Resolutions 2012.

While my one-year-old is going for his first steps, I am also learning to walk (again). 2011 was full of ups and downs. 


I was promoted for the 2nd time in my first job. Not fantastic but not bad either after six years. The challenging issues justifies for the few more dollars increment to the stipend. Murphy is my good friend. With only the final milestone left, I hope to overcome all odds and pull the rabbit outta the hat in 2012! If I am lucky, I may run another project. 


For the consecutive year, I expended all my medical leave. After hearing my story, some may say 父爱是伟大的. Some may think I was pure clumsy. As my son likes to watch basketball playing, I decided to show him how to do it myself. At first I felt good, I got it plenty of shots. Unfortunately, I broke my ACL while chasing after the ball. It has been two months and my knee is still weak and hurts occasionally. I plan to go for surgery in 2012, while performing the balancing act of pulling the rabbit and recuperation. Pray for me!


My darling son has taken over our lives. We have little time for other things. But this is not bad. He IS part of our lives! It is so true when they say parents want to come home and hug their children. I feel so everyday. On one hand, you miss having time to do the things you like, on the other, you miss moments spent with him. As he starts to walk more, talk more, learn more, 2012 will be really exciting. Hoping to bring him on his first trip to the zoo. He loves the lion and giraffe! Also hoping to go on vacation without him at the end of the year.


2011 was also a visual year. I wrote less, photographed more. Maybe I will invest in a prime lens in 2012. But what's important isn't the gear, it is to take more photos. I plan to continue recording the growth of my son in photos. See them on my dear wife's Facebook album. If I can manage my time better, I will write more. Writing trains the mind. A respectable person writes well. I am gonna write more and well.


In 2012 I will also need to pay more attention to people. People like my wife, my parents, my friends. I would want to create more sparks for my wife, be more filial to my parents, and catch up with my friends. My best friend is getting married! I will also pay more attention to my team mates at work.


Tennis! I hope my vacation will be to Flushing Meadows for the US Open.


And here are my predictions for men tennis in 2012:
1. Roger Federer will end the year back as No.1 with wins in Australian Open and US Open.
2. Andy Murray will finally win his first grand slam, Wimbledon.
3. A new star will be born, and he'll win the Roland Garros.
4. Rafael Nadal will slowly fade away as he is sidelined by injuries for most part of the season.
5. Djokovic will have a less successful year, with less wins and more injuries. He will probably be at the No. 2 spot at the end of the season. 


 As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. 2011 wasn't too good. 2012 will be terrific! HUAT AH!

The Last 24 Hours, Twenty-Eleven.

In between taking care of my dear son, I sneaked out a few hours of the last 24 hours in 2011. It was the third year for me. Here is 2008 and 2010.


With a creaky left knee, I wondered aimlessly from Promenade MRT to Somerset MRT, with a 550D and my Dad's old Olympus mju film compact camera. While I snapped 139 shots on the 550D, I cautiously took only two shots on film. So it will be a while before I can see how the film turn out. :p


Nevertheless, here are the thirty crappy shots with no theme or whatsoever...


Which quadrant do you belong to?

 

Stop and adjust yourself.

 

He fumbles with the map. She wonders where to go. Or is she? 

Another of the 鸟 problem in 2011. Pigeons. Call AVA. Crows. Call NEA. Mynah? Easy, M for McDonalds.

 

Setting up the metal barricades for the New Year countdown road closures. 

What are the enchanting moments in 2011? 

Giant Mentos on the river or another bureaucratic publicity? 

Rising to the future.

 

A reminder of our past, on my way down to the subterranean new world. 

Spick and span. Squeaky clean. The task of keeping Singapore clean does not end, even when the year is ending.

 

An old wood in the City, which caught my eye. 

Christmas wasn't that long ago.

 

Loneliness. 

Behind these windows, boys in green shorts used to roam the corridors. Catholic High School at Queen's Street.

Just to be very very sure... we need the extra guiding poles. 

SMU School of Information Systems. In 2011, we had a new colleague from there. 

Energising the greenery.

 

Just chilling. Third time I visited the National Museum of Singapore within one week. 

Old pillar. Young Soul. Latest fab of 2011 - Angry Birds. 

"Feed and I'M expansion tank".

 

Bombs, Banks, the McDonald House has seen it all. Will it bask in glory forever or make way for some intergalactic highway soon?

 

Ponding in Orchard? The good old Stanford canal has more to offer than solving our bi-century water problem.

 

They ran out of spoons.

 

Taking a break.

 

He loves his books. Just look at the book spine. 

What are they looking at?

 

Elephants left their mark in 2011.

 

It doesn't matter who they are. It's SALE! Now!

So What Do You Want in 2012?

 

Till we walk again.

 

Happy 2012!

What Can Siri Do for Me?

It is no secret, deep down inside, we all want a Siri to do our bidding. I don't own a iPhone 4S, but there are some things I wish Siri will do for me. Below is my top 10 list:

1. Siri, order some roses and deliver to my wife for our wedding anniversary. Include some sweet words in the card.
2. Siri, edit the photos and upload them to Facebook.
3. Siri, blog about my incredible date last night.
4. Siri, download my favourite drama, sitcom and animes.
5. Siri, give me the gist of today's news (as what the President may receive).
6. Siri, upgrade my competency status.
7. Siri, sharpen my monthly progress report.
8. Siri, cook me dinner.
9. Siri, take out the trash.
10. Siri, feed my baby, change his baby diapers and coax him to sleep. (Woah, Siri doubles as the latest domestic helper in the market?! Okay I cheated abit on this one, there are three tasks.)

Just In Time, For Bertrand's Big Day!

Twelve months ago, our baby boy came into this world. It was the beginning of our new journey.


The delivery suite was cold. I held the camera tightly, waiting for the moment. The gynecologist came in and told me to put it away. "No time for this." My job was to urge my wife to push hard. "One and two and three..." And then, came his first cry. "Where's my camera? Where's my camera?" I scrambled for it. First was the cutting of umbilical cord, then the body check, the weighing scale, and Bertrand was in Mummy's arms for the first time. Before I knew, it had begun - my journey as a father and Bertrand's dedicated photographer.


From the start, Bertrand is a natural when it comes to posing for the camera. He would look at the camera. The boy is cheerful. It was easy to capture him smiling. Not wanting to miss out any of it, I had the camera by my side, day and night. The first time he smiled, mumbled, laughed out loud, flipped over, crawled, sat up, stood, threw things, cruised around his cot, clapped his hands, waved his hands, blew bubble, grew a tooth, ate solid food, spat out his dinner, pulled out his socks, said "organ", shook his head to reject something, read a book, poo-ed in the potty, pointed at things, moved to the rhythm, exclaimed at the sight of little birds and guinea pigs, combed his hair... we were there! The moments were captured in our memories and through the lens of our camera.


Over seven thousand photographs later, our boy is almost one-year old. I have learned many lessons about my son and photography through this journey. It had been an extremely satisfying experience. And the journey will continue. This book is a collection of our favourite photographs. These images may not be extraordinary or brilliantly taken, but they are beautiful and filled with love. We hope that Bertrand will grow up to be a wonderful gentleman, and flip through these pages.


This photography collection is Mummy and Daddy's gift to Bertrand, the moments of intimacy, laughter, and kinship which belong to him.


Still in the wrappers!

The hardcover book in the sleek Apple box. The only problem was, it was sticky as well. I had trouble getting the book out.

The cover...

The sleeve...

The centerfold...

And the back cover...

Imitation is the Best Form of Flattery.

Why does the Chrome Web Store look so much like the Apple App Store? I am not just referring about the overall look. The placements and naming of the various categories are really similar as well.


For example the Ad on the top, the "New & Noteworthly" below it, the "What's Hot" aka "Popular" at the bottom, the "Top Charts Paid Apps" aka "Favourite Paid Apps" at the right panel.

This is a fantastic layout! Blackberry should really learn a thing or two from this...

Treasures of Vacheron Constantin.

In between the final installment of Harry Potter and dinner, we found time to visit the Treasure of Vacheron Constantin exhibition at the NHM.

This Swiss watch owners include Napoleon Bonaparte, Pope Pius XI, the Duke of Windsor and Harry Truman.

The exhibition explores the heritage of the oldest watch manufacturer. 180 timepieces were on display. The photos in this post were taken using my Samsung Galaxy S2, so the quality isn't top-notched. But at least it gives those who missed the exhibition, glimpses of the exquisite timepieces from Vacheron Constantin. The descriptions are mostly lifted from the exhibition itself.

To start off, some background information about enamelling:

The art of enamelling was already much appreciated by the ancient Egyptians ca. 1500 BCE. Following a long history of this beautifying technique, watchmakers introduced enamelling to watches during the 17th century in Geneva, Switzerland.

The art of enamelling comprises several techniques: Champlevé (protruding enamel) cloisonné (enclosed enamel) and miniature painting. In champlevé, the pattern is engraved on a sheet of gold with the hollows filled with enamel. With the cloisonné technique, the enameller creates his own design by applying a thin gold wire to primary layer of enamelling and the cloisons (partitions) formed are then filled with enamel. Regardless of the technique used, the piece is fired several times - depending how many colours used - at about 800 degree Celsius. The colour is obtained by mixing glass and metal oxide according to traditional alchemist' formulas.

Extremely refined and difficult, the miniature-painting technique enables the artist to reproduce a great masterpiece with a depth and vividness of colour rivalling that of the original. The fine powders and pigments used in miniature paintings are combined with natural essential oils. Depending on the complexity of the design and the number of colours used, the enamel can require firing more than 20 times at about 800 degree Celsius.

If the enameller uses the Genevan technique, he will protect the painting once ready. In the final delicate stage he applies successive layers of translucent enamel (the fondant), firing the object between each layer. The translucent layers enhance the intensity and brightness of the colours and emphasise the subtlety and depth of work.

Vacheron Constantin's collection of antique enamelled watches is an illustration of wide variety of technique available and the sources of inspiration for past generations of enamellers, such as travel, nature and floral patterns, scenes, landscapes and miniature reporductions of the great masters.

This is a scene from the workshop of Jean-Marc Vacheron.

One of the extraordinary feat was the creation of the world's thinnest watch back then.

This is a 8 days desk clock made in 1905. Glit silver, agate, lacquer, 8/8-cut diamonds, Caliber RA 19" - 8 days, "Breguet" balance-spring, 17 jewels. This clock's champlevé lacquer case with line engraving and bead-set diamonds, was made by Verger Frères.

Another 8 days desk clock, made in 1926. Brass, white gold, lacquer, agate, lapis lazuli, turquoises, nephrite, opals, rose-cut diamonds, Caliber RA 19" - 8 days, lever escapement, "Breguet" balance-spring, 17 jewels. This clock's case was made by Verger Frères and embellished with bead-set diamonds.

Lady's pendant watch, made in 1919. Platinum, brilliant-cut diamonds, rose-cut diamonds, leather rope, slivered dial, Caliber RA 5", lateral lever escapement, flat balance-spring, 15 jewels. This watch was special order for Wilhelm A. Bolin, a jeweller at the Russian and Swedish courts. It is embellished with bead-set diamonds and millegrain decoration.

One of the highlights of this exhibition. This pocket-watch was made in 1923. Yellow gold, enamel, enamel dial, engraved movement, Caliber 17" medium, lever escapement, 18 jewels, hand-decorated. The back of the case is enameled with a miniature of the painting "Les Bergers D'Arcadie" by Nicolas Poussin; painted by Marie Goll, a leading 20th-century Genevan enamel miniaturist. The double back cover is engraved using the pounced ornament technique depicting a pastoral scene. The movement features line engraving of two angels.

"Arms up" pocket-watch made in 1960. 18K yellow gold, white gold, pink gold, Caliber RA 17" 15/12 "arms up" display, lever escapement, flat balance-spring, 18 jewels. The silver dial of this watch represents shuttlecock players whose arms indicate the hours and minutes.

More information can be found on Facebook and the official site.

Terracotta Warriors in Town.

For the first time, the Terracotta Army of the First Emperor are here in our urban jungle, together with the smaller terracotta warriors of the Han dynasty. The 120 objects from the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor, and 20 terracotta warriors, had made their way around the world, from China to UK, America, Canada, Sweden, etc. I remember seeing hordes of people, queuing, paying top dollars, to get the glimpse of these legendary warriors in the British Museum, London, back in 2008.

And some attempted to make some terracotta warriors as well...

Now in Singapore, we only have to pay a reasonable entrance fee (discount with PAssion Card or IKEA card!) to see them!

The artifacts on display is a very small part of the 8,000 soldiers, 130 chariots with 520 horses and 150 cavalry horses in the pits of the mausoleum, in Xi'an, China. It featured the important bronzes and jades from the Qin state before the time of the First Emperor. The terracotta figures from the Han dynasty was also on display. The highlights were the actual terracotta warriors, the new interpretations and questions of the army.

One thing that truly amazed me is the scale of construction of these figures. An army of various ranks and duties, each constructed with unique details, so as to accompany the Emperor in his afterlife. At the hallway to the exhibition was model of the construction process.

The bronze bell dedicated to Duke Wu, from the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BCE), greeted everyone at the start of the exhibition.

An owl-shaped jade pendant from the same period, Shang Guo Dian village, in Feng Xiang. The owl has always been connected with bravery and wisdom.

Iron sword with gold and turquoise handle, from the same period as well.

This is probably some sort of incense burner... aroma therapy of the ancient China.

A replica of the bronze chariot for the Emperor.

Wife not included, each sold separately. :p

Some of the smaller pieces on display...

View of an official's seal through the magnifying glass...

A headless strongman, his task was to entertain the Emperor in his afterlife.

The General and his merry men.

From the position of his legs, we can tell that this is an archer.

Closer look at the General (221-206 BCE) who commanded the soldiers in the tomb. His identity is revealed by his headdress and body armour.

It was my honour to take a photograph with him.

Some fine details in the sole of the warrior's shoe.

A pair of shallow shoes help the soldiers to maneuver easily at the front-lines.

A cavalryman and his mount. Care was taken to ensure the four legs of the horse landed at the same time during transportation, due to its weight.

The squatting archer reloads his arrows, as his comrades fire a few rounds over his head. Noticed the red paint on him?

More painted terracotta figures from the Han dynasty.

Jade farm animals were popular items that were buried during the Han dynasty - don't want to get hungry in the afterlife?

An installation by Justin Lee, accompanies the Terracotta Warriors exhibition. His work blends Western pop art with traditional Eastern imagery, and gives rise to a new reading of work that is a mix of many cultures, and thus decidedly Singaporean. With playful use of colour and light, Justin's works suggest that life after death might not be so bad.

Terracotta Army flanked by graceful fairy-like maidens armed with modern technologies, and motifs which marries the East and West. What are your thoughts?

Btw, the exhibition is still on, till 16 Oct 2011. Catch the warriors before they move on to the rest of the world!