I Heart My Pen: Photography (and other animals)

Wall Street Shuffle, Valentine's Day

2014-08-15T00:25:00.002+08:00

Was brought in on Valentine's Day by Yusuf's Wall Street insider

(what can I say, the man is the Prince of the City!) on the trading floor where all the action is.

Not many people get to do that and see the ringing of the bell.

For the love of money, indeed.

My idea of Wall St. has always been informed by the Oliver Stone movie.

Watched it with my mum at age14 at Cathay cinema. It was an eye opener, to say the least!

Caught the ringing of the bell!

Tacky shot, check!

Polar Vortex Blues, Midtown

2014-08-14T23:37:00.000+08:00

Taken in Feb right smack in one of the worst NY winters, just outside the hotel

and inside Grand Central Station.

Not bad for fingers that were about to break off from the cold!

I love this picture

It wasn't all gloomy, ya know. It was actually quite bright and colourful.

Friday the 13th: Loch Ness, Inverness, Glencoe

2014-08-12T21:33:00.002+08:00

We thought it would add to our Gothic sensibilities to revisit Loch Ness, Inverness and Glencoe on Friday the 13th. The gods gave us the gloomy weather to go with it and a driver from hell--perfect!

Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh

2014-08-12T21:00:00.001+08:00

Gorgeous Edinburgh. It was good to be back after so long. Just a lovely, sunny evening.

No expectations. We caught some great shots.

Holyrood Palace

Sunday Brunch with the Harlem Gospel Choir

2014-04-27T22:12:00.002+08:00

Lower East Side (redux?)

2014-04-27T17:34:00.000+08:00

Took a hesitant walk on the not-so-wild side. The last time I went back, things had really tamed in the Lower East Side and this time, I feared the worst--had it turned into some hipster joint?

I mean, the Lower East Side (or the more gentrified LES now) is no Greenwich--this is the place that made Lou Reed, Little Joe, Patti Smith, The Ramones, Blondie, Television, Robert Mapplethorpe, Talking Heads, Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat... and yes, even Madonna. All of whom came with the rest of the tired and poor, the huddled masses yearning to break free--Holly from Miami FLA, Candy out from the island--everyone who didn't stand a chance anywhere else, stood a chance in the Lower East Side.

To see it reduced to some place where people drink coffee leisurely after their hot yoga session just feels like an insult. Damn you, rent hikes. Will there ever be another cultural renaissance in the Lower East Side? I doubt it. But there's still some bite left in this fighter, yet. Pictures taken on my iPhone, no retouches.

She's pure as New York snow--I love this shot--this is still the Lower East Side I remember.

The street art has gotten very arty as well--no more careless Fuck Yous... although I really enjoyed that kind of graffiti too-- #SAMO

Taken with my hand inside a locked pocket garden converted from a dumpsite. Lower East Side, like Harlem, is trying to cultivate a better environment for its younger inhabitants, which was what my friend Yusuf and I were discussing.

Sacrilege--the former CBGB. I have to say, for all its cringe-worthiness,

I'm glad for the fact that John Varvatos was actually quite reverent of the place and

kept most of its interior intact.

I'm just thankful I got to see CBGB before it all went to hell.

Thank God they kept the bar.

And the former stage

And the memorabilia.

So the light at the end of the tunnel used to be Katz's but I had to do this.

I think this was the kimchi dog. Yes, I'm a sellout too.

Ipoh & Penang

2014-04-12T17:45:00.003+08:00

Manchester...scenes at the Manchester Art Gallery

2013-08-28T23:39:00.000+08:00

I love this picture.

Silhouettes of a Japanese tourist and his son.

This was actually taken at the Charles Dickens Museum.
Very poor museum experience. Remind me to tell you about it some time.

One of the biggest draws was this stained glass platelet of... Little Dorritt?
Those looking for the Oliver Twist-er Roller Coaster and Great Expectations Tower Drop
would be sorely disappointed.

Taipei... glimpses

2013-08-25T21:35:00.003+08:00

View from a bus. Taipei buses rock.

Note to self, best cheongsams here.

Hong Kong, in living colour

2013-08-25T21:21:00.000+08:00

A game of Jianzi was happening next to the French restaurant we were in.
I love Hong Kong's duality that way.

I remember Kuala Lumpur to be like this.
I've seen games like this being played at Jalan Alor and Chow Kit when I was younger.
That's all gone now.

A small printing press next to a couple of office blocks. Now that's what I call hardcore.

So after work, you can just pop by the market for some fresh produce.

Where's Wally?

That's where!

On A Slow Boat To Nowhere: Steamboat On The Mississippi

2013-06-28T01:52:00.002+08:00

The last original working steamboat, Natchez, arriving.

As much as it was a pleasant day and the sun was out,

the wind was pretty strong and the weather was chilly.

The 9th Ward where Katrina hit the worst.

Sights on the Mississippi: The Domino sugar factory is more than a century old and still in operation

The resident jazz band on the Natchez. Made friends with Tommy, the trumpeter, who got me in for free at Preservation Hall where he was filling in for a sick band member.

Tommy is British and came to New Orleans in the 60s to learn how to play jazz trumpet.

He's stayed every since.

Haunted Swamp, Louisiana

2013-05-13T00:26:00.000+08:00

One of the last stops of my Southern tour--at a "haunted" swamp.

Gator trying to keep out of the cold.

What a beautiful swamp.

Caught this critter just before it scurried away.

I guess the only thing "haunted" about the swamp is this graveyard right smack in the middle of it.

People come to pay their respects almost every day. Not sure who's buried here though.

Was on a riverboat like this.

Spanish moss hanging from the trees, very characteristic of the New Orleans and Louisiana landscape.

A model Cajun trapper's house--it looks straight out of Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Our guide is an nth generation true blue Cajun with an accent to boot.

He's a trapper in his free time.

Another cold gator.

Laura Plantation

2013-05-12T23:54:00.001+08:00

After the opulence of Oak Alley, here's a more intimate Creole plantation that was run by 5 generations of women. Not all of them were nice. Laura Plantation was also where Alcee Fortier compiled the Louisiana Creole versions of Brer Rabbit (Compair Lapin).

Banana trees in the plantation.

The grounds at Laura Plantation were not as well manicured as Oak Alley but it did lend

more authenticity to how an actual working plantation would have looked like.

Wine cellar. Not sure why they chose to make this creepy mannequin

part of the display.

Outdoor kitchen. In any plantation, all cooking is done outside of the main house.

The five generations of women who ruled Laura Plantation. The one in the middle of the first row was a real firecracker, causing a stir with her devil costume on Halloween.

Slave overseer's house.

Slave grounds.

Slave house.

Mission bell in front of the slave quarters.

Inside slave quarters. Obviously, no pictures were allowed on the walls then.

The pictures here are of actual slaves at Laura Plantation in the 1800s.

The house where Alcee Fortier stayed and compiled the Compair Lapin stories.

Inside Oak Alley

2012-12-29T10:38:00.000+08:00

The guide inside Oak Alley was quite entertaining. Just don't bring in your mint julep even though they tell you that you can. She can be right prickly about things like that.

Inside the parlour where guests would be received. Notice the lone candle on the table.

That was held by the owner of the house whenever suitors came a calling.

If he did not like the boy, he would twirl the candle shorter.

In the dining room. Everything is short and small because the average Creole stood at only 5 feet tall.

The flatware was big though--the larger your silverware, the wealthier you were deemed to be.

The nursery. Creepy.

Note the baby doll in front of the guide. Super creepy.

Stairway to the attic. Triple creepy.

Ladies guest bedroom. Guests would stay for a great length of time due to the travelling time it took to visit.

The main bedroom. Note the baby's cot.

View from the terrace ala every Tennessee William's play you can think of set on a plantation.

The bell would be the alarm for everything that went on in the house including signalling work and rest times for the slaves.

Master's study.

Original brickwork showcased in the master's study

Oak Alley Part 2

2012-12-29T00:32:00.000+08:00

What a gorgeous plantation. Of course, one mustn't forget that slavery was an unfortunate part of making a place like this possible. We didn't get to see the slave quarters in this plantation but there were plenty at Laura Plantation where we went next:--

Imagine trotting up to the oak-lined path riding your steed or carriage.

Of course, if you were a slave, you'd be dragged to the back.

On the grounds

The levee separating the plantation from the Mississippi River.

Coming up close. In the distance, the guides waiting for us in the same way

the ladies of the mansion would.

A mint julep at 9.30 in the morning? Best believe it!

It's a shame they didn't serve it in a proper glass.

View from the doorway.

H'ain't it taime t' see de plantashun? Oak Alley Plantation, Louisiana

2012-12-22T00:57:00.000+08:00

You want an awesome picture? I'll give you an awesome picture:

Here, how about two?

Got to the plantation at 8.30 a.m. thanks to the guide and walked out to the front of the grounds to get this picture before the tour started. Pretty amazing pictures, if I don't say so myself.

Beignets and Étouffées. Food, New Orleans

2012-12-22T00:44:00.001+08:00

I normally never take pictures of food or myself for this blog. I don't take good food pictures and I've been refusing to succumb to the Asian fixation of photographing one's food before one eats. But seeing as I was a total tourist in N'awlins, I thought what the heck. Still, half of what I ate I forgot to photograph which makes me wonder how people are able to stall their appetites for the sake of some lousy snaps.

What can I say about the food there that hasn't already been said? So many cultures have come together in the creation of New Orleans cuisine today. You can even taste the many nuances. First up, though, a beignet and chicory coffee at Cafe Du Monde:

Open 24 hours a day, y'all. What did I have for breakfast, at 4pm, after midnight? A ten minute walk to Cafe Du Monde at all those times and I was sated.

It was a total beignet addiction!

The cafe is interesting, to say the least.

Almost three quarters of its staff are made up of Vietnamese ladies, all speaking with a N'awlins drawl!

Served with a cup of icing sugar.

Trying to maneuver the camera, take a photo of the food and camwhore at the same time.

It's hard work. I wouldn't recommend it.

Half eaten Étouffée. I forgot to take a picture. It was that good.

The French market. No pictures of actual stalls allowed, so this is what I came up with.

Outside Acme Oyster House. Shepard Fairey was here.

There's a line every time for lunch and dinner.

Black beans and rice with grilled homemade chorizo

Faulkner House Books

2012-12-21T23:53:00.002+08:00

Faulkner House Books is a New Orleans icon located in the premises where William Faulkner wrote his first book Soldier's Pay. It's an excellent bookshop and a place that must be supported lest it falls into the same fate as Gotham Book Mart (see my previous post on Shakespeare & Co.) Each independent bookshop has its own heritage, its own character. To lose any of them is a travesty.

Inside, the bookshop has private quarters in the back (guarded by a poodle), walls lined with autographed pictures of some pretty gob-smacking writers and a great selection. The lady manning the bookshop was lovely--just don't, like two mid-Western ladies in t-shirts and shorts, come in asking for the facilities. This ain't no Borders, y'all!

Robert Frost!

A autographed picture of Harper Lee!!!!

Richard Ford!

Pan! Pan! Tennessee Williams! Amazing!

Papa, can you hear me?

A handwritten note from George Bernard Shaw?! Incredible!

Music On Every Corner

2012-12-13T23:36:00.004+08:00

From brass bands to blues, jazz to world music, there's a busking musician in every street corner on the French Quarter. If you take a picture, please give a tip--or buy their CD. Went to Preservation Hall twice (there's a back story) but they were very strict with the picture taking.

Meet Tanya and Dorise. Tanya's from Taiwan and has been in N'awlins for years.

Was on my ghost tour when I caught them playing--went back to watch them perform again after the tour. They were so good, I bought two CDs (they have a Christmas one)-quite professionally packaged.
I wonder if Tanya was the inspiration behind this character from Treme:

Sweet Street Symphony. Saw them at the corner of St. Ann street on the way to Faulkner books.

Their CD was homemade. They were awesome.

French Quarter, New Orleans

2012-12-12T20:45:00.002+08:00

Gorgeous houses on the French Quarter... I felt like a kid in a candy store and couldn't decide how to shoot it or what to shoot.

Basin Street Station & St. Louis Cemetery (I), New Orleans

2012-12-12T02:18:00.002+08:00

So, I had to go feed my macabre tastes with the requisite cemetery tour. J'aime beaucoup les cimetieres! Went to St. Louis Cemetery (No.1) with a guide from Save Our Cemeteries (non-profit organisation dedicated to the preservation of NOLA's last resting places). We met at the historic Basin St. Station.

Train benches were called pews for obvious reasons.

Old service counter at Basin St. Station

See how chuffed I am!

Marie Laveau's (purported) tomb

Don't forget to make your wish. Turn anti-clockwise three times, mark the tomb (with your fingers please! too much desecration going on ala Jim Morrison's tomb) with three XXX's, make your wish, put an offering. And remember, if it comes true, you must come back to the tomb to pay homage to Marie Laveau.

New Orlean's most famous chess player. For Yusuf and Miguel.

Nicholas Cage's future final resting place. The pyramid is, frankly, a real blight on this beautiful heritage cemetary--very tacky. Mark, however, will have a field day as to the Illuminati symbolism.

A rare sight in a Catholic cemetery

Miniature tomb for a child.

Marie Laveau Apartments, New Orleans

2012-12-12T01:38:00.000+08:00

How awesome that I got to stay at the (restored) apartments New Orlean's most famous and revered voodoo priestess used to let out.

Typical of old French Quarter apartments is a courtyard with a fountain.

Treme Gumbo Festival, New Orleans

2012-11-29T21:14:00.000+08:00

My first day in New Orleans. Cup of steaming gumbo in one hand, camera in the other, watching the brass band play Casanova and the people enjoying themselves as they danced in Louis Armstrong park. There were people b-boying in Congo Square nearby, a woman selling art made from broken pieces of the house her brother lost to Katrina, passers-by saying 'Hey, Baby' like they meant it...Sunday was all good.

I love Midtown, so shoot me... (random shots)

2012-11-26T01:05:00.002+08:00

I've always wondered what Burt Bacharach saw out of his window:

If you see me walking down the street and I start to cry each time we meet...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Get ready to shove some kids outta the way!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

How do you get to Carnegie Hall again? Say it with me.

Eloise at the Plaza

It's The ROCKETTES!

2012-11-25T01:56:00.001+08:00

The Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular! What a treat!