Open your eyes : The Photographer’s Discovery

I’m not a street photographer, it takes patience and skills to be one.

Being a Travel Photographer differs from street photography. However the same skills has help trained me to be more aware, more conscious of life, of people, of unusual folks out of the ordinary. I love making portraits of people like that.

This gentleman stood out among the crowded masses in a busy train station. Normally I would walk off, unconscious of what is happening around me. This man seem quite different from all the foreigners around this busy place. This city I am in, has more than 50% foreigners living in it, so it was quite a common sight.  I found out he is Austrian, living in Langkawai, Malaysia for the past 4 years. He decided to move out of his country and never went back. He looked kinda lost and was given wrong directions to his hotel. I asked I could help and perhaps make a few images of him. Unfortunately I was in a rush, would love to ask him about his life and I bet he has tons of stories to tell.

Maybe I should get into Street Photography just as an excuse to meet interesting people and listen to their stories.

Anime Festival Asia Singapore 2014

 

Once again Anime Festival Asia come to Singapore. There were tons of Cosplayers visiting dressed in their professionally done costumes, most made their own costumes. It has gotten pretty competitive in dressing up as characters and many hobby photographers coming along joining in the event.

This is my second event, and I had truly enjoyed it, for someone not into Cosplay or even Japanese Anime, it has been quite an experience. These people take their costumes seriously and hobby photographers quite fiercely territorial in getting their money shots. This was the first time I had with so many willing models wanting to pose for a selfie or having the attention of photographers!

There was even a wedding proposal that happen right in front of me at the Festival!

 

Taken tons of images, won’t want to flood you with Anime fatigue.  You can find them all on my Facebook Page : TheTravelLust

Until Next Year!

Its great visiting the festival in the convention, but the main action is outside at the atrium, where Cosplayers set up their shoots and wait for photographers for their self portraits.

 

Cosplayers are highly competitive and lap up all the attention for mass hordes of photographers.  Every so often, a group of photographers will  form when a Cosplayer strut their stuff!

 

 

 

The Last Satay Man of Tiong Bahru and Singapore – No More

RIP The Last Satay Man of  Tiong Bahru and in Singapore!

Final Death of Good Street Food in Singapore – Case Closed.

Sadly the bureaucratic system of Singapore has caught up with one beloved food street vendor in Tiong Bahru / Singapore once again.  Uncle Satay Man was fined big time by our very efficient Government system for ‘illegal food vendor/selling’ . I got this news through TiongBahru.org – a group of passionate people.

Uncle does traditional Hainanese satay unlike the Malay satay that is famously promoted by the Singapore Tourist Board. Hainanese satay is mainly only pork, with a slice of fat in between the meat. Traditionally three layers  per stick, meaning it is meat, fat, meat. Marinated lightly, it is served with grated pineapple and peanut sauce with chilli oil, accompanied condiments of  rice cubes “ketupat”, sliced red onion and cucumber. The key for a good hainanese satay is using charcoal grill, frequent brushes of oil for that Maillard reaction. i.e the skill is in the grilling!

Tiong Bahru was one of the last vestiges of nostagic Singapore before it was killed by Gentrification a few years ago. Turned into yet another hipster hang out, invaded with cafes and hipster restaurants. Tiong Bahru was finally murdered 2 years ago, the old retail shops and traditional food stores have ceased to exist. Leaving only shells and memories of the distant past.

Sorry Uncle Satay Man, thank you for your contribution to Singapore Street Food Culture.

Why is this so important to me?

Back in the old days, this is how we get our satay in our local neighbourhood, a little cart, the satay man with his traditional satay bamboo leaf handheld fan.  Going around the neighbourhood, yelling Satay….. Satay… Satay…. Yes. the good old 1960s-80s nostalgia where we get our door to door food vendors.

(Why no complete photo of the Satay Man? Because I don’t want to show his face to the public due to the sensitive nature of the business. The common Singapore saying “In case police catch him”. Unfortunately too many people have posted about him and pasted his image all over the web)

 

Travel lust goes to A little lane around Arab Street – Death by Gentrification

Death by Gentrification – Haji Lane, Singapore

Change happens in Singapore very rapidly, even more in the last 5 years. Buildings are pulled down, places are taken over by Hipsters, while the old businesses are killed off by rising rents, or by physical death. Things change here.

Great little areas in Arab Street have quickly being taken over by hipsters, once the different streets here sell fabrics, craft and hold clothing warehouses. Now replaced by hipster independent stores selling Tshirts for us$500, or bespoke furniture stores, more hipster gourmet coffee cafes, or cheesy cafe restaurants. This whole place is no longer what is use to be.

The Super Moon Night!

If you look up in the skies, it was the biggest full moon you would have probably seen for the year

The perigee moon, or Super Moon is at the closet to our Planet, hence it would look strangely bigger.

It is also said to be the time of emotional disturbances, so be prepared of all those upheavals around the world, people will become crazy and some would probably howl at the moon. Did you experience that last night?

Lost in Singapore : The Buddha playstation

Once in awhile, Singapore surprises me with really hidden gems in this ever changing bulldozing concrete jungle.

I came across this really interesting buddha altar while exploring the last kampung in Singapore, Kampung Buangkok. A neighbourhood that once covered most of Singapore.

Not sure why a playstation remote was hanging on one of the buddha statue, but I guess they needed to hang something off buddha.

By the time you read this, it is probably not there anymore.

The lady with amazing voice, selling tissue paper

Listen to the Tissue paper song here

This lady with amazing voice use to visit my neighbourhood, selling tissue paper. I won’t call her the Tissue paper lady, but rather, the lady with the voice, selling tissue paper. She has been plying her trade for almost a decade.

However unlike many other disadvantaged Singaporeans, she sings for her sale, rather than just selling them. She was made famous by Tan Pin Pin’s 2005 documentary, “Singapore Ga Ga”.  Check out the documentary, a great piece on Singapore.

Whenever she is around, she really brightens my day with her beautiful singing, making it a rather colorful neighbourhood rather than a static and stagnant one. Thank you, I do hope to see you again.

About Tissue paper selling

A pretty common occupation for disadvantaged Singaporeans. It is not begging, for begging is illegal in Singapore, but a way for poorer Singaporeans to earn a living. In a highly developed city like Singapore where the wealth divide is getting larger, disadvantaged Singaporeans found a way to earn some money. Life is hard here in Singapore, if you are older, or handicapped, or disadvantaged in some way, selling packets of tissue paper may be the only choice.

Lets hope the higher authorities do not put pressure on these folks and raid them, but appreciate that life is tough here, and perhaps they could help and allow these people to ply their tiny trade.

About the Song

It is sang in Hokkien:

Tissue paper, one dollar one dollar, only one dollar

Aunty, Uncle, brother, sister, please help buy, tissue paper

one dollar, one dollar, only one dollar

Straight Coffee?

Straight Coffee, Singapore

“I shall start my very own Gay Coffee Company pretty soon.. to cash in on the Pink Dollar.”

You Can Find Inspiration in Everything

Found at a Cycling Shop – Somewhere in Robertson Quay, Singapore

……  and If you can’t .. look again!

This Uncle Got Character!

Somewhere in Singapore

You could tell by his unusual yellow socks and sandals, that this uncle’s not a regular uncle, found out he was some extreme biker/roller blader/ Yo-Yo Master. He was watching a professional Yo-yo competition at a Singapore Mall.

In Singapore, we would usually refer an older man with a respective title of Uncle. He seemed to be the retro kind