehs are not as harsh too.

This kitty has some characters.

Yawnzzz… At F1.4, only the fangs are sharp.

Soft and round Bokehs.

Personally, I find that the sweet spot for this lens is F2.8. This image is taken at F2.8 with a speedlight.

Wenwei’s brother and girlfriend. Was a bit kiasu. Am afraid that subjects will look blur so took this photo at F8. Hence, the background ambience was sacrificed.

Taken at F2.8. This is much better. Achieved with the help of a speedlight and some reasonable high ISO.

Bao Bao to sum it up! Think she is changing coat now. Her fur looked patchy.

Outing at Botanical Gardens

2011-06-12T19:56:00.001+08:00

Wenjie suggested to bring the 2 dogs for a outing at the Botanical Gardens. Went to Casa Verde for brunch and this is also the place where dog owners bring their dogs for walks.

I used to think that Botanical Gardens is only so-so. But I think the horticultural scene is comparable to King’s Park in Perth. The only factor which makes Botanical Gardens unbearable was Singapore’s ridiculously humid weather. Today temperature is ok, not too hot and Botanical Gardens provides ample shade but the humidity was really bad.

I always wonder how couples picnic in such a weather…

The dogs – Bao Bao & Bear Bear

Bear Bear loves to smile a lot!

Birthday with Angry Birds

2011-05-20T21:48:00.001+08:00

Ok not all of them looked angry. But some looked like they were going to tear my flesh off. Celebrated birthday at the Jurong Bird Park. I can’t say that I love all animals. Birds are not very interesting to me but they are very beautiful animals. Photographing them in flight was a great challenge, especially having to work with a rather slow lens (Nikon 28-300mm), I had to sacrifice clean and noise-less photos.

Kiss Kiss. Lovey Dovey.

Waiting for the Birds of Prey show, aka most of them are angry birds. All the birds had that angry look.

See what I mean~ But they are gorgeous.

Before the main show starts at the amphitheatre, they had to transport these parrots to some hidden crates. I had over 50 shots of this and barely 2 made it clean and clear. Luckily, the keepers needed to transport a handful of parrots which gave me the chance to get used their flying speed. It was a huge pain!

Last photo.

Bao Bao at Sentosa

2011-05-11T23:07:00.000+08:00

It has been such a long time since we last brought Bao Bao to Sentosa. Borrowed Wesley’s car and brough the dog to Tanjong Beach. Tanjong Beach is a paradise for dogs and their owners. Dog owners prefer to bring their pooches to Tanjong Beach because it is far away from the human crowd (Siloso Beach especially), which means lesser unwanted collision. But still, dogs are still expected to be leashed at all times.

Multi-tasking.

Smile!

Dicapac WP-S10 washed up shore.

Waiting for the waves.

Braving the waves.

Anticipation.

Pre-Birthday @ Singapore Zoo

2011-05-02T22:32:00.001+08:00

It has been more than 5 years since we last visited the Singapore Zoo. Decided to have my birthday celebration in the Zoo instead. Rented FX Nikon 28-300mm lens. A very good travel lens, especially useful when long zoom is needed. It is equivalent to a DX Nikon 18-200mm lens. After much testing, I felt that the focus area is rather soft than sharp. When you turn the lens from 280mm – 300mm, there is no zooming at all. A shortcoming of this lens.

The Singapore Zoo has changed quite a lot. Thanks to Wen Wei for his good planning that we managed to see all the shows and catch most of the feeding of animals.

The first feeding of the day. Elephant bathing and feeding as early as 9.15am.

The white tiger is one of the main attractions. By the way, from the commentary, white tigers are different from Albino tigers. Albino tigers do not even have stripes.

Waiting for the “Rainforest Fights Back” show.

Hungry~~~

Speak no evil

Loves~