Confessions of a Sensory Addict

Thaipusam 2012: Devotion (Part 3)

2012-02-13T12:38:00.000+08:00

Thaipusam 2012: Burden (Part 2)

2012-02-11T23:24:00.008+08:00

FOLLOWING SCENES MAY BE VERY DISTURBING TO SOME.
Scenes of religious self mutilation are shown in this post.
DO NOT VIEW IF YOU ARE ADVERSE TO SUCH SCENES.

Location: Little India, Singapore
Pictures taken on 6th and 7th Feb 2012
All pictures © all rights reserved.
Information text on Thaipusam courtesy of Wikipedia.
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Click here to see Part 1
Click here to see Part 3

Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம்) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February).

On the day of the festival, devotees will undertake a pilgrimage along a set route while engaging in various acts of devotion, notably carrying various types of kavadi (burdens). At its simplest this may entail carrying a pot of milk (known as Paal Kadum), but mortification of the flesh by piercing the skin, tongue or cheeks with vel skewers is also common.

Some have a small spear through their tongue, or a spear through the cheeks. The spear pierced through his tongue or cheeks reminds him constantly of Lord Murugan. It also prevents him from speaking and gives great power of endurance. Other types of kavadi involve hooks stuck into the back and either pulled by another walking behind or being hung from a decorated bullock cart or altar on wheels, with the point of incisions of the hooks varying the level of pain. The greater the pain the more god-earned merit. One of the most spectacular is known as the Vel Kavadi - essentially a portable altar up to two meters tall, decorated with peacock feathers and attached to the devotee through 108 hooks or skewers pierced into the skin on the chest and back.

Click here to see Next (Part 3)
Click here to see Part 1

Thaipusam 2012: Preparations (Part 1)

2012-02-10T12:05:00.013+08:00

Location: Little India, Singapore
Pictures taken on 6th and 7th Feb 2012
All pictures © all rights reserved.
Information text on Thaipusam courtesy of Wikipedia.
Click pictures to see large
Click here to see Part 2
Click here to see Part 3

Thaipusam (Tamil: தைப்பூசம்) is a Hindu festival celebrated mostly by the Tamil community on the full moon in the Tamil month of Thai (January/February). The word Thaipusam is derived from the month name Thai and Pusam, which refers to a star that is at its highest point during the festival. The festival commemorates the occasion when Parvati gave Murugan a vel "spear" so he could vanquish the evil demon Soorapadam.

Devotees prepare for the celebration by cleansing themselves through prayer and fasting approximately 48 days before Thaipusam. Kavadi-bearers have to perform elaborate ceremonies at the time of assuming the kavadi and at the time of offering it to Murugan. The kavadi-bearer observes celibacy and take only pure, Satvik food, once a day, while continuously thinking of God. The Kavadi itself is a physical burden through which the devotees implore for help from the God Murugan. Generally, Hindus take a vow to offer a kavadi to idol for the purpose of tiding over or averting a great calamity, or granting a wish.

Preparations.

Chanting.

In another world. Man goes into trance.

Man in trance giving out blessings, while people around him rushed to get blessed.

Emotional explosion. Had to be held down by three men.

Young boy preparing for the festival.

Proud father putting his son's head-dress on.

I am number 4181.

Click Here to see Next (Part 2)
Click Here to see Part 3

Little India After Hours

2012-02-05T02:08:00.003+08:00

Location: Little India, Singapore
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Went on a late walk in little India recently. Spent some time talking to some of the foreign workers about their life and getting to know them. Most of them are very friendly and very nice people. Even though the work may be hard and demanding, they are proud that they are making a decent living and providing for their family. It is really fun to watch them relax and having a good time just enjoying their time off.

Relaxing after the shower.

You pedal, I steer.

Cafe Back Alley.

Cafe Back Alley 2.

TV time.

Just hanging out.

Life by the Sea

2012-01-25T23:30:00.004+08:00

Location: Lagi, Binh Thuan province, Vietnam
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Three hours by bus from Ho Chi Minh city, La Gi is a District-level town of Bình Thuận Province. The area is also known as the "Vietnamese Riviera" due to its beautiful beaches and resorts and it connects all the way to the beaches of Phan Thiet a further 25km up along the coast. While the growing number of foreign visitors lay in the sun to enjoy the high life, it is interesting to look at the daily life of the local residents.

Boat crew gets a ride on the basket boat to shore and can't wait to go home.

Basket boat owner with his pride and joy.

Waiting at the shore for the goods to arrive.

How the goods are transported from the boats to the trailers.

Loading up.

Spartan living conditions.

100 year old resident.

Preparing for the next day.

Let it Rain (on the streets)

2012-01-24T18:10:00.003+08:00

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Seeing how much rain we are getting this Lunar New Year (aka Tet Festival), here is a post dedicated to street scenes in Vietnam in the rain.

Many photographers will hide their cameras and run for shelter at the first sight of rain. In Saigon, when the raindrops fall, a whole new street scene emerges. And couple that with a bright setting sun, it is simply wonderful.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Lost in Saigon

2012-01-15T13:19:00.004+08:00

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Saigon, aka Ho Chi Minh City, is a playground for street photographers. You can simply walk and lose yourself in the streets and alleys. There is just so much to see and shoot that you just get lost in the ever flowing street life...

Catching up with the Street Shooter

2012-01-14T20:03:00.005+08:00

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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This post is a tribute to Mr Tung, an exceptional artist and avid street photographer whom I have the honor of knowing and shooting with. He has taught me so much. Thank you sir!

Construction Worker on Break

2012-01-13T08:56:00.006+08:00

Taken: 10th Nov 2011
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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Winding through the alleys of Saigon, I came across this construction worker who is taking a break by a street stall in an alley. He is a handsome fella with little words. He smiled and nodded slightly at me when I picked up my camera to capture portraits of him. Even when I was done and said thank you, he did not speak a single word. Just smiled and nodded slightly. Cool as a cucumber.

Young Street Vendor

2012-01-12T23:35:00.006+08:00

Taken: 10th Nov 2011
Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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This young boy approached us at the bus station and asked if we wanted to buy some sweet pastry from him. I was amazed by his young age as he was with our cameras. He was all smiles as we took some portraits of him before his guardian (mother?) ran out and told us to leave. Most street vendors in big cities do not like their pictures taken. Maybe they are afraid that they will get into trouble.

Nha Lon, Long Son Island

2012-01-12T12:41:00.003+08:00

Taken: 11th Nov 2011
Location: Long Son Island, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Province, Vietnam
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Long Son is home to an ancient commune. The commune is self sufficient. Nha Lon, meaning "Big House", is the home of Ong Tran religion and the center of this commune. In Nha Lon, the old "Nom" language, which is very similar to Chinese, is still practiced among the holy men. Here are some pictures taken in Long Son Island. You can read more about Long Son here.

The holy men practice their Nom and writes the ceremony banners using the old calligraphy.

This beautiful lady is the current person in charge of Nha Lon (the Big House).

The folks gather in the big hall of Nha Lon, waiting for the religious ceremony.

Some of the Holy men, sitting around and chatting. The second gentleman from the left actually speaks Chinese.

This handsome gentlemen is 80 years old.

A young man sits waiting for his turn...

The folks wears black robes and walks barefooted towards Nha Lon for a religious ceremony.

Inside the home of a Long Son resident.

Long Hai Fishing Village - Part 2

2012-01-07T08:19:00.006+08:00

Taken: 11th Nov 2011
Location: Long Hai Fishing Village,Ba Ria Province, Vietnam
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Click here to see Part 1.

The people of Long Hai are beautiful and very friendly. If they can afford the time, they will smile while we take our shots. The children are more wary of strangers and will shy away when they see the large black cameras pointed at them. The people of Long Hai do not have a lot, but they are content. They do not live in very good conditions but they are happy.

Crew from fishing boats hitting the shore after a hard night's work.

Going home.

We are going Home!!!

Old lady of Long Hai.

Happy family portrait.

Young baby boy at breakfast time.

While adults play, kids play too.

Portrait of a boy of Long Hai.

Mother and Son.

Breakfast time.

Click here to see Part 1.

Long Hai Fishing Village - Part 1

2012-01-07T01:16:00.011+08:00

Taken: 11th Nov 2011
Location: Long Hai Fishing Village,Ba Ria Province, Vietnam
All pictures © all rights reserved.
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Click here to see Part 2.

Long Hai is a small fishing village in Ba Ria Province and located 30km north-east of Vung Tau. It was a very cloudy morning when we arrived at Long Hai. We also reached Long Hai a little late. So most of the fishing nets have already been picked clean and folded, and most of the catch sorted. Nevertheless, we managed to get a feel of what life is like in the heartlands.

Heading out in the basket boat.

Pulling baskets back off the beach.

Ladies sorting out crabs on the beach.

Packing sorted fish into crates.

Ice is provided for free by the companies that are buying up the stock of fish. They will send the ice in trucks, and the same trucks will leave with all the processed and packed fish.

Fish crates iced and value calculated.

Heads, tails and waste collection.

Nets are untangled, tended and kept.

Click here to see Part 2.

Twenty-Twelve!

2012-01-02T11:41:00.004+08:00

Taken: 02-Jan-2012
Location: Lower Pierce, Singapore.
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Missed the first sunrise of 2012. But caught the second sunrise. Happy New Year everyone!

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More Landscapes in Vietnam

2011-12-13T11:17:00.005+08:00

Taken: 11th to 14th Nov 2011
Location: Vietnam
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More lanscapes in Vietnam. Please enjoy!

Sunrise at Mui Ne

Suoi Vang Lake

Bao Loc

Bao Loc Sunrise

Bougour Waterfall

Landscape in Vietnam

2011-11-15T02:39:00.014+08:00

Taken: 11th to 14th Nov 2011
Location: Vietnam
All pictures © all rights reserved.
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I am currently on a trip in Vietnam with awesome photographers from five countries. It has been extremely fun and we have lots of opportunities to shoot. There are still thousands of pictures I have not reviewed but here are some landscape photos I have processed. Please enjoy!

Sunset at Ke Ga, La Gi

Sunset at Tuyen Lam Lake

Suoi Vang Lake (Golden Stream Lake), DaLat

Sunrise at Bao Loc

Sunrise at Mui Ne

Deepavali Sunrise

2011-10-31T01:31:00.008+08:00

Happy Deepavali Everyone!

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A Chinese Opera Story

2011-10-16T05:32:00.013+08:00

Taken: 30-Sep and 1-Oct 2011
Location: Chong Pang, Singapore.
All pictures © all rights reserved.

I was invited by a couple of friends to visit a Chinese Opera Troupe. It was a very enriching experience. Seeing the performers backstage, talking to them, getting to know them is simply wonderful. It helped me understand and appreciate my heritage so much more. It was very heart warming to see art like this still around. However we are also sad that this traditional cultural art-form is going to be gone in a few years, as the younger generation shun Chinese Opera for mega pop stars and modern music. Most of the performers are not getting any younger and there are only but a handful of younger performers to replace them. With no funding from cultural heritage groups nor the government, many members of the troupe will not be able to continue this as a livelihood in the future. Sad to hear.

Nikon 1 Launch

2011-10-15T09:41:00.011+08:00

Attended the official launch of the new Nikon 1 system yesterday night. I have to admit that, initially, I was not very excited nor impressed with Nikon's answer to the mirrorless camera market. But after some hands on time as well as glimpses to what is to come in terms of accessories, I have to say I am pretty impressed with what I have seen. Here are some pictures I took of the event.

Nikon J1 body in hand.

Stylish and beautiful white Nikon J1.

Nikon V1 with 10mm F2.8 pancake.

F-mount adapter allows AF with current AF-S lenses.

Prototype Movie Shooting Kit and Close-up Ring LED Light. Other attachments presented (not show here) includes a touch controlled LCD panel, Projector, mini LED light, Joystick and a Network Adapter.

LED Light attachment.

Silicone case for J1.

The Nikon 1 cameras offers continuous shooting up to an amazing 60 fps. They are also capable of shooting slow-motion videos of up to 1200 fps! Here is a clip of a slow motion clip shot at the launch by Mr Alex Ortega (at 400fps):

And they say our country is prosperous

2011-09-25T17:02:00.010+08:00

Singapore is a small little country that has seen tremendous growth in Gross Domestic Product. New shiny buildings, expensive cars, branded stores and million dollar apartments abound in this country. But we only need to readjust our viewing wavelength a little, we will see poverty staring back in our face. Perhaps many of us chooses not to see certain people or things.

#1 - And he walks on by. How many times did we choose not to see and walk on by?

On Holy Ground

2011-09-23T02:05:00.007+08:00

Taken: 17-Sep-2011
Location: Little India, Singapore.
All pictures © all rights reserved.

I visited a Hindu temple recently in Little India right here in Singapore. It was an interesting experience observing the happenings and emotions flowing in that place. Here are some pictures I captured in the temple. Enjoy.

Revenge of the HDR

2011-07-28T13:09:00.005+08:00

Yes I did say I did not like HDR. I still don't. However, there was a request for one and I processed a very old series of photos (four exposures, to be exact) to produce this. Not that bad looking after all, but I still do not like HDR...

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Correcting WB in Photoshop with Curves

2011-07-28T12:46:00.000+08:00

This is a helpful tutorial on using Curves in Photoshop to correct White Balance. Hope you find it useful.

Shootsac

2011-07-27T22:55:00.002+08:00

A new product that is interesting for shooters on the go. The name can really use some work though. And the price is not cheap...

The S-Fourteen

2011-07-23T17:17:00.004+08:00

Taken: 19-Jul-2011
Pictures taken with Nikon D700 + Samyang 14mm/2.8
Location: The Promontory @ Marina.
All pictures © all rights reserved.

Kenneth is back from Shanghai and I met up with him to shoot some landscape. It has been a long time since I seriously shot any landscape and I am getting rusty. Decided to take my new UWA prime for a spin. It is a manual focus lens so I set it at close to hyperfocal distance fired off some shots. Looking at the result, I was blown away by the image quality. I am a believer now. The fourteen from Samyang is indeed cheap and good.

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