Photogs in Disguise

Andy's B'day

2008-10-27T06:09:00.006+13:00

Lol, this one is like well overdue. Really really sorry Andy!!

Was really hyped up about going to Sgt. Pepper's for dinner that night. For what reason? No idea. Personally, ordered a ribeye with a side of 'shrooms and eggs. Yarr!! This boy was HUNGWYY!! The mushrooms were served in a plastic dish (wtf?) and the eggs were too well done!! I happen to like my eggs sunny side up with the yolk running circles around the plate. The mushroom sauce tasted just like condensed soup from a can. I chose a ribeye mostly because that cut is supposed to be uber tender as it's a bit more on the fatty side. It was done to the required 'medium rare', but it didnt taste as tender as I thought it would be.

I dub thee 'medium rare'...

Jo and Vinny had lunchy looking open sandwiches. Which looked pretty good. I think the bacon made most of the meal for them though. Also, what it was doing on a dinner menu, I have no idea. Looks more like something we'd have a nice al fresco lunch over at The Strip on a summer afternoon.

Von, Laui, Andy, Reuben and Pan all had the fillets. I think they enjoyed them thoroughly. But not sure if they would come back again.

Looks like a meal for lunch...

Sgt. Peppers was a strange place. I had high hopes for it. The entrance looked sordid and dingy. The decor looks dated. VERY dated. Not quite sure if they were going with a period themed decor. If they were, they didn't pull it off very well. They had a very kiwiana tomato sauce dispensing squeezy tomato, and nothing very Brit going for it. There was a huge group painting of the Beatles and some memoribilia strung up on the walls, although they did look like garage sale items. Nothing quite like some garage sale furniture to zhoosh that 60's restaurant up eh?

But still, a fun night out was had by all. Had a wee bit of a buzz going and soon we were the loudest table in the place (which really isnt too difficult cos there werent ALOT of people at all). Ah, the little ranting/raving/banter sessions we have are totally unforgettable.

The gang, and the headless Beatles...

However, I don't think we'll be going back there anytime soon...

Rangers HO!!!

For All The Haters

2008-10-17T06:51:00.018+13:00

And so, a month into the workforce and what do I have to show for it? A nice furnished studio and a promotion, with a 12k pay increase, which isn't too shabby considering the times we live in (worse than 'The Great Depression'? Just how great was this depression??). The road was long and hard, there were doubters and nay-sayers. Oh boy, were there doubters and nay-sayers. I've been put down, ridiculed, laughed at and had noses scrunched up at me when I told them I had a degree in Geology.

'So you look at rocks?' Yes, I damned well look at rocks, and make money out of it. Beats being on your ass staring at a computer screen all day... Or being unemployed. That's one sure-fire way to flatten said ass and get boils on them or something just as icky... like hemorrhoids...

'No one else I know does geology.' I've taken the road less travelled and it has paid off, very very well... In more ways than one... Career wise... and monetarily... So to those who have ever doubted me, have a pineapple... up the arse, you ignorant bastards. Good luck making it in this job market, already saturated with a billion people with your degree. You gotta let it all hang out there once in a while for things to pay off... BIG.

'Can you even get a job with a degree in Geology?' Yes fuckwit. The only reason you don't hear about it is because you have your head too far up your ass. Took like 2 months of searching to get a job. Just enough time for a nice holiday. And rest assured all you geols out there, you're bound to find something if you look in the right countries. Do your research!!

'Geologists aren't sexy!!' Really? Cos, I have photographic evidence, proof - the very basis of pure science. Don't make me pull it out.

Ok, you asked for it.

Sexy? Stephen Hawking - Physicist

Sexy? Harry Stamper (Armageddon) - Deep Core Driller/Geologist

Sexy? Dr Josh Keyes (The Core) - Geologist

Sexy? Dr Henry Dalton (Dante's Peak) - Volcanologist

Sexy? Lara Croft (Tomb Raider) - Archaelogist (branch of Geology)

Do the math. Geologists are the sexiest of scientists. Geologists spend more time in the field doing their research, unlike their lab coat wearing counterparts who really just stay in their labs. Geologists are rough and tumble, and love to get in amongst things, very hands on and a hardy bunch. Geols get more of a workout than transferring liquids to other test tubes, they also have more of a tan, none of that pasty white complexion which blends them into their lab coats.

Also, this clip from American Dad dishes the definitive consensus on Geologists:

'Have you ever had breakfast with a geologist Stan? It's pretty great.'

Think very long and hard next time before you pull a diss on a geologist.

Just writing what you were thinking...

The X-Files Syndrome And I'm Back!

2008-09-29T17:34:00.009+13:00

Like my partner I too got the chills when the theme to the X-Flies was being played, signalling the start of the show. What made it worse were the images of paranormal activity that accompanied them: still shots while closing-up on a picture of a UFO, that shadowy thing walking in the corridor, the chalk man falling towards a UV light palm print and finally the blinking eye creeped me out more than a sober Amy Winehouse. Yes, the truth is out there, but I’ll stay in if you don’t mind thanks.

I find it amusing that I still get a tad weirded out when the song plays despite me rationalizing that all the spooky stuff look like the baddies in Buffy and I can easily kick their ass like she does. Though to be fair, not all graveyards and scary places at night have great lighting like the show does and the absence of background action music (or the romantic one when Angel appears) does make the night scarier, especially when you’ve just watched a horror film.

Why did I mention Buffy? Cause like my lil cub I’ve been going retro on my tv viewing as I recently acquired the remaining seasons that I needed to finish my collection in the UK where I was studying.

Season 8: Now in graphic novel format

Oh yeah, I was there for a couple of months finishing my degree and hence the lack of posts from my side. Apologies on my part and I’ll make it up by showing you the tonnes of pictures I took. I’m back full-time on the staff of PiD as of now.

Righto, back to the post. I too find myself getting worried about the monster that is my career and future rather than the one that used to hide in my closet. Though I still have a very active imagination (thank you comics, videogames and tv) I find myself limited by the scope of my daydreams, choosing to fret over what the coming year holds for me. What makes it all better though is that I won’t be doing it alone (the boss will be right by my side) and that knowing what (and whom) I’m doing this for makes it all worthwhile.

I’ll technically be on holiday the next couple of months but this period is where I’ll be back logging all the stuff I’ve experience the past season. So look out for a whole slew of content real soon. It’s great to be back.

All Blacks FTW!! - a preview for things to come??

A Fundamental Change?

2008-09-29T09:56:00.006+13:00

Was alone in a big ol' 3 bedroom house in backwaters Westport a few days ago. There's only so many episodes of 'My Very Spoilt Sweet Sixteen' that I can stomach in an hour (congratulations MTV, you have upped the ante on vomit- inducing TV programs since Jackass), so I decided to watch an episode of The X-Files before I turned in.

Du-du-du-du-du-du

The opening sequence to any episode of The X-Files has become so ingrained in our minds that it isn't an understatement to say it is well and truly part of pop/sci fi culture. The trademark synthesised piano notes that echo followed by the shrill, alien wailing composed by Mark Snow has pretty much etched itself in our collective audio memories, sending a shiver down our spines whenever those eerie notes start to play in our head. Except, this time, I wasn't as scared as I was 10 years ago.

Where I used to have the heebie-jeebies just hearing those notes, I now find myself amused at what it used to be able to do to me. I used to be scared of things imaginary. Walking up a dark stairwell I would sometimes picture myself bumping into something scaly, cold blooded, red-eyed and downright scary, I would then proceed to run down said stairwell and scream for my Mum. Or sometimes, during one of my sleepless nights, I would imagine myself catching sight of an emaciated Golem like creature gnawing on my toes.

But now, age 23, I don't have such an active imagination anymore. Instead, during the course of the episode, I find myself getting paranoid over all the groans and scuffles the old house emits from time to time. What could that sound be? Robbers breaking in? Crazed lunes knocking on my window? Drunk bogans smashing into my car? Or worst of all, armed racist serial killers after a quick kill?

Which begs the question: When did our imaginations stop? What was the fundamental change in us that triggered a halt in our over active imaginations? We don't fear anything beyond the realm of extreme possibility anymore. At this rate, my fears in the next 10 years will probably involve bank statements, mortgages, hire purchase bills, spousal fidelity, bills, dental insurance, terrorists, bills and more bills. Whatever happened to our flights of fancy? Gone are the days where we could dream about racing in a car that drives, flies, dives and does a smoking wheely... underwater!! What do we have if we don't have our imaginations? What a grim time we live in when our very own imaginations pander to the realist inside of us. What a grim time indeed.

Spin Off!!

2008-09-22T08:56:00.006+12:00

What is with the recent spate of television programming ripping off their foreign counterparts? It started off innocently enough and now we're getting a spate of American programs based on foreign programs.

Here are some that you can probably look forward to with dread, and some, maybe with glee. Be warned, there are a few WTF moments in this list:

Original: The Office BBC

Adaptation: The Office US

Verdict: The original had a smarmy Ricky Gervais heading his paper company, and it's just incredible how ignorant his character was. The adaptation wasn't too bad, the first season was a complete rip of the original, but it really started picking up in the 2nd season, then it got hilariously funny by the 4th season. A rollercoaster of emotions this one. Expect to laugh and cry and frustrate alot... like.. ALOT!!

Original: Top Gear BBC

Adaptation: Top Gear USA

Verdict: The original had 3 very different hosts, but they gelled some how. The cars were an awesome mix of European exotics, American muscle cars and Jap rice rockets. It wasn't always about speed though, they branched into luxury cars and Kei cars and they always had car challenges, often with hilarious results. What can we expect from the American version? Errr, terrible terrible American cars around a track with an obese Stig... I guess... Also, an Australian version is coming out too, expect lots of hopping marsupials in this one.

Original: Little Britain

Adaptation: Little Britain USA

Verdict: You know its not gonna be good when the title doesnt make sense. Little Britain USA?? How does that even begin to work? Ah well, was a HUGE fan of the original, the skits can get repetitive, but they always made for good one liners. I want THAT one!! *points at original Little Britain*

Original: Kath And Kim ABC

Adaptation: Kath And Kim USA

Verdict: Serious WTF moment here. Selma Blair as Kim?? Honestly??!! Mmm, the orignal thrived on how trashy they were, the accents totally completed the whole redneck feel to it too. As far as I know the US version is based in Florida, that not nearly as redneck enough!! Expect this one to seriously flop!! Australian Broadcasting Channel's Kath And Kim sez "Look at moii, look at moiiii!!"

I kid you not, all of these shows exist already or will start airing in the near future. Keep your eyes peeled and who knows, we might have even more reason to clog up the bandwidth hogging and hub leaching!!!

Solution: Double Tape

2008-09-21T14:43:00.006+12:00

Caution: This post isn't to be taken seriously at all, and when you get a crack in your windshield, fix it up as soon as you get!!!

Regarding a comment left on my previous post, the answer isn't Novus like Andy said. No no, its DOUBLE SIDED TAPE!!

Few have ever relied on a piece of adhesive as much as me. Many have doubted it's use, but I on the other hand, have always had full, unwavering faith in it. Described in wikipedia as "a variety of adhesive tape that is coated with adhesive on both sides", double tape does just what you think - it sticks TWO, count em', TWO surfaces together. This is of course opposed to just the ONE surface or the almost impossible THREE surfaces. And that's where it's beauty lies.

Double Tape FTW!!!

Double tape has saved me on more than one occasion. It's saved my ass from getting curtains dropping, it's saved my ass from huge canvases dropping, it's saved my ass from getting my graduation gown from flopping all over the place, and now it's saved my ass from getting the windshield cracking any further, thereby saving me from a painful prickly death from shards of glass. If you really think about it, it is the only one true path to eternal salvation (LOL, JK JK!!).

It's just so handy in so many real life situations. I think it wouldn't be out of place in Macgyvers toolbag at all. So, to all of you who haven't taken Double Tape as your official religion yet, I urge you to. It's gonna be HUGE in the next 10 years!!

Crack Is Whack!!

2008-09-13T20:57:00.005+12:00

Trouble has come to haunt me lately.

In the form of an ever advancing hairline crack on the windshield of the Camry. It happened on the commute back from Westport when a frikking 8 Wheeler picked up a pebble and chipped the black rubbery bit holding the glass in as it drove past. Talk about a head shot!! But now I have a big gaping hairline crack that advances ever so slightly with every moderate form of vibration.

Crack is whack, yo'!!

I get visions that it'll smash into a million pieces, and I'll bleed to death from the lacerations I get from the shards stabbing me, when a rather large member from the avian family flies smack bang into it. So remember kids, crack is bad, dont do crack, mmkay?? Seriously though, anyone know how to fix this??

Must-Watch-TV: Fringe

2008-09-13T07:26:00.007+12:00

Once in a while, the stars overhead conspire and collaborate, getting intricate timing down to perfection to produce nature's very own light show - aurora borealis or the Northern Lights as we know it. Very rarely do the elements align themselves to form something as perfect. That's why I'm so excited about THIS!!

Smexy tones!!!

It's been described as the love child between The X-Files, Altered States and The Twilight Zone. And when you have J.J Abrams at the helm, you always know you're in for a fuckin' fun ride. Pitting together creepy mystery, corporate/government conspiracy, Alias-like femme kick-assery and 24-esque action, you know its gonna be good. I've watched the pilot and have to admit it delivers on sooo many levels. Unlike Abrams' 'LOST', questions get answered in every episode, but similarly to 'LOST', there is an overarching mystery about the incidents that happen, dubbed - 'The Pattern', which so far, I can only describe as experiments on mother nature by man and science.

Quote from the pilot episode:

John Thompson: A normal kid who went missing back in 98, reappeared last month halfway around the world hasn't aged a day. Forty-six other kids who went missing that same year turn up, same story. An hour after a tsunami that kills 83,000 people.

A Sri Lankan fisherman reports a low flying plane emitting a frequency that blows out all of their windows. An hour later an 8.7 subsurface earthquake in the same spot creates a tsunami that kills 83,000 people.

A patient awakens after spending years in a coma writing a series of numbers that turn out to be the exact real time coordinates of our carrier battleships in the Pacific, intel that is classified above top secret.

Still not interested much?

How many fingers?

Coaster-ification

2008-09-11T22:34:00.006+12:00

Just finished my first shift on Wednesday, and drove back to Christchurch yesterday. Absolutely knackered. 4 twelve hour shifts can wreak havoc on a person. Imagine getting up at the break of dawn, having to leave the house by 5:30am, a 30 minute commute in pure darkness through shanty towns, before you have to climb up to the mine site via the main haul road which really is just gravel, caked in mud. And all that, is just the start of my day.

My job consists of basically making sure stockpiles of coal are present and that the quantities are correct. I also take samples from each of them before sending them off to the lab. Nothing to do with geology and any other chimp can do it. But alas, it's harder to get someone into middle management than it is for him to work up the ranks. So if you really think about it, I'm a Coal Cowboy (officially, Coal Quality Sampler though..) . LOL!!

It's wet up in the Stockton mine, like WET WET WET. You can actually watch the fog roll down the hill and engulf your vision, quite dramatic actually. Its all muted hues of brown, grey and black (can you say sensory deprivation?), the only hints of colour are the bright oranges on our jackets and the relfective 3M strips. So you can imagine my relief when I clocked off on my Friday and drove all the way home with sunshine in my eyes and a field full of colour and depth.

Ahhhh.... View at Culverden

You're right Vinny, they really do know how to make their meat pies there. Theres HUGE CHUNKS OF MEAT that you can see in them!!!

Go, Going, Gone...

2008-09-07T15:00:00.004+12:00

This time last week, I was still arranging for accomodation and confirming my induction into Solid Energy. It never quite sunk in... even then. I hadn't even begun to pack my personal bits and pieces whereas Mum was getting all that I could possibly need into a box. Apparently I only need a fry pan, a sauce pan, 2 plates and 2 mugs... *sniffles* Although, there was quite a bit of food (no complaints there). Hehe. So I just kinda looked on, and brushed it off, cheating myself into thinking I had a week to pack stuff.

Surprisingly good!!! Chicken was a bit mashed up though...

And so, the days crept by until Saturday came. I was half packed and ready to head out to lunch with the rest of the crew. I sorta realised what I'd be missing when I was in Westport, so I stuffed myself silly in La Porchetta. Finally got that steak I wanted... amongst other things (like a chicken pizza, risotto and gelato). Dropped everyone where they needed to go before I headed home to pick my Mum up to go to Dressmart for some work pants. After that I was sorta left alone to my own devices. That was when it hit me. HARD. Suddenly I was panicking and absolutely pissing my pants at the prospect of going off to a new place all alone. Not knowing anyone, not knowing anything. There comes a time where we need to cut our umbillical cords, but surely, not this early on??!

Ah well, looks like I've dealt myself that card when I chose a degree in geology. Of course, there are alot of 'what if's' on this road I've taken, given the opportunity, maybe I would've done things differently. All I know is, I haven't exactly taken some chances and opportunities that have cropped up over the years out of fear of the unknown. I still believe I've lived my life as best as I can, and have done well given my circumstances.

Sitting here in the motel room, all alone, I can't help but recall all those I've crossed paths with throughout my life. Each and every one of you have had a hand in my adulthood. I thank you all. I will miss some of you, and will relive you in my dreams. Thanks for making me the man I am today.

See ya'll soon!!

Spring Time... Again

2008-09-05T09:16:00.008+12:00

After a very extensive hiatus, Photogs In Disguise is officially up and running again!! A big thank you to all our loyal, long time readers and fans who have stuck by us even when there wasn't alot to read. Thanks y'all!! Without further adieu, I am proud to present the all new 'Photogs In Disguise: Revamped' blog!!!

This time last year I was off in Hagley Park shooting the newly bloomed cherry blossoms and pondering what my life would be a year down the road. A year has passed, and I'm still up to the usual shenanigans with my camera (albeit a newer, awesomer one, and some bigger life changing moves round the corner). Yarr, its spring time... again!!

A different kind of flower this time round...

So yea, I've actually got people to take photos of now!! See how far I've come (LOL!!). Had the chance to do a shoot for Jo and Jess (who look really sweet together btw) at Mona Vale.

Yaww...

It's really nice to see 2 people who are deeply in love with each other. It makes for awesome photo opportunities. Took a while to get over the shyness, but we found our rhythm soon enough. Glad to say, the pics came out looking great!! Not sure if Jo's gotten round to getting them printed out yet, but I think they'll look awesome on print!! That being said, yes you have my blessing Jo, even though there's a bit of a height difference. LOLS!!

Yawwwww... dammit Jo, you're so tall!!

That's better...

Tagged... Out Of A Lack Of Posts...

2008-08-29T11:26:00.005+12:00

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they got tagged and to ask them to play and read your blog.

Starting time : 11:27
Name : Allan 'Raging Bull' Ting
Sisters : 3 older
Brothers : 1 younger
Shoe size : 9 1/2 (bad day) - 10 1/2 (good day)
Height : 170 cm (yes, I'm surprised too)
Where do you live? : Too many small cities...
Favourite drinks : Old Town Milk Tea, Starbucks Green Tea Frappucino
Favourite breakfast : Dim Sum, Rice Porridge, Wantons, Fish Beehoon Soup
Have you ever been on a plane? Yes, racked up my share of carbon credits already...
Swam in the ocean? Anything with enough water in it...
Fallen asleep at school? Enough times to count on one hand
Broken someone's heart? Yesh
Fall off your chair? No, low centre of gravity.. is that a good thing?
Sat by the phone all night waiting for someone to call? Yes, what a night that turned out to be.
What is your room like? Utilitarian.. I've got damned garden furniture in it, what do you think??!
What's right beside you? HDD, Pillows
What is the last thing you ate? Banana muffin
Ever had chicken pox? Yes, too young to remember the details, I think i spread it to my brother
Sore throat? Yes, didnt like it
Stitches? Yes, on my right forearm when i ran past a rusted nail jutting out from the wall..
Broken nose? Nope, quite intact in fact
Do you believe in love at first sight? Yes, it happens..
Like picnics? Mmm, more of a BBQ man...
Who was/were the last person/people you danced with? Gawd, I totally don't remember..
Last made you smile? Picture of beagle puppies on Flickr, you'd smile too...
You last yelled at? Picture of beagle puppies on Flickr, you'd yell too!!!
Today did you talk to some one you like? Yesh
Kiss anyone? It's been a while... T.T
Get sick? When I came to CHCH from SGP... T.T
Talk to an ex? Don't go down that spiral... trust me...
Miss someone? Too much...
Eat? Breakfast time
Best feeling in the world? Being in the arms of the one you love
Do you sleep with stuffed animals? Snowflake has a permanent spot next to me
What's under your bed? Bag of Solay multigrain chips (baked, not fried!!)
Who do you really hate? Who's Nick Lai Andy? lol
What time is it now? 11:41
Things I was doing 10 years ago? Learning chinese in a communist-run school in Malaysia
5 things on my to-do list today

Party hard with Joseph and Co.
Get something for Joseph
Have lunchies
Watch some Simpsons
Catch a show off my HDD

5 snacks I enjoy?

Multigrain chips
Takoyaki
Fried Squid
Instant Noodles
CAKE!! (the cranberry one from Coffee Bean!!)

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire

Travel with ChocoBear!!
Pay off my student loan? Yea right..
Condo.. with private pool..
Start a restaurant featuring my favourite snacks!! (It would totally work out!!)
Some photog gear would be nice..

5 of my bad habits

Indecisive
Procrastinating
Overly sensitve
Lazy
Fall out of bed in the morning, mmm how to stop that..

5 people I tag

Law Revue '08

2008-08-21T09:18:00.006+12:00

Wow, GRIDS!! really are kinda nice.. especially when your internet is being capped and you can't upload stuff as quickly. Yes.. 10GB we signed up for gets used up far too quickly.. sigh..

So Law Revue came and went. I got slightly too excited about it and showed up at the flat 1 day too early. Ah well, we all misfire from time to time (didn't mean it in a rude way, just.. you know.. some people get more hyped up than others). It didn't help that the E-vitation on facebook stated the revue starts on a Thursday. Little did I know it was the first showing of 3. Maybe I really need a pocket assistant...

Needless to say, the show was awesome. It takes alot for something that was thought up during a drinking session to come to fruition and to actually turn it into a show fit for Law Revue. I felt the Austrian child abuse one was a bit too early to laugh about, the one with the wheelchair also didn't seem quite right to laugh at either. But as a whole, the show was well produced and the songs were AWESOME too!!

'Twas quite a night...

Picture opportunity wise, it was also an experience. Felt a bit out of rhythm with the varied and changing lighting at first, but slowly got used to it and came up with some awesome pics. Tried hard to capture emotions and facial expressions. Maybe that would've been easier if I sat through it twice (or was more liberal with space on my memory card!!)

Variable lighting - the bane of us all!!

Enjoy y'all!!

PS: Anyone want full size originals, give me a shout out!!

Boardriders: Mt. Hutt

2008-08-15T12:29:00.007+12:00

Didn't think I'd be hitting the slopes again for a while. The chance to do so cropped up when the Geols wanted to make the most of the season passes they purchased at the start of the year. So, on a clear, chilly morning we departed for the ski fields on Mt. Hutt.

Not quite Mt. Hutt...

Things started well, till I fell badly on my coccyx, and shook up my confidence for the rest of the day. It hurt like fuck, but I took the opportunity to take some piccys. Not alot of people lug a big camera up there. But trust Allan to...

Icicles!!

King of the World?

Katie and James making their way down...

And so, in the afternoon, I worked up the courage to head up to the summit (without a board... but with a camera instead...) Holy randomness, it was perfect on the way up, then when we got up there, the wind just started blowing up snow dust and coated the camera in ice!!! But good thing I sealed up the most important bits with duct tape!! Didnt take pics up on the summit cos of bad conditions, but here are some pics on the way up.

Dude was too fast...

Taken while the chairlift paused momentarily...

More Gears

2008-08-09T22:54:00.006+12:00

Had med checkups for Solid Energy throughout the week. Let's just say having your Doc take a rummage through yer junk isn't very fun... AT ALL!!

So yea, had a bit of time in between med check ups and x-ray scans so I came up with this:

What Gears would look like in real life...

Not to get ahead of myself or anything, but I guess its one of the better ones I've done to date. And also, Ben looks uncannily like Dominic Santiago. So much so its actually kinda creepy. Look at the original and tell me how freaky it is...

Scary stuff...

Smoko' Von

2008-08-01T19:53:00.007+12:00

Hehe, sorry boys and girls for the delay in posting. Been busy, what with driving up the coast and around the country in the midst of a weather bomb and all...

Anyway, I got the chance to photograph the ever elusive (yea right) Yvonne Mak one day when I got bothered to lug my gear round to the flat. And wot a co-inky-dink, she just happened to be having her smoko break. LOL.

Nah, Von was practicising puffing for her Law Revue Night (she wants me to remind y'all to go and watch her onstage debut). And so in the waning evening light, I had the chance to portray her in a light that suits winter at the moment.

The theme here is grey, dank and sorta emo. Hope I hit the mark with these shots.

Thought about captioning the rest of them... but maybe just the one will do...

PS: BIG thanks for the photo-op Von, might do more in future!!!

Zoo Day

2008-07-13T22:48:00.005+12:00

This is a bit of a back post...

One of the many cool places in Singapore that I got to visit was the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Even putting the pictures onto GRIDS!! format brought back fond memories of dodging torrential rain and attempts at conversing with the animals in some hope that they'd come out from their wee hiding spots and pose a bit. I've never gotten to see 'exotic' animals, not in my adulthood or recent memory... A trip to Willowbank Reserve for Bursary Biology comes to mind.. but that isn't as much a zoo as it is a petting farm, so that doesn't really count.

Various forms of wildlife available in Singapore...

On the day itself, Singapore's tropical weather didn't fail to rain... like in BUCKETLOADS, so it was a bit of a mission keeping the camera dry and electric short free. Shooting wise... its quite an experience with a 70mm-300mm f3.5/5.6 zoom lens and trying to frame something thats about a meter away from you and in dim light at best. Mmm.. quite fond memories indeed.

PS: More pics on my Flickr account!!

Announcing GRIDS!!

2008-07-12T11:34:00.005+12:00

This is totally the next big thing!! In this day and age where people like to just gloss through quickly and shortcut everything, GRIDS!! are a godsend. Especially for all you busy uni students out there, this means you get to see all the pics you need to see in a teeny snippet, saving you maybe a minute of your valuable time (assuming you dont have to zoom straight in to every pic you see). So, heres a preview of what to expect in future:

Just a test run.. hehe

23

2008-07-05T18:24:00.006+12:00

There's alot behind those two numbers - '2' and '3'. Apparently there's a whole number of conspiracies behind it. At the end of the day its just BS. In my case, it wasn't quite BS... it's my age for the next year...

Damned I feel old...

It doesn't help when you're the oldest of the bunch and being surrounded by those younger. It also doesn't help when Jo taunts ya' about it (well at least I CAN keep my eyes open when the flash fires off JO!!!)

Are his eyes open?? We'll never know...

Eyes Wide SHUT...

At this stage, we've theorised it to be some undiscovered condition where the eyes are seemingly shut but are apparently open and it doesn't matter how hard you force em', when the flash fires off, the eyes are always shut. When it's found to be a disease or some condition in the next few years, I want it to be called 'Kwak's Syndrome' after it's most famous sufferer.

The day started off with cake and coffee (compliments of James) with James. Denegenerated into chips and beer (compliments of Ben) when the kids came over, dipped further into mahjong before dinner time came round and we headed to Osaka.

Thanks James!!!!

Thanks Ben!!!

Thanks Osaka!!

Dinner was followed by a quick shot of coffee at Coffee Culture. The initial plan was to catch Kung Fu Panda at Hoyts... which degenerated into catching the Hancock premiere. It was ok I guess... Got a bit too lovey dovey towards the end. Camera work was shoddy as fuck. It didnt help that we were 3 rows from the screen, it got to the point where Von felt induced to vomit. But the mythical elements and references to super heroes were good. Then it was Round 2 of cake time. This time it was a rich Lemon Cheese Cake (compliments of the Kids) from Divine, which was just that - divine!!

At 'da Culcha

Von having a go at the cake...

Von having a go at herself...

Mmm, well a year has passed since I was 22, not alot has changed. Except maybe being on the virge of my professional life. I find myself at a crossroads with the job offers. Rio Tinto is very eager to offer a contract, BHP haven't rung up for that interview yet. I hope my decision doesn't boil down to the first person that rings. Then again... who am I to complain?? Just a fresh grad here... The months ahead are gonna be rocky as fuck. No more smooth sailing from now... Man, I'm getting old...

Dont Be That Guy #2

2008-06-19T15:37:00.005+12:00

Dont Be That Guy #2: The Express Lane Hog

What is wrong with you people???!! It takes a certain type of thick skinned, selfish, douche-bag of an idiot to commit this eternal sin. 10 items or less mate!! 10!! Can you count? 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10!! 10!!!

Theres a reason why these lanes were designated. They're for people who dont buy as much and dont have time to wait in a regular lane. So, if you think you can wander into one such lane with your 20 odd items, and you dont think it matters cos by the time the check out lady realises you have more than 10 items she's gonna check you out anyway, think again. What makes you think your time is more important than mine you FUCKWIT??!!

And as if it weren't enough to bring more than 10 items... please have the decency to NOT pay in small change.

You Said...

2008-06-16T08:37:00.007+12:00

You promised new changes and new features,

You were pretty much the same.

You promised improved security and usability,

You started coddling me.

You promised to be more stable,

You never delivered.

You said you wouldn't take up all my system resources,

You stopped me doing anything else because resources go to you.

You said I'd be satisfied,

You lied.

You said you were perfect,

You never thought they'd come up with a service pack for you huh?

Microsoft Vista - what a joke.

Curry/Laksa Night by Singapore Soc

2008-06-12T12:42:00.008+12:00

A few days into my arrival in Christchurch, I got invited to an event by Von & Co. Tickets were priced at 7NZD and the event was dubbed 'SHIOK', derived from a manglish word of exclaimation which indicates an object as superlatively good. Errr... yea... no... it was more like 'HORROR' than anything...

The night started out as it usually does... with a game of 'Ring of Death'. The rules of which still defy me even to this day. Basically it's a glorified version of pick up 52 and involves alcohol related punishments. Niiiice...

'The Ring of Death': just as scary as XBox's 'Red Ring of Death'...

Chug, chug, chug, beer down my tummy...

Then we made our merry way to the UCSA Ballroom for 'SHIOK'. When you enter a venue, and you see rice and chillis and tea lights for decorations, you know you're in trouble.

What started out as decorations...

Degenerated into pyromaniac playthings and charred chilli/emoticons...

The first dish they served up was Laksa. Suffice to say, I wouldn't even dignify it with pictures. It was BAD. Very, very bad. The soup base was piss weak, the noodles were too stiff, the condiments were inadequate, and it wasn't even served piping hot.

Next up, a series of food eating challenges with prizes supposedly sponsored by Sony. First up - CHILLIES. And boy, did we have a surprising winner for this one.

Nah, I'll be fine...

Maybe not...

I think I just might cry...

Who knew a white boy eating chillies would leave the rest eating his dust...

There was another ice cream challenge, but most of us had sensitive teeth so we skipped that one. Then it was on to the next course - Nasi Lemak. Again, I shan't dignify it with a picture - the rice was not very cooked, and the chicken was cold. Seriously Singapore Soc... Then it was on to other challenges like.. eating sausages.. which.. were also cold.. At that stage our table was mutinous and rowdy and terribly hungry. And we got these priceless shots out of sheer boredom...

My name is Kung Fu Master Pan!!

Andy has a go at the food, note the tealight in his bowl...

The final challenge was a Wasabi-Eat-All-You-Can. That didn't turn out very well... I mean... just look at it...

Errr...

In the end, no one won anything... the Sony sponsored products of dubious origin never made it to our winners. And most of all, we left hungry and unsatisfied. Felt a bit cheated I guess... Maybe next time UCSSS...

It's Like Rain On Your Wedding Day...

2008-06-07T22:54:00.007+12:00

It really is like a piddle on your special day...

Good Ol' Singapore...

It's funny. Only a mere 7 days ago, I was in a hustling, bustling city of 4 million with a year round tropical climate, and now, I'm in the relatively quiet town of Christchurch with a population of 350,000, and a temperate climate... which recently just dumped snow on me.

Always an opportunity for photos...

A lot can change in 7 days. The weather, the view, access to the internet, public transport... and the food... most importantly... THE FOOD!!!

Even the clouds can be dramatic...

So basically I went from shorts and a tee in the hot sweltering sun, to... a pair of shorts and a tee in the freezing snow. Yes... it snowed today. Oh, the irony of it all...

Not going anywhere now that my gears have frozen over...

And by God, when it snows, it SNOWS!!! Although what felt like a blizzard of epic'ness died down to a calm night in the course of a few hours.

Red on white...

Yes, it is pretty and all. Yes, you don't see this every winter. But maybe, just maybe, I've gotten to the stage where I'm a bit unfazed by anything Christchurch can throw at me now. That's what Singapore can do to ya...

Same ol' view from my same ol' boring room...

The Prayer - Bloc Party

2008-06-06T12:07:00.004+12:00

The song is not too dated, an 'oldie' but a goodie none the less. Kinda haunting, kinda ethereal, sounds nearly... evil. Its good if you're into stuff thats kinda haunting, kinda ethereal and evil sounding...

Lord, give me grace
And dancing feet
And the power to impress
Lord, give me grace
And dancing feet
Let me outshine the moon

Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best
Runner up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to...

Tonight make me unstoppable
I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle I will outshine them all

Standing on the packed dance floor
Our bodies throb in time
Silent on the weekdays
Tonight I claim what’s mine

Maybe...

2008-06-04T08:30:00.000+12:00

Maybe... I shouldn't have...

What have I done...?

What Afterglow??

2008-06-01T22:09:00.004+12:00

And so, my 6 month, fun filled, sun soaked, lovey dovey holiday has come to an abrupt end. Instead of basking in the afterglow, my heart is in pieces. When I'm not doing anything (which is like half the time) I'm thinking about my Choco Bear...

2 Bears complete the set... *sniffles*

I've taken alot of things for granted in my life, and this time round it's my own feelings I've managed to lie to and also that Choco Bear will always be around for me. I thought I was going to be fine, kept telling myself its only a mere few months before I see Choco Bear again... I was wrong... The gears of uncertainty churn within me, and the only thing that can stop it is your reassurance, your selfless love...

I can't unpack, cos everything in my luggage reminds me of the time we spent together... I can't watch DVDs, cos we got them together... I can't... I just can't...

Where are you?? Please, please, please... I'm on the virge of perpetual misery right now... please... someone, please... help me...

Johor Shuffle Champs

2008-05-27T17:16:00.006+12:00

Last week, I had the incredibly dumb luck of witnessing one of the most inane activities while on a long weekend trip in Johor Bahru (Von's hometown).

Check out that crowd at City Square, JB!!!

According to Wikipedia the Melbourne shuffle is 'a style of dance, which originated in the late 1980s in the Melbourne underground scene. The basic movements in the dance are a fast heel-and-toe action with a style suitable for various types of electronic music. Some variants incorporate arm movements.'

Errr... yea... no... To me, it looks more like a couple of badly trained people playing DDR without a mat cos they're too lazy to load up a game...

Observe...

We shuffle thusly as we can't load up DDR... *sniffles*

Bad huh? Needless to say we didnt stay back to find out which team 'won'. Technically there are no winners in competitive shuffling... just a whole bunch of losers...

Iron Man

2008-05-15T18:48:00.005+12:00

While I've never been the one to flock to a comic book based movie or game based movie, and even though Iron Man wasn't on my 'Must See' list for the summer, I went to a screening of said movie without any expectations except from what I could gather from the trailers and previews.

Besides the X-Men (starting from X Men 2) franchise, which I thoroughly enjoyed, other incarnations of our beloved Marvel superheroes have all left an extremely bitter aftertaste in our movie popcorn... Yes... even Spiderman (am I the only person who thought it was over rated??). I mean, when you go into a movie like Fantastic Four, expecting it to be SHIT, but come out of it, realising that it wasn't so SHIT, it's got to be SHIT... right?

So you all can expect me to blabber about how terrible this latest piece of Marvel drivel, but au contraire, Iron Man frikkin RULES!!! RULES I TELLS YA!!

Iron Man and his err.. Iron Stare!!

Never have Bad-Ass-Rich-Az-Smart-Ass-Weapon-Tycoons been ANY cooler. Seriously, people, we need more movie characters like the Tony Stark in this movie. He drinks, does all the chicks he wants, offers no apologies, deals weapons, has a gaping hole in his chest and shoots first before diplomacy, and all that makes him cool. But add to that an exo suit powered by an arc generator (whatever the hell that is) and that makes him TRULY AWESOME... like.. Chuck Norris AWESOME!!!

Yes, its a toy I took pics of... not movie promo...

Go watch it guys!! I sure as hell loved the movie!! I loved it so much I watched it twice and went out to buy a TOY (and subsequently took a few piccys with it)!!! Guys need more role models like him, none of that politically correct BULLSHIT we're all used to in this day and age. Writers really need to up the ante with their characters. Bring on the wise cracking smart ass I say!!!

IRON MAN!!!

Another One Of Von's Meme

2008-05-02T13:11:00.002+12:00

Oy vay, haven't been blogging much lately. I know I keep promising to do so. But I guess this not-so-in-depth meme will have to do for now...

1, What do you want the most now?

A J.O.B.

2, What do you want to be when you grow up?

Employed.

3, If you can have more than one dream come true, what would it be?

Have a fuckload of cash, have a fuckload of fun, not die as a consequence, so prolly be in awesome shape... effortlessly...

4, What are you afraid to lose now?

My Long Term Social Visit Pass to Singapore... I'd be like deported... which isnt cool...

5, Do you believe in being in love forever?

Yes, yes I do...

6, If you meet someone you love, would you confess it to him/her?

Mmm, it really depends on the comfort levels between the both of us. But knowing people in this day and age where mind games are the norm, I'd probably wait it out a bit longer.

7, What would you do when you're feeling down and depressed?

Eat my feelings away. Yum, myum myum...

8, What are the requirements that you wish for your other half?

That person would have to be my better half. Be able to make me want to be a better person. Make me laugh. Go on XBox with me. Will Da-Bao breakfast for me. Nurse me from sickness. Assist my photo shoots. Join me on sitcom marathons. But mostly not engineers who try to make up for theyre lack of photog skills by being gear whores. =)

9, Which type of person do you hate the most?

Engineers who think they are artsy and make up their lack of photography skills by buying a fuckload of gear.

10, Do you cherish every single one of your friendships?

Some more than others. I'd like to, but theres only that many people you can see in a week and only that many people who are willing to compromise to fit a moment of their lives into your schedule.

11, Do you believe in God?

Hail Mary, hallellujah, Ah Do!!

12, What do you think is the most important thing in your life?

To be able to stay sane in this CARAZY CARAZY world.

13, Do you find it necessary to have a gf/bf?

Mmm, I dont think I've ever been the one who could be single... so yea...

14, What do you want you friends to be like?

Like the ones in 'Will & Grace', but a little toned down, mixed with some of 'Friends' friends. But normal people who like to have a fun time, have common interests, able to carry extensive conversations, likeable, trust-worthy and a bit of a crazy streak... cos we all need to be a little crazy to stay sane sometimes.

15, What kind of friend do you hope to be in your friend's eyes?

The big brother of the group, approachable, but sensible, mature, but still kinda cool. Someone you'd totally take to the next AZN Dance Party. LOL

16, If you can change, which part of your character would you like to change?

I'd probably want to be a bit more proactive...

17, If you're feeling low one day, who will you go to?

You know who you are...

18, Would you die to save the ones you love?

Von provides very good perspective. But I think I would die, for the ones I love. Sometimes its better for one to die than for the rest to go.

19, If you died and went to heaven, and were given a chance to live your life once more, what would you do differently, and why?

I'd live harder, give it my all, and treat the people around me better cos they deserve it.

20, [My Question] Would you eat your friends to survive, if you were stranded on a desserted island?

I know who I'd pick first... I know I'd be the first one to go too, cos according to Jo I'd provide the most food for the gang...

*sniffles*

.tagged.

2008-04-16T21:43:00.002+12:00

Gosh Darnit Von!!

The rules:-
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. List eight (8) random facts about yourself.
3. Tag eight people at the end of this post and list their names.
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving them a comment on their blogs.

1, Von did it!!

2,

- LURVE Vege Chips
- Spent 80 hours clocking 'Lost Odyssey'
- Have a fear of being physically bound
- Have irrational fear of frogs
- Tough exterior; not so tough interior
- Currently seeking employment
- Wants an Euro/Thai holiday
- Nikon/Oakley whore

3, I believe they've all been tagged by Von liao...

4, Sure, why not?

Kit Accumulation

2008-03-26T15:13:00.006+13:00

Update: In Singapore, still job hunting, but at the same time holidaying while I still can. Shout out if you're around for a holiday or something. Also, why isn't anyone critiquing or commenting anymore... or for that matter... BLOGGING anymore!!! It feels weird being left out of the loop!! Update me peoples!!!

My Lil' Black Babies

This kit took a while to accumulate. It's just the basics, and covers the stuff I shoot. But as I get richer (somehow) the list of photog babies will evolve.

For the photog nuts out there, my photog babies includes:

Nikon D80 body
Nikkor 18 - 135mm
Nikkor 70 - 300mm
Nikkor 50mm f1.8 (my pride and joy)
SB 600 Speedlight
ML L3 remote
Nikon Tripod
Lowepro AW 400

For now, this gear allows me to do what I do - take photos. However, all you budding photogs out there, dont think that you can't take good photos without kit like that. Also, dont think that just because someone has good kit it'll equate to them being able to take excellent pics all the time.

At the end of the day, it boils down to the person behind the lens, how they perceive light and how well they know the environment around them. If there ever was a problem taking a shot of a subject, a good photog doesn't blame his/her gear, but will instead work around it. It's photography, not photoGEARphy.

Case in point...

China Blues

2008-03-19T15:55:00.011+13:00

What the?

Imagine going someplace you don't want to go (China), when you'd rather be some place else (Sgp/Chch/Kch), during the holiday season (Chinese New Year) when everything is C-A-R-A-Z-Y, and to top it all off theres a natural disaster on the doorstep of your hotel (freak snowstorm).

Mish mash of elements... it's a crazy world!!

Yes, that would have summed up my trip to China. Where Hong Kong is dynamic and ever changing. China seems to be stuck in some dark age where they think tacky theme parks are still fun and cool.

I know I'm not earning any favours from the Chinese by making my previous statement, in fact I've probably earned myself a place in front of a chinese communist firing squad. But please, please, hear me out...

Having landmarks from the rest of the world shrunken down and strewn all over the place does not constitute fun. In fact, its shamelessly ridiculous mostly because you can't think up anything original or you don't have anything else to showcase and, in addition to that, its also very very very fucking tacky.

The Merlion of Singapore looks NOTHING like the shrunken version, the details of the tiles of the Sydney Opera House look NOTHING like the original, the Aroha gate and marae are classical Hawaiian architecture as well as New Zealand, Niagara Falls doesn't trickle with water, Versaille and the Vatican are in 2 countries seperated by hundred of miles, and the Sphinx and the Pyramids of Egypt were made of sandstone, not some muddy coloured plastic. Case and point - the following photos:

It's supposed to be a bit bigger...

NZ and Ozzy mashed together... why is the marae distinctly NZ??

Niagara Falls... honestly??

Versaille (France) in the foreground and the Vatican (Italy) in the back... doesn't make geographical sense...

This one doesn't make geographical sense either...

Thats not really sandstone as much as it is plastic...

'Theme Parks' like this should be an embarassment to that God forsaken country. If you're going to attempt anything tacky like that, there should be adequate detail put into everything. Or else you'll just end up embarassing yourself and the cultures you try to imitate. For fucksakes, people!!

PS: Would have totally taken more photos but unfortunately the sky decided to piss down on me and my camera got caught in the rain and fried itself... Thats a story for another day...

To Have And To Hold

2008-03-14T22:09:00.005+13:00

Part of being a photog is taking a photo. As tricky as it is, the other part of being a photog is just as finicky - printing. There really isn't a substitute for having the photos you have taken in your hand and passing them round to your mates during a coffee.

Picture squares...

This was the first time printing my photos. Printed a combination of photos straight out the camera and photos post processing on Photoshop CS3. Mixed results of course. My first gripe - the colours. The photos that I process on PS CS3 are not accurately reflected when they come out of the printers. i dont know if its the viewing angle or something strange like that. Gripe #2 - cropping. The borders are slightly cropped on the photos. I'd say about 95% of the original image was retained, the rest were sliced off. I noticed this when i placed a watermark on a pic and had it sliced... *sniffles*

So if theres anyone who can help me resolve these 2 issues... please please please drop a message!!!

Night at the Museum

2008-03-05T01:33:00.009+13:00

Contrary to popular belief, a member of the public isnt allowed onto the premises after hours at night, and yea... these pics were taken during a trip to the museum in the day.

Totally taken in the day...

The museum of interest this time round is the Singapore National Museum, a beautiful building that acknowledges its colonial heritage by borrowing design influences from that period in history.

Colonial stylez...

P.I.D was quite lucky to have a rare exhibit of Greek masterpieces from the Louvre (yes, the french museum) in town. After paying for the entry fee, we chanced upon this freaky display at foyer. All I can say is this space could possibly be put to better use... mostly for visitors to walk through...

Caution: Clumsy artists at work...

After a guided tour of ancient Greek life and history, we were free to roam around the place to take pics. It was a bit of a challenge mostly because tripods and flash photography weren't permitted (thats why most pics come out blurry and horrid when you turn the flash off). The solution: 50mm f1.8 prime lens that 'see in the dark'. Results: Awesome!!!

There were lots of topless women...

Athena - The Paris Hilton of her day...

Venus - The Nichole Ritchie to Athena's Paris Hilton...

Athena ready to boogie out on a Saturday night...

And there were just as many naked men...

Oh dear, I seem to have misplaced my toga and sandals... but I have this disc in my left hand...

Joey Tribiani styles: How you doin'

Ok, ok by now you're all probably exasperated by my 'intolerance' and ignorance of art. Yes, I can appreciate all these sculptures ,but at the same time, I'll be the immature man-child giggling and cracking snide jokes in the back of the guided tour. But yea... I digress, ancient Greek art has paved the way for modern expression of art and aesthetics, so good on ya's.

Although there was one piece that was a tad dodge...

World's First 3-Some...

and Bearded Man With Two Heads...

On a serious note though, museums are awesome and a great photog challenge!! Head out to a museum near you now!!!

Midnight On Another Planet

2008-02-26T01:58:00.009+13:00

Ok, ok this time I'll update more frequently...

Worthy of any Wong Kar Wai movie... hee...

With an itinerary hectic enough to fit into any leg of the 'Amazing Race', and enough drama for a season of 'Prison Break', I set off on my mini O.E (overseas experience). So begins the first leg of my adventures.

Destination: Hong Kong

HK's financial district, where scenes of 'The Dark Knight' was filmed...

Took an Air Asia flight from Kuching to Macau, where I stayed overnight with the rents. The next morning was a mad rush to the Macau ferry terminal for tickets to Kowloon to meet up with my cousin who was to be my guide.

Cousin Arthur and Allan...

And the rest of the crew...

If theres something the Ting clan enjoys more than anything, its EAT EAT EAT!! Jap buffets, steamboat buffets, Korean BBQ buffets, we got to sample the whole gamut of cuisine available. One thing that everyone has to try out though, asides from the standard Dim Sum, is the HK cafe style food. Simply put - BEAUTIFUL (esp their milk teas, OMG, still havent been able to find anywhere thats close to replicating it).

Jap eat all you can...

Steamboat eat all you can...

Korean eat all you can...

You can all probably tell by now that we dont go out in the day very often, mostly due to terrible weather conditions (there were freak ice storms in the area north of HK) which brought down a fuck load of rain and drove the mercury down to about freezing point. However by nightfall it was dry enough to lug the camera out and take some nice pics of the city slicked up with rain and lit with crazy neons.

Or am I standing still?

Midnight on another planet...

I touch my breasts thusly...

Dirty ads... YARRR!!!

Hong Kong really is another planet to a country bumpkin like myself. It's huge, it's dynamic, its ever changing, it's sleepless and the people are just as energetic, things I've never associated with the cities I've settled down in. Yes, there are people taking public transport well into the night and even in the wee hours of the morning. It's clash between identities is clearly evident, neither here nor there. There are brand spanking new highways that run through grimy, run down apartment flats, ultra modern shopping malls with street sellers paving their entrance, italian restaurants with vendors selling traditional tid bits right opposite their premises. And maybe thats what Hong Kong is about. Till next time Hong Kong...

Moving Along (Part Quatre)

2008-02-22T15:10:00.014+13:00

On the second last day of the trip we decided to get a new accessory for baby Dee in order to enhance our photo-taking assignments. Meet the Speedlight SB600:

What is it? It’s a speedlight that supports wireless lighting, which means the flash can be remotely activated by baby Dee which means wicked lighting shots and no more “in your face” flashes during portrait shoots which totally wash out your face. It also doubles up as a flash gun should you choose to blind someone in order to make your escape as our chief was more than happy to try on me… countless of times.. over the past couple of days.. even till now. I’d claim medical benefits but they don’t offer em at this job. Lol.

We then had lunch at this budget Jap joint; Sushi Don.

Scallops fried in garlic... mmmm

Told the chief lunch was on me... so of course he ordered tonnes

Haha.. naw this is actually my dish; Pan fried beef!

After lunchies we headed towards the ex Supreme Courthouse and took some shots at the Padang before heading to the Merlion to take more shots, this time in the day.

Le Supreme Courthouse

Pillars of justice

Justice after laser eye surgery... cause she's no longer blind!

Merlion

Trying for a shot

The final day was spent by helping the chief pack as he heads home before embarking on his China trip. After which he’ll head back again to his hometown in Kuching before finally coming back to Singapore and settling down in our new offices. He’ll be blogging about his trips soon.

Now we’ve got the (almost) complete photog gear expect to see many great shots with baby Dee. Till the next time we meet fellow PiDs!

Armed and ready to shoot

Moving Along (Part Trois)

2008-02-19T03:41:00.022+13:00

Next stop on our assignment was the National Museum. They were showing the exhibit: Greek Masterpieces from the Louvre and we (being the highly cultured photogs that we are) decided to pop on down and take the tour. Sides we had passes so it was free.

The Editor in Chief will post a separate blog on the exhibit. Meanwhile I will continue the other stuff we did.

Had sushi at this nice Japanese place (Sushi Tei) after the museum and we took some shots of our dinner:

Salmon and Caviar and Roe oh my!

Golden Roll

Desserts: Ice-cream in waffles lined with chocolate and nuts
with Mayudama behind

What lies in a Mayudama: Ice-cream and brown sugar

On Sunday we met up with the editor’s assistant and gal pal Yvonne (who was in town on official PiD business: shopping) for breakfast at Crystal Jade and dessert at the local Ajisen outlet.

PiD staff in Crystal Jade

Porridge: Breakfast of champions.. and the chinese

Braised tofu with mushrooms

Frog legs: Tasty food for the editor and von; fear factor for me!

mmm.. soft serve ice-cream topped with brown sugar accompanied by dumplings
red beans, jelly, nata de coco and fruits.

That's all for now...

To be concluded!

Moving Along (Part Deux)

2008-02-04T17:44:00.002+13:00

After a filling tea break we decided to walk it off by visiting the sky gardens at the top of the mall. There we indulged in flower photography, abiding by the guidelines first posted here. It was a cloudy day and so the lack of sunlight made it a tad hard to get a good macro shot without the use of a tripod, or really steady hands.

Le flower

Taking a macro shot with unsteady hands ..

and steady hands.

We continued to browse around the shops and soon were parched. We decided to visit a traditional place where one goes when one he is in need of a good drink..

a Starbucks.

There we had our fav drink: Green tea frap with no cream, and took a break before embarking on the next event on the itinerary; catching a show at the mall's cinema.

Green tea goodness

Choice drink of the PiD staff

Now I know you must be asking: how does that constitute photog work? I can assure you that it really does. How exactly? Uhm… will totally get back to you on that.

Cloverfield

After the movie, we headed towards the downtown area and took some night shots of the business district and Merlion statue. All that walking around sure made us hungry (guys like us always are) and tired so we had a late chicken rice dinner before calling it a day.

Cloverfield... naw it's just Singapore's skyline

Water under the bridge

The Merlion: mythical beast or genetic experiment gone wrong?

View from the other side

Chicken rice, the chicken ..

and the rice (behind). Fried tofu in the front.

To be continued.

Moving Along...

2008-02-01T20:54:00.001+13:00

The head offices of Photogs in Disguise have shifted to the sunny (though not today) island of Singapore and during this transition we’ve found little time to update fellow faithful readers of the blog. Not to worry though as we’re the in the process of settling down and it’ll be back to business pretty soon for us who strive for that ever elusive shot.

Here’s the mini-update of what’s been going on:

Our Editor in Chief; Allan left Hamilton after enjoying a slow, peaceful and relaxing farm stay (with no wifi) and headed back to his hometown Kuching for a short stop before going down to start organizing the new head office in Singapore.

I was there to pick up the boss at JB and we proceeded to get him prepared for his stay here. We got him hooked up to the wifi where he posted his Tron blog and got some grub before getting his hair cut (by yours truly) and (totally not playing Gears of War on our 360) scouting for great locales to shoot. The first day was more a personal thing for the both of us before we went out to do some actual shooting. The evening was spent at the local mall noshing on local food and checking out some stores.

The second day we headed to the beach at Changi. It was a pretty calm day, the sun was covered by clouds and evening was approaching so the shots we took looked pretty serene with a hint of melancholy gloom. It was also my first time trying out the G7 which was passed down to me. Allan will be taking more shots with the brand spanking new D80 (nicknamed Baby Dee) and will be posting his thoughts and impressions on it soon.

Tree. By the Beach

Back on the job

Withered tree. By the Beach

What happens when you hesitate and do not change shutter speed!

Day three brought us hunting for the next accessory to complete our baby Dee’s arsenal; The ML L3 remote. Headed out first thing in the noon to camera antique shops that sold old bodies and lenses and browsed before asking around for the price of the remote. The first shop we came to was selling theirs at S$24 which seemed a tad way above our intended budget. We decided to take a look around and see if there were other competitive prices. Next stop: Funan.

A shop with a biblical name; John 3:16 was one of the first places who gave a ray of hope when they told us that they were selling theirs at S$18. Too bad they sold out though (irony, table for two). We then trudged along to another shop who was selling em at $20 but he too was sold out. Our next stop was somewhat interesting:

Old Shop Assistant: (eyeing us looking into his shop) Yes? Can I help you?

Ben: Yeah, do you sell the ML L3 remote for the D80?

OSA: Lemme see har.

(we walk in)

(OSA looks around and tries to find it, shuffling though drawers. The remote is prominently displayed on the glass shelf beside the D80s and I point it out to him)

Ben: It’s over here. That’s the one we want.

OSA: Oh that one har? (takes it down and analyzes it, there is no price tag)

Ben: Yeah that’s the one. How much is it?

OSA: Oh this one … (continues to look at it as if the remote could telepathically tell him the price) this one is S$39.

(we walk out of the store thanking him)

OSA: Wait! Wait! How much you want it for?! I give it to you for S$20!!

When I said interesting, what I really meant was annoying. Trying to swindle us cause we spoke English and looked (a tad) foreign. We are totally not going to that store again.

The search for a good deal seemed a bit bleak but I was willing to give it one last push and we ended up at a store that sold photog stuff opposite Funan.

We got the remote and it cost us S$16. Go team PiD!

After a seemingly triumphant victory we headed down to Vivo city, one of the mega malls to collect my mobile phone that was sent in for servicing before heading to a Kim Gary HK restaurant for some grub.

Starter: Tomato Soup

Main: Spaghetti with beef and tomatoes

Having the same dish

To be continued.

The Tron - Hamilton

2008-01-23T15:26:00.001+13:00

Now that I have an internet connection, will be updating my blog more often... promise...

After a bit of a let down in terms of a farewell party, I started my journey with a wee sidetrip
to Hamilton for a visit with the cousins. What was supposed to be routine and uneventful turned into 3 days of adventure and doing things previously unprecedented.

Hamilton, for those who haven't been there and regard it as another dot on the north island where weather is reported, it really isnt THAT bad. Its an agricultural town. Peaceful, quiet, clean, green and chocka with cows, horses and all the other farmyard animals from your nursery rhyming days - the very essence of life in good ol' Aotearoa.

Ducky ducky ducky

After arriving in Auckland, it was a one hour drive down to Hamilton. Took a while to get reacquainted with my cousins whom I haven't seen for 6 years, but it wasn't long before we were getting along.

We got to visit the Hamilton Gardens with their Egyptian, Italian, Indian, American, Chinese and Japanese themed gardens.

And after a feed from Burger King, we got along swimmingly.

Burger Happiness

The rest of the evening was dedicated to playing a hybrid of Cricket and Baseball - Bricket... We used a hackey for the ball, our jandals as bases and a table leg for a bat. With very interesting results.

Then came dinner time when we had to play a different game. A game I like to call - 'Chase Down Duck For Dinner' or 'CDDFD'. Before I get villified for chasing down stray ducks from public ponds and such, keep in mind that Uncle Thom lives on a lifestyle block with ample of land, so he dug out a duck pond to for his wee duck farm. Which, incidentally was where we hunted for dinner.

Huey, Dewey and Louie

Unfortunately for Huey, Dewey and Louie they were due for dinner...

Duck Dinner...

Yes, they had to be killed, plucked, butchered and cooked... I wasn't quite involved, but had to hold the ducks while the others were put to the slaughter...

Yes, theres a lot of birds in The Tron. Big ones, little ones, medium sized ones, one that fly, ones that swim, ones that just walk, colourful ones, black ones, white ones.. you get the picture... A LOT of birds in Hamilton... Not the good type of bird though...

So I guess Huey, Dewey and Louie won't be missed too much...

Strong - Annabel Fay

2008-01-14T06:45:00.000+13:00

The day is here I've been waitin' for
Now I know whats worth fightin' for
No more thinkin' if its right or wrong
I just do what Ive been dreamin' of

Cos when you're down
You will find out that you're on your own
Yes you're on your own
I'm on my way
I'm movin on and I've got to be strong
Only I can make my day

I have it all when tomorrow comes
I have my share now it's my call
I'm the first in line to have whats mine
I'll look straight ahead and won't close my eyes

I have to walk this road alone
I've got this second chance and I'll carry on
Its great to know
youre watchin over me
but I have to walk on my own
thats the only way

Irony Is...

2008-01-13T17:22:00.000+13:00

Irony is...

Eating food on a flight you are dreading, that you prepared earlier at the job you really really despise, to somewhere you really dont want to go, with the last people on Earth you want to spend time with...

Thats basically my summer in a nutshell actually.

My chefs uniform came late... and when it did... it was a size too small... WTF!!

Games I Play

2008-01-09T18:49:00.000+13:00

So the holidays are over for most of you. I’m here lazing around and basking in the slow start of the year before everything goes crazy and exciting as I prepare to start life with my someone special. Meanwhile, I get to toy around with some of the gifts I got for Christmas and my birthday.

Got a couple of games that I’ve yet to finish, one or two (which means more) that I’ve not even begun (gamers call that the “pile of shame”) and you’d think I’d be snuggled up in bed playing the latest in what Microsoft and Nintendo have to offer yes (-Ed: dont forget to get Gears of War for me!!!)?

No.

See I recently purchased some Wii points for my Nintendo console which allow me to download games from past generation consoles and there’s been one game which I’ve always taken an interest to (but didn’t get a chance to play cause we didn’t have money at that time.. sniff. *plays violin music*) that combines my never ending love of video games with a hobby that I’ve always been interested in, photography.

That game is Pokemon Snap!

Not the card game version...

Now, now. Come on back. Gimme a chance here, am not drunk nor high, that's Lindsay's thing (SNAP!).

Pokemon Snap! was released on the Nintendo 64 system and players take the role of a (name him yourself cause there’s no continuity anyways) budding Photog that is tasked by Professor Oak (well known Poke-expert) to take pictures of Pokemon on an island. Seems easy? Not so.

Dragonite in flight (-Ed: you're a regular Dr Seuss..)

You’re in this capsule-vehicle thing that moves slowly (which means Britney can carry her baby in one arm safely. SNAP!) enough for you to take a picture but fast enough to let you miss a shot should you hesitate. The route is fixed but you have a 360° view of your surroundings which means that Pokemon can appear from anywhere and you have to keep a sharp lookout.

In addition to the constant moving, the Pokemon are sometimes situated far from the scope of the camera which too hinder the photo taking process. This would mean using your arsenal - which consist of food and assorted gadgets – to coax them to come closer and maybe pose for you.

No one likes the Poke-Paparazzi... or bad photographers...

At the end of the track the good prof rates the photos you’ve taken based on the size, center-ness of the subject and the posturing. After which you can proceed to the next course which has different terrain and hence different Pokemon or choose to redo the past levels in hopes of getting better pictures.

Momma always said not to pee and eat at the same spot...

The game is fun, addictive and quite ahead of its time as there were no other photog games like this. The only one close to mimicking it is the upcoming Afrika game for the Ps3 which involves taking pictures in a safari. Too bad that’s the only thing Sony can call exclusive for that game-less console right now (SNAP!).

Some things I’ve learnt about photography in the game:

1, Picture opportunities can come at any time, be sure to carry your camera wherever you go

2, Do not hesitate or you’ll miss the shot.

3, Do not panic either or it’ll turn out worse. Keep calm and a steady hand.

4, Centering is important. Though centering on something dull makes it duller (-Ed: off centre rules!!).

5, People who are hungry will pose when you give food to them. Now I know how supermodels work (SNAP!).

6, The most important thing is... practice makes perfect.

Cropped off Moltres' wing for the sixth time round...

Say It Isn't So

2008-01-08T09:25:00.000+13:00

Yes yes, the rumours are true - Allan started out mainstream, shooting with a Canon!!

Wot a SELL OUT!!

In fact, my very first digital camera is a Canon Powershot G7 and the very first DSLR I shot extensively was a Canon 400D. It's true, I started out mainstream and boring and crusty and safe and conservative. Photography isn't supposed to be any of those. It's supposed to be exciting and sexy. Which to be honest, shooting with a Canon did not make me feel... I did, on the other hand, feel boring, crusty, conventional and as if I was trailing a well trodden path... much like sheep do... or lemmings... before they plunge to their deaths.

I'll be focusing on the Canon 400D, which I had the opportunity to shoot with during the silly season. It's seen here with a Canon EFS 17-85mm lens. Yes, the ugly bastard below...

U-G-L-Y

Before I go even further to rubbish this Japanese brand of camera toted around by one too many nooblet tourists shooting in 'auto' mode, I must say - it's a good camera.

Image quality wise, yes very good. A bit too sharp for my taste. Too much in camera processing. There are other people who do post processing you know... Colours are a bit... for a lack of a word - plasticky. Not so nice if you like punchy reds and warm colours. But I guess its aimed at nooblets... who shoot it straight out of the box. Which I guess is fine if you're coming from point and shoot, nooblet territory.

The evaluative metering does tend to underexpose a wee bit. Its a bit unpredictable at times. The same photo exposes differently even tho its shot continuously. Very very surprising and very very weird.

Shutter lag, startup is very quick. It's continuous servo is quoted at being around 3 frames per second, which is fine for capturing wee tykes who cant keep still.

Viewfinder nice and bright, LCD is good too. Although I found myself cropping off the left more than I expected. Which wasnt so cool. (Btw the pic up top is meant to be off centre... my nephews arms were included in the viewfinder, but in the final product it was chopped off!!! WTF!!)

My only gripe is it's size... which can only be described as midgety. And with the unproportional 17-85mm EFS, it just seemed ungainly most of the time. And it just doesnt have very svelte curvy lines. Just looks big and black and not alot of fun. The lack of 2 scroll wheels makes changing settings very difficult in M mode. Up till now I couldnt even find the aperture switch scroll button!! And when I asked my brother in law he didnt have a clue either, but replied that he ONLY had it for a year. Dude, if you dont know what your camera can do within a year... you might as well let someone else make better use of it... or just not get a DSLR and cheapen the art that is photography...

Conclusion?

I'd rather perform a self lobotamy than shoot a Canon DSLR again... enough said...

The Ninth Day

2008-01-04T21:01:00.000+13:00

Somebody put a bullet through my head, because I should be dead right now...

Working 9 days in a row is probably the toughest thing I have done to my body. Yes, youre talking about someone who lifts weights and rows the living shit out of the rowing ergometer here... Working 9 days in a row is tough as shit..

My previous stretch was doing a 7 day week, which was bad enough. But this time it was 9 days... count 'em, 9. That's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 frikking days of doing the same task over and over again - working through public holidays, watching people take their weekends off, watching those same people come back and be in shock that you haven't taken your weekend yet...

It'll all be over soon... *sigh of relief*

Quick, put a bullet through my head...

How Long, how long?

Mini Shout Out

2007-12-31T16:08:00.000+13:00

Hey all, just wanna post a tiny hello to readers of the (in)famous P.I.D.

Am honored to be a part of this establishment and will try my best to contribute what little knowledge I possess to the well produced web publication that is this blog. Though it has taken much (and when I say much, I mean little) negotiating for me to accept this new position I firmly believe that this'll be the definitive place to start my frequent posting in the upcoming year.

Happy 2008 Everyone.

Excelsior!

An Addition to the P.I.D Family

2007-12-30T16:15:00.000+13:00

Over here at the Photogs In Disguise offices, there was always room for extending our stable of young talented writers and photographers. And with the lack of posts recently due to some very busy writers and editors, an executive decision was passed down from somewhere up there to add another writer to the mix. Not too sure if any of you noticed, but there has been an addition on the writers list.

After an exhaustive search through alot of writers, we narrowed it down to an unlikely journalism student all the way in sunny Singapore.

Hans Christian Anderson
Wrong target audience... and kinda dead...

J.K Rowling
Stuck up bitch who refused us... (quote: show me the moneh!!)

Stephen King
Would probably scare you all shitless...

An executive order was issued to send a P.I.D representative to bribe him with a bag of Cookie Time Cookies!! So it was up to our ever faithful Personal Assistant to the editor - Yvonne Mak, (whos birthday is like TOTALLY TODAY!!) that this assignment went to. HAPPY BIRTHDAY YVONNE!!!

You'd say yes too after 9 of these...

Upon Yvonne's arrival at Changi Airport, our new writer received the cookies and agreed to an interview lunch on Boxing Day. And was hired after showing the girls around his hometown.

Photogs In Disguise is proud to present to you their newest writer - Benedict Wee. Currently residing in Singapore, Ben is in the midst of completing his degree in Journalism. His irreverant humour and careful observation of life in the Big City lends Photogs In Disguise a new, refreshing outlook fittingly as we approach the new year.

Yvonne: Aww, the big teddy bear thinks its human...

Stay tuned for more posts in the not too distant future!!!

It's Over

2007-12-25T18:53:00.000+13:00

Yes it's Christmas, and I know I should be off doing other things, not writing on here. The crowd has gone, I smell like I've just been in a forest fire, my skin is lobster red, and my throat is parched from all the Bundabergs Ive downed.

But... I haven't gorged on a fuckload of food like I used to in previous years (yes, proud proud achievement!!) and well the Christmas glow has worn off. It's not so much a special day for me, probably been through one thankless, giftless, working Christmas too many. Working at where I work, it's enough to turn any saint into a cynical, loveless, jaded Scrooge McDuck. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones.

This being my blog, Im'a gonna blog about me for once.

Yep, you read it people... It's Over. My education in New Zealand has come to an official end as of 21 December 2007. Allan is officially a Bachelor of Science in Geology.

Regalia hire - 85NZD (late fee... *sniffles*)

Flowers - 20NZD

Canon 400D for technologically astounding shots - 2000NZD

Graduation Teddy - 50NZD

Tie/Cuff Link set from Tie Rack - 50NZD

Shirt and Tie for Portraits - 150NZD

Tuition fees for 4 years - 20,000NZD

(one very very expensive piece of paper...)

Air Travel for most of the Fam - 10,000NZD

Being the centre of Attention for once - Free

Clueless for the next year - Free

Stopping Christchurch traffic for an hour - PRICELESS!!!

Well, what can I say? Everything is happening so fast. After looking back, the blood, sweat and tears shed during these years, as hard as they were to endure, are very much worth the trouble. God knows when I'll be back to this country after my departure. I had a good run, I have no complaints. Every incident during these years has made me the man that I am today. It's hard to let go, but sometimes, thats the only thing a person can do to stay sane.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to ya'll. I'll see you guys when you get there...

A Very Public Apology

2007-12-20T22:30:00.000+13:00

As all of you know my previous post was received with mixed feelings. Some felt it was too incendiary, some felt it was a light hearted nudge, and there are some that felt it was long overdue.

I understand whatever damage tehre was, it has been caused already, and I deeply regret my actions. For what it's worth, I apologise. My previous post was unacceptable and i have now pulled it from my blog in the hopes of rectifying the situation.

Again, I'm deeply sorry to the people i have hurt and disappointed....

Man Lurve Moments Awards 2008

2007-12-09T19:44:00.000+13:00

You all have Andrew to thank for this one...

Hes been keeping score of all the gay things we've said/done, so this is a bit of a backlash i guess. Also, it's some pis which i never got to show so, if you want em', feel free to download em!! Without further adieu, I am proud (maybe not THAT proud...) to present to you all - the Man Lurve Moments Awards of 2008!!

This will be fairly interactive, everyone is invited to vote in their comments for the moment with the most Man Lurve. Whats disturbing is how many pics I've got depicting Man Lurve...

Disclaimer: All pictures do not accurately potray the act of REAL 'Man Lurve'... they damned well look like it though...

VOTE NOW!!!

Lick It!!

Coppin' a Feel

I Like It THAT Way

I Never Meant To Hurt You

I Miss You (and your jandals)

Bedroom Acrobatics

The Afterglow

Do It Like You Do It To Me

Smell Dem' Pits

Spread Dem' Butt Cheeks

Enter your votes soon people!!! Entries close... erm... soon... Winners will be announced in errr.. a few weeks...

Let's See How Far We've Come

2007-12-05T08:00:00.000+13:00

WARNING!!! EBE AHEAD!!! (Emo Blog Entry Alert)

*Sigh* Another one bites the dust...

These days, it's been easy to feel left out of the loop. What used to be a close knit bunch of rag tag misfits has been reduced to a mere remaining few.

In between leaving for our extended summer holidays, managing our summer jobs, bumming around and being general nuisances in the land of MMORPGs, there rarely is any time for any of us to be together. And with a core few gone for the rest of the year, it isn't going to be any easier.

Sure we've been at each others throats...

Eaten shitloads together...

Yes, we've made messes...

(and NOT clean up Allan's place)...

We've bossed our loved ones around...

Pushed their buttons...

Gotten bored with the occasional rant...

And sometimes, dealing with our loved ones just makes us want to fall to the ground and surrender...

But in the end, what makes us, 'Us' is our ability to stick, our ability to be there for one another. Be it a failed love, the need to satiate late night cravings, desperately needing volunteers for an event, impromptu Nintendo DS parties, ridiculous Eat-Off Challenges, or even if we just need a chill out space till our next lecture, we've always been there for each other to stick it out as a family.

I hope everyone has had an awesome year doing what they do. Hopefully in 5 years time, when life gets to be hectic and youre overwhelmed with your new job, you'll look back on 2007 and think about what an awesome year it was, remember the high-lights, and in doing so, remember the people that made it special...

See how far we've come together?

Best Friends Fo'Eva'!!!

U.G.L.Y

2007-11-25T06:30:00.000+13:00

The Other Team...
L - R : Andrew aka Mc Ugly, Pan aka Big Ugly, Joseph aka Supa Ugly, Vinny aka Incredi-Ugly

[C] OK! I'm a cheerleader now!
[Chorus]
[D&C] U.G.L.Y.
You ain't got no alibi you ugly
Eh! Hey! You ugly [X4]

[C] I saw you walking down the street just the other day
[C] I didn't see your damage from that far away
[C] I should have got a clue when the kids started screaming
[C] You walked up to me with your buck teethe a gleaming
[C] Your hair was all frizzy and your face was a mess
[C] I thought it was a sack but it's your favourite dress
[C] You hurt the trees feelings and the birds all flew
[C] I don't mean to insult you
[C] Oh wait! Yes I do.

[D] Your teeth are yellow, they're covered in mould
[D] You're only fourteen you look a hundred years old
[C] When looks were handed out you were last in line
[C] Your face looks like where the sun don't shine
[D] Did you fall off a building and land on your head
[D) Or did a truck run over your face instead
[C] There ain't no pill cos you ain't ill

[D&C] You're ugly!
[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]

[D] What you really need is to wear a mask
[D] And book that plastic surgeon fast - (Girl)
[C] You're scary - You're hairy I heard about you
[C] You're the main attraction at the city zoo
[D] You're so fat and ugly with a belly full of flab
[D] When you wear a yellow coat people shout out cabH
[C] (So funny)

[D] You got eyes like a pig and your nose is big
[D] And with hair like that you should be wearing a wig
[C] Uncle Fester remember him? I never knew that you had a twin
[D] You can't disguise your googly eyes
[D] In the Miss Ugly pageant you win first prize
[C] Yo mama says you ugly -
[D&C] You ugly!

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]
[D]
Get busy [X9]
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[C] Yo mam says your ugly
[D] Get busy
[D&C] Your ugly!

[D&C] U.U.U.U.
[D] Now I feel like blondie

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X2]

[D] Quasimodo
[C] Camel breath
[D] Squarehead
[D&C] Ugly!

[C] Chicken legs
[D] Pig face
[C] Chin like bubba
[D&C] Ugly!

[D] Fish lips
[C] Toad licker
[D] Poindexter
[D&C] Ugly!

[C] Spaghetti arms
[D] Limp butt
[D&C] Freak shown -ugly!

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly eh! Hey! You ugly [X1]

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y - [C] You could make an onion cry

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y - [D] Like an alien chased by the F.B.I.

[D&C]
U.G.L.Y [X6]
U.G.L.Y You ain't got no alibi you ugly!

Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition Pt. 2

2007-11-22T07:04:00.000+13:00

'Lets grab some lunchies guys...'

Previously, on Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition...

After lunchies from various fast food outlets, each of them just as heart-attack inducing as the next, the tournament commenced.

Red Team - Vinny, Andrew, Pan, Joseph.

Vinny Missing...

Blue Team - Allan, Jacob, Horst, Reuben.

Allan Missing...

For a while, it was a one sided match in Red Team's favour. Blue team was uncoordinated (the individuals... mostly Jacob... not the team...) and there was always no clear plan of attack. Blue Team was obviously suffering from a lack of leadership and directive.

What started with an exasperated sigh ( due to the 10 - 0 loss at one stage), Blue Team hunkered down and began gelling together, not straying too far from each other, and actually fought like a team, exploiting Red's weaknesses. Allan (Big Black Guy) provided cover fire and flanked when the opportunity provided itself, Jacob (Goggle Dude), the hunter... did his own Lone Wolf thing, Horst (Goatee Dude) and Reuben (Bandana Dude) were on point as a mini team. This strategy worked well. Blue Team eventually evolved into a slick, organised, motley crew of killing machines, calling the Canal maps, Rooftop maps and Gridlock maps their Happy Hunting Ground. And Red pretty much just disappeared into nothingness and self imploded into their Locust skulls.

"Whatchu lookin' at huh? PUNK!!!" "RAWRRR!!!"

It was fun while it lasted guys, we came, we saw, we kicked your Red asses. I'm sorry to say, the best team eventually broke through. Yes, there were difficult times, moments where we were close to giving up, moments where we just wanted to throw our controllers at Red. But in the end, what matters is that we pull through when it counts, especially in the end. Booyah!! We make miracles happen!!

C.O.G.S for Life

L - R : Jacob aka Goggles Mc Gee, Allan aka Big Black Guy, Reuben aka Marcus Bandana, Horst aka That Guy

Remember this proud moment guys... never have we overcome such impossible odds to conquer a bunch of 'prozors'!! Mark this day in the history books, the day the C.O.G.S took back the world, and kicked Locust ASS!!!

Kimchi Dumprings!!

2007-11-18T15:54:00.000+13:00

Food review time!!

Its pretty difficult to try to head in to this restaurant. Its the Korean restaurant (not the noodle house) on the Wind Mill Mall. I think those 2 Korean restaurants have an agreement or something. One of them specialises in rice dishes and kimchi dumplings and the other restaurant specialises in noodles (esp Cha-Jang Myun). Being so close to each other, I guess it makes sense to sell different stuff.

First time I went there was kinda by accident. Wanted something light, so a friend asked if I wanted to try kimchi dumplings. Was reluctant at first, but 'adventurous Allan' took a hold of me and we had a steaming plate of kimchi dumplings and regular dumplings in front of us. This review was done during a crave session during exam week. So Reuben and I went.

What can I say? Skip the regular dumplings and go nuts on the kimchi dumplings. They are AWESOME!!! Fresh out the steamer the skin on the dumplings have the perfect texture, slightly on the chewy side, but once u get through to the kimchi filling... PERFECTION!! For maximum enjoyment, have it fresh from the store, I've had it reheated and it just doesnt do the fresh ones any justice. These dumplings (from what I can observe) are freshly hand made every time, so they may take while to prepare. Each serving of dumplings come with servings of various pickled veg and tofu skin dishes and compliment the main dishes well. A DEFINITE MUST-HAVE!!!

Legendary...

On this occasion, Reuben chose the kimchi soup with rice dish. Apparently quite spicy but YUMZORS!!! I didnt try it so I'll take Reubens word for it.

Hot Hot Hot (Reuben's order)

Wheres my egg?? (Allan's order)

I chose a clay plate rice thingy... Rice, veg, mince meat served on a hot bowl with very hot (but yummy) korean spicy red chilli sauce. I dont quite remember being quite so satisfied with a meal before.

One complaint though, there was an egg in the picture, but no egg in the bowl that I was served... That's FALSE ADVERTISING dammit!!!

Marathon Challenge: X-Box 360 Edition Pt. 1

2007-11-17T09:44:00.000+13:00

With our dreaded exams well and truly over, we decided to wind down and relax while we were still together. Vinnys suggestion - a Gears of War tournament at a local gamers lounge called Respawn. A bus ride and 2 road crossings later,we arrived at the lounge. Paid 30NZD for access to their System Linked X-Box 360's (1pm - 10pm) and started warming up with 3 on 3 matches before we waited for the rest to show up.

Contact!!!

The set up was super comfortable!! The System Link Suite itself featured 8 X-Box 360s all linked together, Lazy Boy chairs, HUGE AZZ Samsung flatscreens side tables for beverages and stuff. My goodness!! I swear my ass never wanted to leave those seats! The TV and the chairs were positioned so that our heads are just about the right distance from the TV, but we were reclined and essentially lying down. It was very comfortable for the 9 hours we were gaming for.

The Reclining Gamer...

Not all of us had been on an X-Box 360, let alone played Gears of War, so it was fairly new for some of us. Well... mostly me... but PHAAAAAAAARK!!! Gears of War should be renamed 'Gears of PHWOAR!!!' I was absolutely gobsmacked for the entire game with its graphics. And the gameplay reduced me to a shouting, ranting, raving lunatic, where normally, I just do my own thing and just hi five my team mates. Yes people, it's THAT good.

AHAAA!! Totally just sawed you in half you DIRTY LOCUST HORDES!!!

It's a very innovative game, with it's over the shoulder camera and the 'hide and seek' play. Never have I been able to half duck while running, roll into cover, empty a cartridge blindly, reload quickly and smart aim at my intended UGLY LOCUST HORDE targets. Its uber pretty as well, marble lights up in the sun, our power packs glow in the dark, veins pop up from Big Black Guy's arms, and you can see the scales on the Locust Horde as they chainsaw you to death. All that detail, Halo 3 aint got nothing on this!!! Truly, TRUELY, AWESOME!!!

10/10 rating for GoW from me. Stay tuned for more to come!!!

Elation

2007-11-15T17:07:00.000+13:00

Hey y'all, Raging Bull is back!! Just sat my last exam... EVER!!! The feeling is hard to describe... Anyway, this marks the return of my blog entries!!! Hope you havent missed me too much!!

Elation

Is there a better feeling right now?

I dont think so

Closing Time

2007-10-31T23:57:00.000+13:00

Just a notice of a temporary hiatus to my blog entries because of exams.

Photogs In Disguise will be temporarily shut down from 1/11/07 - 15/11/07.

Exams are here, the end to the academic year (for those not going on to summer school) is nigh. Remember, you get the marks that you deserve. So, work hard, study smart, and pass those exams!!

Good luck, and see you all again soon!!!

XOXO,
Allan T.

Bad Analogies #1

2007-10-30T10:02:00.000+13:00

Her date was pleasant enough, but she knew that if her life was a movie this guy would be buried in the credits as something like "Second Tall Man."

Russell Beland, Springfield

Eat Off Challenge: KFC Edition

2007-10-26T11:12:00.000+13:00

The rules are simple. First to finish his/her share of food wins. If contestants are unable to finish them, rules revert to 'Last Man Standing' or 'Most Consumed'. The winner.. well, doesnt win much actually.. (will get that sorted next time round)

This editions contestants were: Allan, Reuben and Vinny, after a late pull out from seasoned veteran Joseph Kwak.

Allan 'I'm gonna eat you for lunch' Ting

Reuben 'Are you gonna finish that' Lo

Vincent 'I'm hungry' Baker

The Challenge was to finish off a 'Wicked Bucket' Meal (consists of 10 Wicked Wings, 8 pieces of Original Chicken, 6 Nuggets and 4 Large sides of competitors choice) in 6 hours, while watching gross - out movies. 'Fast Food Nation' and a horrible Korean thriller/comedy/horror/slapstick shit case of a movie - 'The Host' were rented out for this purpose.

Enough chicken to feed a village in Ethiopia...

The eat off started well. Everyone was pumped and hyped and everyone else slagging off each other. There was so much trash talk to psyche out opponents. Vinnys approach was interesting. Citing concerns of disqualification from the panel of judges, he opted to rip his chicken into pieces so that they were deemed a 'clean' eat. Allan and Reuben opted for the more conventional method. All three contestants started off strong... for the first 30 minutes... Then died off after that. Nothing much happened, besides a lot of moaning and groaning from full stomachs. 3 hours elapsed and there was a revival, a pathetic attempt at finishing the meal off, but still the contestants were far too full.

Official Cheerleaders and Judges...

830pm came, and none of us were able to finish our meals. The closest to finishing was Vinny. With only 1 large side remaining, making him the unofficial champion of this Eat Off. The aftermath was not pretty though, he ended up sick and a case of chronic constipation for a few weeks. The smart ones were left with only bruised egos and the aftertaste of chicken in their mouths.

So, KFC - 1, Challengers - 0.

Dont Be That Guy #1

2007-10-23T20:00:00.001+13:00

'Don't Be That Guy #1' is the first in a series in this pilot project in response to all your 'You Know What Really Grinds My Gears' posts. It'll be a space for me to rant and rave about things that annoy the living bejeezuz out of me.. WATCH OUT!!

Dont Be That Guy #1: The Guy Who Keeps You From Sleepy Land

Good God, cant STAND these people!! Be you the one who kept me awake with your snoring during tournament, the one that throws a party the day before my field trip or the one who rings me up at 1 in the morning asking if i want to 'kick it' at the karaoke bar, seriously, please, GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER!!! I happen to love visiting the Land of Z's very much thank you, and would like to keep that visit regular and undisturbed by your selfish thoughtlessness. Spare a thought for those trying to get a good nights rest. For fuck sakes, go choke yourself on a chicken bone if you snore excessively... or I WILL!!!

You have been warned...

The Mansion Pt.2

2007-10-19T08:05:00.000+13:00

Seriously guys, 'In the Sun' by Joseph Arthur is an awesome song!!!

Previously, on The Mansion...

It was a BBQ party, so first things first... the FIRE!!!

It took us a good 20 minutes to get the fire up and hot enough for the embers to burn through. It was near impossible mostly due to the intermittent wind... and drizzle... The temperature was dropping fast as well. So, we guys had to act really quickly or risk freezing our backsides.

Thom: ARGH, my crotch!! Ahhh, that feels better...
Pan: If you listen hard enough, you can hear the forest speaking to you...
Horst: I'm outta here, you two are NUTS!!

Countless fire starters, coal smudged faces, and a box of matches later...

Hobo's United

With the wind picking up, and the evening chill settling in, we retreated inside for a bit of gaming while the fires reduced the coal to hot, glowing embers. Truth be told, we were just waiting for the others to come back with the chips...

Horst: Give it to me, thats MY Wii-mote!!
Vinny: But I totally shotgunned it, its MINE!!
Thom: Ahaaa!! Totally kicking your ass here on Wii Sports Vinny...

And what was amazing was that these three troublemakers were staying out of trouble!! I took the opportunity to snoop around and snap shots around the mansion and found a nice spot upstairs at the gym. Nice, cosy corner to just lie in and sleep away a lazy Sunday afternoon.

We're not being naughty... PROMISE!!

A rare moment among the three...

Take a moment to savour the peace and quiet (and occasional Tourettes outburst from Von)

Rare-Allan- cam-whore moment... SMEXY!!!

The sun set and soon it was time for dinner. The party was treated to Burgers, sausages, chicken wings, kebabs and mushroom steaks prepared by Master Chef Pan (and his lovely assistant Von)!!

Von: We should totally star in our own cooking show...
Pan: *I'll star in my own, thank you very much*

Workin' it

SMEXY YUMZORS!!!

The rest of the night was followed by a whole lot of eating, boozing, sauna'ing spa'ing, a whole lot of dares involving hot and cold water and this bum fight...

Totally BITCH-I-FIED by the Raging Bull!!

In the Sun - Joseph Arthur

2007-10-18T07:50:00.000+13:00

I picture you in the sun wondering what went wrong
And falling down on your knees asking for sympathy
And being caught in between all you wish for and all you see
And trying to find anything you can feel that you can believe in

I know i would apologize if i could see your eyes
'Cause when you showed me myself i became someone else
But i was caught in between all you wish for and all you need
I picture you fast asleep
A nightmare comes
You can't keep awake

May God's love be with you
Always
May God's love be with you

'Cause if i find
If i find my own way
How much will i find
If i find
If i find my own way
How much will i find
You

I don't know anymore
What it's for
I'm not even sure
If there is anyone who is in the sun
Will you help me to understand
'Cause i been caught in between all I wish for and all I need
Maybe you're not even sure what it's for
Any more than me

The Mansion Pt.1

2007-10-14T09:35:00.000+13:00

Sorry for the slow updates guys and girls, just been busy with reports and stuff... stay tuned though, theres gonna be some good stuff a comin'

Got invited to an impromptu BBQ Party the other week. Yes, the food was great and everything. But MY GOD... the HOUSE!!! I swear you can fit at least a squatter village of people in it, and maybe even start your own!! There was a pool, sauna, basketball court, a (well stocked) walk-in pantry, HUUUGE back yard, a gym, and God knows how many living rooms and rooms. But shizzers!! It's such an awesome house.

The Walkway

Love how the sun streams in like that...

Panty Raid?? No!! Pantry Raid!!!

Deceptively COLD water!!

The Fight Club

It's not quite possible to portray the sheer size of the house without a wide angle lens. It's so damned big I couldn't get any good exterior shots!!

Check out that perfect lawn!!

Host your very own Tekken LIVE! Tournament on this balcony!!

Not many people can claim they have a Soviet Wasteland for a backyard...

Or a Soviet Sunset...

Disappointment

2007-10-08T20:13:00.000+13:00

After what was a promising run 4 years ahead of the 2007 Rugby World Cup, it was nothing but disappointment in this camp as the All Blacks were sent packing by a 20-18 whipping from host nation - France.

What the hell guys??? Do you know how much is riding on your collective muscled shoulders? The hopes and dreams of of a tiny island nation in the middle of fucking nowhere. All of us were left scratching our heads as the final whistle blew. Why boys? Why?

Do your collective craniums know that the crime rate rises every time we lose? Didja huh? Didja??!!! Yes, a kid dies for every match you lose. Maybe all of you should think about THAT the next time you decide to lose a major international!!!!

At least they weren't wearing Black...

Auto Salon Christchurch 2007 Pt.2

2007-10-05T07:22:00.000+13:00

Funny how people don't comment on my PROPER blogs as much as the EMO ones (YES!! ALL OF YOU!!!)

Previously, on Auto Salon 2007...

Well, even though the place was littered with trashy show pieces, there were a few that stood out, and even look good on camera!

Favourite Graphics on a Car

Looks like something off NFS for some odd reason...

My car runs on glowing crystals of ENERGON!!!

Why would you do this to your Mira?? It's had a hard enough life!!!

Seriously though, sometimes you wonder what drives these people. Do they really love audio that much? Are they more of an audiophile than a car enthusiast? Or is it the other way round. I haven't been to any of their houses, but I suspect if we can see what they're packing in the living room or bed room, it'd answer alot of questions.

Good sound set up = Audiophile

Posters of cars and white trashy girls on cars = Pre pubescent, zitty, hood rat White Trash

Hood Rat (apparently Xplod by Sony isn't all that respectable)

Audiophile (JVC kinda RAWRKS)

And there were some more that REEEEAAALLYYYY stood out.

I really hate this Impreza, I really do...

Love the deep red...

Its awesome how the depth of the colour changes with how you look at it...

Then we came across this BEAST!! An R33 Skyline named 'Evil33' that was billowing smoke. And I got this prized shot.

Beautiful...

Warm Spot

2007-10-01T08:55:00.001+13:00

The early rays stream through my blinds.
I wake to your scent, the smell of you.
The peppermint from your toothpaste lingers in the air,
stinging my nose.
All around me, the memory of us hangs,
in dark frames our smiles forever frozen.
To be warmed up by the light from the break of dawn.

Your shirt drapes over mine,
like the way you watch over me,
the way you protect me.
Your jeans on the floor,
crumpled and careless.

I roll over to your part of the bed,
to start my day.
I feel a familiar sensation all over my body.
Your warmth in the sheets,
a warm spot.
I swear I can feel your body again.
Then, it hits me,
jolts me,
rudely,
till I fully awaken -
you're not here with me.

I Miss You

Auto Salon Christchurch 2007 Pt.1

2007-09-28T20:35:00.000+12:00

Phewf, dropped my Psych report off in time. Feels like such a huge load off!! It's been a while since I last posted an entry. Seems to be pretty quiet these days too. Oh well.. Here's to making up for it.

I know theres like a shitload of nature pics and flowers and stuff on my blog. Its a wee bit girly I know, but I promise Im'a diversify from now and play around more with the ol' camera and shoto some MANLY things.

This entry is for the boys out there who have yet to act out or afford their Fast and Furious fantasies:

AUTO SALON CHRISTCHURCH 2007!!!

Even Homer made it for the ride...

Went to this event with James, mostly cos I knew there'd be difficult photog situations in the form of shitty indoor lighting. Well... actually he had a discount voucher... Yep, there was shitty lighting alright... But was a fun challenge non the less.

Those are Birthday Balloons on the FTO

We were one of the first people to arrive. For a car audio event, I thought it was mighty silent!! There wasn't even music or anything. Kinda scary. There were bogans and white trash a plenty though.

Thats a perfect girl right there boys, leggy, big hair, tits the size of her eyeballs, teeny wee waist, and arms twice the size of your face!!!

Should've known that the white trash cutout was not a good indicator of what was to come...

Bratz kebaaaabs, get your Bratz kebaaaabs!!

Yes, that IS a Bratz doll being skewered by a Trueno, but wait it gets better!!!

BumbleBee!! On a BMW... what the???

Seriously though, there were some nice pieces to look at...

My personal favourite 'Chi'

Law of Physics #7: Flames make cars go FASTER!!

3-Ni

Ok ok ok, this is just a piss take to whet your appetites, the good stuff comes out in Part 2...

Promise...

Bun Fluff

2007-09-24T19:58:00.000+12:00

I can't believe how lucky I am to have Pan as a neighbour. His mum just keeps churning out awesome as food. After our shoot with the daffodils, she was at her bestest yet again. This time round she made these:

When Fluff and Bun combine...

I call them Bun Fluffs, but they should really be called Heavenly Buns or something corny like that just cos Bun Fluffs really isn't enough to describe them.

These are perfect after a day in the field doing a shoot on stupid daffodils and really really cheered me up. They go perfect with a hot cup of Milo or coffee. Pan's mum made 2 variations - a coconut one and a peanut one. In other words Coconut Fluffs and Nut Fluffs. They may look like regular buns but theyre really special. They have a slightly sweet taste to them, nearly milky sweet, and the glaze on them made it even more palatable. The Coconut Fluffs were 2 such pieces of bun with some cream in between them and rolled in dessicated coconut. I've never had anything like it before. Who knew coconuts and cream went together!! A quick suggestion though, maybe try something lighter like a custard cream to make it truly AWESOME!!! But my favourite would have to be the Nut Fluffs. It's the same bun but with peanut butter spread in between and covered in crush nuts!! Ok, I dont know about all of you, but I'm a big peanut butter nut!! Just the feeling of how the light bun mixes with the rich, creamy peanut butter along with fresh crushed peanuts is enough to satisfy the pickiest of brats!! I certainly had fun chomping them down!!

So again, BIG shout out to Pan's Mum for the awesome snack!! And if she were to ever open a bakery, I'd fully support it and advertise it all over my blog!!!!

Fashion Survey (Tag Alert)

2007-09-22T07:34:00.000+12:00

Fashion Survey!

:Basics:
Name: Allan
Age: i am 22 going on 15
Location: Christchurch

:Favourites:
Store: Rebel, Amazon, Footlocker
Designers: Ralph Lauren
Place to go shopping: Thailand/Malaysia/Singapore
Brand Names: Oakley, Asics, Adidas
Colour to wear : Black
Item of clothing you own: Polo shirts and Jerseys
Type of jeans : Tight as Emo Jeans that reveal my SMEXINESS
Type of tops: well fitted tee (dont like flimsy sleeves.. ew..)
Type of shoes: Runners, smart casuals
Clothing on opposite sex: as long as it's on the floor
Type of accessories: Oakley Sunnies

:Misc:
What would you never be caught dead in?
Baggy, Oversized Hip Hop tee

How many clothes in your wardrobe?
Too many (for a guy)

What was the last item of clothing you bought?
Running tee by Adidas

If you owned your own fashion label, what would it be called?
SMEX!!

Which celeb's style would you love to steal?
Danny Crane's in Boston Legal

Do you follow trends?
I still wear stuff I wore as a 15 year old...

Whats "in" in your area at the moment?
Prep?

What colour is a NO for you?
PURPLE!!!

:VS:
Short skirts or long skirts? SHORT!!
Jeans or corduroys? JEANS!!
Hats or sunglasses? SUNNIES
Tight jeans or baggy jeans? WELL FITTED!!
Bright colours or dark colours? DARK!!
Skinny belts or wide belts? REGULAR!!

:Right now:
Wearing: Baller shorts
In your bag: books, pad, mp3 player, ext hdd (aka Exthhdd-tron)
Saving up for: Nikon D40X
Wishing for: Things to go smoothly from here on

:That you own:
Favourite shirt: Hanes muscle tee
Favourite jeans: Levi's with knee darts... until I ripped them up playing ball tag with Jo & Co.
Favourite shoes: My Asics (for comfort), and my Puma Arase (for SMEXINESS)
Favourite dress: The wee strapless, black one hanging in my closet
Favourite belt: Black/White Rising Sun one by Billabong
Favourite hat: Grey assymetrical print one by Volcom Stone
Favourite piece of underwear: Black CK boxer briefs (RAWRR) and grey Puma ones

I tag all the guys on my blogroll!!!

Daffodil Daze

2007-09-21T07:47:00.000+12:00

I. HATE. DAFFODILS.

I cant seem to shoot them right. Spent at least half an hour trying to get a strong shot... But everything comes out bland and weak. Even my strongest shots are uninspired.

Not SMEXY

Meh inspiring...

Somebody tell me whats WRONG???!!! It's like daffodils are my kryptonite. It's lame enough having a mineral as your biggest weakness (yes Superman, if you put it into perspective, its Allan Kill if i threw a green rock at you...), imagine having kryptonite in the form of a daffodil. How disgraceful...

Halfway through the shoot, I moved away from the daffs and went onto something more familiar and comforting.

Reminds me of the Terminator when he liquifies

I was so not tickling those flowers...

Pot plants never looked this SMEXY

Aaaaaah, soothing...

Wish List 07/08

2007-09-20T15:53:00.000+12:00

More like a list of things that I'm gonna get with summer work money...

8, Canon WP-DC11 Underwater Housing: Would be nice to expand my shooting repertoire to the deep blue!! Or fun times at the pool or beach!!

The Life Aquatic with Allan T

7, Tissot Touch Navigator: Waaaaaay too cool for school!! Featured on one too many awesome action movies (Tomb Raider, Mr & Mrs Smith). Functions are activated by touching the words on the bezel. Can a boy ask for more?? *Droooool* Bout time I got a watch too...

Youre allowed to touch your i-Pod!! Let me touch my watch!!

6, ABs RWC Training Jersey: Just wanna get this years edition before I leave... unfortunately, they're kinda hard to come by...

SMEXY Blacks!!!

5, Full Drivers License: Ok, so I've been breaking the law taking all of yous in my car... its about time to set things right...

4, Shorts: I need shorts!!! Just ripped the back of my khakis where my bum usually sits... I'll miss you tan, faded khaki shorts that have been with me for the past 7 years and never let me down, even when the going gets tough and the tough gets going... T.T

3, Open Water License: Always been something I wanted to add to my C.V. *Ooooh, aaah* Might even come in handy one day... Who knows eh? If not, it'll just mean I'll bring my photography underwater!!

So... first thing on the agenda for this meeting... Who's been making this shitty coffee?? It's all salty and foul!!

2, Nikon D40X: I'll write about this one more in depth later. Suffice to say I want the twin lens kit.

1, Travel Holiday: I think I need some time out to figure the rest of my adult life out.

No, not in Sao Feng's steam den!!

Welcome to Singapore!!

Must-Watch-TV: Previously on Prison Break...

2007-09-19T06:47:00.001+12:00

YAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!

I know there are many who have waited for this day. I know there are many non-believers. I know there are those of you who piss your pants at the very thought of it being available on the hub available for download. I know there are many who cringe at the thought of another season of emotional roller coasters that is Prison Break.

Me personally? I LOVE this series!! As much as I want to see the writers and producers hit a rut and see the series jump the shark, I'm just constantly amazed at how they manage to pull out ideas out of their asses and just run wild in terms of script writing. My God, how many times have we witnessed the main protagonist's close brushes with the law or how he manages to come out on top nearly all the time? How many times have we held with bated breath as he oh-so narrowly escapes? How many times have we thought the on screen brotherly love thing was a bit too uncomfortable? How many highs and lows have we endured for the last 2 seasons? I'm hoping this season doesn't disappoint! And watching this seasons opener, I can't help but think it will top itself again!!!

Heres to hopin'!!

Suggested taglines:

New prison, old foes
Work out your issues first time round
Just like the first season
Deja vu, but with a different minority
Been there done that
A bit like Guantanamo Bay
More icky sweaty dudes than you can endure

Flaunt It

2007-09-18T11:03:00.001+12:00

You know what they say - Got It? Flaunt it!!

Before ya'll start dishin' the hate, take a moment to realise that Allan is a B average student and his previous highest score on any assesment was an A-.

It speaks for itself really...

=)

Khmer Noodle House

2007-09-17T09:15:00.000+12:00

'Wow, this is some awesome Chicken Noodle Soup.'

'Yea, I always come here when I need a quick fix.'

'So... this Khmer thing, where is it from?'

*Stares at the signage on the window stating 'Cambodian Cuisine', then stares dumbfoundedly at idiot friend*

'You're not serious are you?'

My last visit to Khmer Noodle House was right after a shoot at Brighton Beach. It was perfect mostly cos my emo brother from another mother (read Mojo) stole my jacket, and I ended up not wearing much during the shoot. Damned near chilled myself to the bone too.

Have you seen this drunk?
Wanted for Jacket Theft
Reward Offered - Not Much
Contact: His mum for reward

Khmer's is pretty much an institution for any Canterbury U student. More so if you're asian and love noodles (much like me). A staple amongst the hordes of us that patronise this truly awesome House of Noodles is the Combination Noodle Soup.

Legend has it a chicken, a cow and a pig fell into a pot of rice noodles resulting in the Combination Noodle Soup we all know and love.

A chicken soup base, with rice noodles and chunks of pork mince, and beef and slices of chicken, topped with bean sprouts and a spring onion garnishing. The soup base is undoubtedly what gives it it's distinctive flavour (duh Allan) and brings the hordes back in every cold wintery day. It's full of chicken-ey goodness that's only to be expected from broth made with real chicken but at the same time has a slightly sweet after taste. The rice noodles consistently have the right balance of bite and softness every time, and the garnishings always fresh and crunchy. The combination version comes with all 3 meats, but it's possible to single them out. However I personally think that chicken works best.

And when its Friday, and you can't have any meat because of your commitment towards your religion and partner theres always the Seafood Noodle Soup.

For Fridays only...

This variation is also equally as good, but served up with cuttle fish, surimi and shrimp instead of meat.

Despite the name, Khmer Noodle House serve other dishes as well. The other dish that I highly recommend is the Satay Chicken/Beef on rice. It's a lot richer than the subtle flavour the noodles have to offer. But if you don't mind excess for the day, go for it!! Its basically pan-fried slivers of beef/chicken slightly charred to the point where it tastes like its been on the good ol' stay grills back home. It's served on a bed of rice and topped with a very sweet, nutty satay sauce and served with a salad on the side. Yummers!!!

P/S: Stop giving me shit for abstaining from meat on Fridays guys!!!! It's called a commitment!! Look it up on the dictionary one day!!!

Behind the Scenes: Photogs In Diguise

2007-09-15T00:00:00.000+12:00

Over here at the Photogs In Disguise head office, in an undisclosed secret location, we take pride in running a tight ship.

We like to think we're a close-knit bunch of like minded enthusiasts who love what we do and share that love with our readership. Photogs In Disguise was founded one night over a drunken whim by me, the editor. Ever since, Photogs In Disguise has searched far and wide for the best mix of photographers, journalists and writers to provide you with interesting features and beautiful photos.

The photos and stories featured are taken by our 2 field reporters and photographers - Allan and Allan. Both of them bring different and refreshing views to the table. They're constantly bitchin' about the lack of better equipment in the field (read Nikon DSLR), but unfortunately, the Christchurch office doesn't have the necessary funds for them. However, they manage...

BTS: The Birds and The Bees - Allan caught in a sticky situation

BTS: Surfer Rosa - Allan proclaims his love for all things Japanese

Of course we have our 2 writers - Allan and Allan, always at each other's throats over the 'best' stories to cover. They can be pretty peaceful, but things between these two OCD nuts can get quite heated at times, even to the extent of playing a BIG, AGGRO game of Paper - Scissors -Rock to settle their differences. But if it's one thing they achieve at the end of the day, its hard-hitting journalism at it's best and of course, a GREAT story!!

Allan suffering from Writer's Block

Allan interviewing an interview subject for a story (which was cut...)

And then, theres me, the editor - Allan.

Editor on the job

I can't stop praising this team. Working with a team of professionals who are proud and passionate about their work has been a pleasure, and it makes my job as editor a lot easier.

Lastly, I would like to thank the readership of Photogs In Disguise, without whom, we would be out of a job and lying in the gutter somewhere. Thank you all for popping by and dropping comments!!! It's like we breathe on the stuff to survive.

Go Team P.I.D!!!

P/S: Thanks to Jo and Pan for the pics!!!

The Birds and The Bees

2007-09-13T08:30:00.000+12:00

The days are getting longer, the sun hitting your curtains earlier, the lawn wet with dew, the grass greener, the air moist with the scent of fresh cut grass, the mercury higher.

Skirts getting shorter, stubbies getting... well... stubbier... Sunnies flashed about, jandals a floppin' on the pavement, more skin is revealed as the layers are shed, depending on whether or not you've been pigging in the winter, you'll be a pudgy, pasty white, or a golden, sun kissed God/Goddess...

Ah yes, its Spring time here in Christchurch. I feel it in my pants!!! While making a run down to town with Pan, on the way back home via South Hagley, I pretty much pulled over the side of the road for these pics!!

The Japanese really got it right when they chose the cherry blossom as their national flower. SMEXY Japs!!!

This pic hurt the most to get...

Stark Contrast

For the sake of diversity...

Ok, so I cut a few toes, cramped a few muscles and grazed a few shins getting up the trees (it's totally jandals weather you see). But I guess it was all worth it. Cos this year is different. I guess it's mostly cos this will be my last Spring in Christchurch for a while. Funny how you see things differently when your departure is inevitable.

But hopefully, I'll be back... like the cherry blossom that blooms again when the time is right.

Wings Of An Angel

2007-09-11T11:22:00.000+12:00

You watch from lofty heights up in Heaven.
Watch, as time and tide pass.
Watch, as the old wither, as the young birth.

A bright sparkle catches your eye.
You feel,
and you fall into his gaze, for reasons unknown.
Pondering your next move.

'One last thing I beg you please', the Seraphim pleaded.
'You stand to forfeit your immortality'.
That was a conversation you took nothing from.

'Of mortal man, you shall be then', He said.
You never took heed.

The World watched as you descended.
Your beautiful wings burned up,
sent you spiraling down.
Landing somewhere far from here.
No one else around to catch you fall.

You re-birth.
With a blank slate.
No memory of your purpose on this mortal plane.

Years pass.

You recognise his eyes on the subway,
their former luster,
lost,
from years of pain and hurt.
His laughter, now hollow and empty.
You can't tell what he is feeling anymore.
Between each smile, theres a tear in his eye.

A tear forms in your eye.

You take his hand,
meet his gaze to reassure him.
You lean over,
envelop him in your arms, and whisper:
'I've found you'.

Not a single day passes when I am not grateful that we've found each other.

I love you Hunny Bee.

Disclaimer: I didnt take those pics...

Food-Off #1: Son of Devil Bun VS Supremo Chicken Puff

2007-09-09T08:03:00.000+12:00

Who knew it'd come to this ladies and gentlemen. A good ol' fashion FOOD-OFF!! I love a great food-off as much as the next guy. But this line up we have today, I have a feeling it will be one hell of a match. In one corner we have Son of Devil Bun, in it's debut match against long time favourite - Supremo Chicken Puff!! Firstly, we would like to thank our proud sponsors - Pan's Mum's Kitchen, for kitting out both our courageously scrumpcious fighters today. And without further adieu, LETS GET READY TO CRUMBLE!!

Good ol' satisfaction

*Ding Ding*

Round #1:

Chicken Puff comes rolling in with his signature pastry puff exterior, coated in an egg yolk glaze and a light sprinkle of sesame seeds. *drool*. Son of Devil Bun is cowering in his corner, offering only his fried bread crumb batter for what appears to be an average defense. As crunchy as Son of Devil Bun is, I don't think he can stand up against the sheer satisfaction that is Chicken Puff's puff pastry exterior. Sure enough, Son of Devil Bun puts up a fight, but at the end of the first round, Chicken Puff wins out.

Just the way I like my Son of Devil Buns - crispy, crunchy and golden brown

*Ding Ding*

Round #2:

Ok, these 2 contestants are looking dead even at the moment. Looks like they'll have to dig deeper. Chicken Puff pulls out the big gun's and reveals whats inside of him - a subtle, chicken mince curry with peas!! Unfortunately Chicken Puff's curry isn't strong enough, or salty enough to counter Son of Devil Bun's steaming, hot potato mash with CHUNKY ham bits and mixed veg!!

It's a 1 - 2 combo from Son of Devil Bun, and it looks like Chicken Puff is out for the count!!! I declare the winner - Son of Devil Bun, by technical knockout!!!

You have no idea how hard this shot was to take after I took the first bite, was tempted to finish all of it!!!

I HEART Japan... Fullstop

2007-09-08T22:35:00.000+12:00

So, Pan, Mojo and I were at Brighton Pier the other day right, and we came upon this sticker stuck on the railing at the end of the pier.

I *HEART* Japan... Fullstop...

You know, it probably isn't the worst thing in the world if Whales got extinct. Ok, before all of you raise your arms in the air and condemn me for being a non animal lover, please hear me out. I am probably the last person on Earth to advocate killing off a species. But seriously, the way things are in this world today, who can blame me for going a little out there once in a while.

Call me crazy, call me nutty, but if scientists are so convinced that global warming is gonna be the end of human civilisation, and we're all gonna die a horrible, watery death because of sea level rises, correct me if I'm wrong, but... wouldn't it help if we took some mass out of the ocean?? I mean, theres a tonne of these huge mammals underwater.

If we took them all out and had them for dinner, surely sea levels will subside!! Think about it, the Earth is just like the bath that Archimedes dipped his white hairy ass into. By doing so, pretty much overflowed the bath. When he took his ass out however, water levels subsided!! So, if we take the noble race of Whales as the hypothetical white ass of Archimedes, and we kill em off, sea levels WILL subside!! And if that doesn't work, well just unplug the dykes keeping Holland dry and let the sea reclaim their land. Hey it's only fair.

I *HEART* Japan. Geezuz, leave them alone. Sure, they had a bad rap back in WWII, but they sure as hell make TEH AWESOMEST cars and cameras EVER!!! So, pop off to your local, go to the International Foods section and grab that can of yummy Whale meat and really go to town with that during dinner. *SLURP*

*That was like a year ago Michael, let it go* - American chick from a Vogel's ad circa 2005.

Disclaimer: Allan does not condone and holds absolutely no responsibility for anyone who kills off Whales or unplugs dykes in the name of Global Warming. Cheers yo'

Surfer Rosa

2007-09-08T08:30:00.000+12:00

Planned to shoot some nice evening shots around the Brighton/Port Hills area the day before. Was BLIMMIN' COLD and BLIMMIN' WINDY as well. Joseph took my jacket so I was pretty much left shivering in my hoody.

Took a few shots on Brighton Pier.

Frozen water is SMEXY!!!

Dont ask me what those 2 spots are...

Sho shiny and shimmery

Apparently I take ages to compose a shot, well FYI Joseph, I take test shots and... stuff too!!!

Went into Brighton's version of a street mall and got ourselves an awesome Fish and Chip feed. Well My order was actually really average... Jo and Pan had fun tho...

Tried to replicate a back lit studio photo but, my flash wasn't bright enough. First time EVER that my flash didnt overexpose!!!

Got the back lighting right... just need to light up my subjects now...

The day ended with us getting up on the Port Hills (with what seemed to be an empty fuel tank) and getting a disappointing shot.

Meh...

So disappointing... Anyone know a good evening shooting location?

Flower Power!!!

2007-09-06T09:01:00.000+12:00

The following are some tips on getting shots of flora, I dont claim to know shitloads about photography, just looking to offer some advice and problems I've come across while shooting.

One thing you shouldnt do when shooting flowers is shoot down on them, never ever look down on your subjects. Photography is all about imposing your own unique perspective on your subjects. If you shoot down on flowers, from a standing position, it'll end up looking really AVO, because thats what the everyday view of flowers is like. Instead, try getting down low and shooting them at their level. Getting up close or shooting from fascinating angles and getting the details, something that people everyday overlook. This usually means getting your knees dirty (yes its time to pull those britches up ladies!!), but trust me, its well worth it.

SMEXY blurred background

Play around with lighting a wee bit. Try to capture how the light catches leaves or petals and how it lights up the subject. Then chuck a diffuse glow on it on Photoshop and it'll look SMEXY!!

For ECU (extreme close up) shots like that, using macro mode is a must to get your subject to fill the screen. Macro mode, depending on your lenses have a very shallow depth of field. Petals in the foreground can be tack sharp while the next petal will be blurred, so you might want to watch out for that depending on how you want your subject to come out.

Another thing you might want to watch out for is wind. Yes its given us relief from the hot sun, given us grief when we try to light up a ciggy, and now its gonna give us more grief in the form of fluttering flowers!! Try to wait for the wind to die down when taking an ECU shot of flowers, if you cant wait, get your best mate to block the wind out, if you dont have a shooting buddy, well its time to turn up your shutter speed to eliminate blur caused by movement.

The Basics

2007-09-04T09:12:00.000+12:00

I think I may have jumped the gun a wee bit when i wrote the post about B & W's. Where i really should be starting from the basics. Mea culpa, I'll do a basics entry here. What prompted me to write this now? Well a friend - WJ, was taking a photo for me and another friend, and basically just pressed the button. No composition, no focusing, he just pressed the shutter button. And sure enough, he ruined a shot which would otherwise be a pretty picture. I was this close to smacking him and telling him to keep his hands off my camera. Yes.. Angry Allan.. So yea, hopefully the following will correct some mistakes people new to photography have been making.

Photog Boot Camp:

-The Shutter Release Button:

-Usually located on the top right of the camera.
-Pressed halfway, it locks in the focus and exposure on the area you designate by centering it in the viewfinder.
-Fully pressed, it releases the shutter to record the image.

So basically, depress the shutter halfway, let the lenses auto focus, then push it down all the way. Or you're gonna end up with a blurry blurry photo or you might end up focusing on something unwanted.

-Colour Balancing

White balancing is a system of balancing colour components to simulate pure white light under various lighting conditions so that all other colours are correctly calibrated for that condition.

Ever had a photo come out with an unnatural yellow or blue/green tint? Chances are your camera was fooled by the lighting conditions.

Most of the time, the camera will be set on AWB (auto white balancing) mode, but when the camera isnt able to set the white balancing correctly due to multiple different lights (ie, incandescent and fluorescent lights) the photographer will have to set it to the appropriate lighting condition. Basically, hold the camera up to something thats supposed to be white, and if it has a warmer or cooler look to it where it should just be white, chances are the white balancing is inaccurate.

-Conclusion:

So, there you have it, 2 very very basic things any photographer should watch out for, the first one being more important than the 2nd. Make sure you get the objects you want SHARP. Or you might as well delete the photo. The 2nd basic rule can be loosened a little bit, cameras are getting smarter and its not all that hard to adjust colour levels if you have Photoshop CS. So, go on now, go off and take some nice sharp focussed pictures!!! Dimissed!!!

A TEAM A-GO-GO!!!

2007-09-01T12:37:00.003+12:00

I think it really speaks for itself.

Excellent work on Malam Malaysia boys and girls, I count myself lucky to have worked with the most dedicated, loyal and hardworking misfits ever!! You all make me proud.

Fatty McFat Fat

2007-08-28T08:31:00.000+12:00

Had the chance to have the most serious snack EVER on this planet. A few days ago, a bunch of us were doing stuff for Malaysian Night and Pan popped home to grab some clippers for my hair cut. In addition to that he brought with him what I swear is the most perfect snack ever.

I'm not quite sure what he calls them but its a donut bun, topped with a potato salad. Look at it!!! So Perrty... *drool*

If it's an original snack Pan's mum came up with, I can only describe her as a CULINARY GENIUS!!! Who ever though of putting savoury toppings on a donut bun should patent it and make SHITLOADS from it!!! The potato mixes in with the mayo to make a creamy, smooth dressing for the salad. The potato chunks were the perfect size. There were bits of carrot (not a fan of carrot), which i guess is there to complement the colours a bit. The bun was crunchy and had just the right amount of sweetness to bring out the mayo in the potato salad. The chunks of ham were just right to have a sense of saltiness. Taste wise - Heavenly... My only gripe about the snack (i shall call them 'Devil Buns' from now) was just how rich it was. Just 2 Devil Buns are enough to call a meal, I mean, I took 4 for lunch and skipped dinner that night!!! That's how satisfying they were.

What I'm really curious about though, is why Pan isn't a Fatty McFat Fat!!! Theres no way anyone can have a CULINARY GENIUS for a mum and not be a Fatty.

Look at Pan, he's a picture of SMEXINESS!!

Where he should really look like THIS!!

Really piled on them pounds in the summer huh?

PS: Pan, would your mum take me in as her God Son? Pleeeeeeaaase...