One never sees a Volkswagen T2 Microbus on Singapore roads, let alone one that comes in pink.
I have always come to associate the microbus with the film “Little Miss Sunshine“, which prominently features a yellow version of the bus. The vehicle also reminds me of Cairo. Within the city, the micro-buses are a mode of public transportation.
This pink version screams “bubble gum”. Hear the bubble pops as the wheels whir. Bubble gum pop, anyone?
“Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t
goin’ away.” – Elvis Presley.
In Singapore, the orange god and its stinging heat are ever present. Indeed, the truth can sting too.
It’s up to us to make the best of all things that come our way
And all the things that came have past, the answer’s in the looking glass
There’s four and twenty million doors, down life’s endless corridor
- “The Masterplan” by Oasis
“What’s your plan for the summer?” — that question kept popping up over this past week, which I have spent making new friends over my school’s business case competition. It naturally followed after I told them about my recent graduation.
I have made a list of to-do things. These include finishing up the book layout of my Paris photos (before my Blurb voucher expires), learning to drive, and going out more for photowalks (go away, silly rain!) But, all these are short-term goals. If I don’t find a job or at least an internship, it’s going to be a never ending summer holiday.
In these two coming days, I plan to sit down and sketch out my masterplan. I know the direction that I’m heading, but I need to chart out the path. I need to think of what useful skills I want to learn from my jobs in Singapore. One way or another, these will help to reach my eventual goal of working in the film industry.
I may be a tortoise, but I will reach the finish line.
—
Botanical Garden, Singapore.
“Without ice cream, there would be darkness and chaos.”
– Don Kardong
I spotted these two monks enjoying their potong (cut) ice cream. When I asked if I could take a picture of them, one hid his ice cream below the photo frame, while the other ate his portion.
Such cut ice creams (the one pictures is sandwiched between wafers) are popular in Singapore, and they are sold by many street vendors.
Go get an ice cream today (or tomorrow) to brighten up your day!
This man was selling lottery tickets to me. While $3 million dollars jackpot sounded enticing, I didn’t buy a ticket in the end. However, it did remind me of how, in game shows, the host never failed to ask the participants, “If you win, what will you do with the (enter prize sum) dollars?”
If I do ever win a million dollars, I will use most of my money to fund my masters in filmmaking education (which has been postponed indefinitely). However, if you ask me this question ten years later, my priorities will certainly have changed. What will remain the same will be my belief that becoming rich overnight does not equal to having a happily ever after life. As the French says, your German cousins may turn up at your door!
Some people have started to think that being a millionaire is a passé (I’m looking at you, Bruno Mars). But, hey, these millionaires make up less than 1% of the world population. Most of us will be (extremely) happy with winning a million dollars.
What will you do if you win a million dollars? Leave your comment!
Regurgitate is a nicer word for vomit. It means to bring food that has been swallowed back to and out of the mouth. That somewhat describes my process of studying for exams. I digest everything taught in class. Then, I vomit them out on exam papers (not literally, of course!). Just like what the creature above does everyday, spurting endless stream of water. The Singapore mascot never fails to amaze tourists.
Thank goodness I can finally stop doing what Merlion does. Bye bye university life!
Today, I took a short respite in the urban jungle. I was more than thrilled to get the reports out of the way. So, I decided to visit an exhibition of contemporary Indonesian photography, and caught “The Hunger Games” with friends. The movie was a good 140-minute escape.
Now, I’m left with my final stage of recharge: a 8 hour long or so of sleep. Then it’s onto the last lap of the academic race. Four days to the first out of the five hurdles!
Have a good weekend, everyone! You deserve the break :)
“Men’s activities are occupied into ways — in grappling with external circumstances and in striving to set things at one in their own topsy-turvy mind.” – William James
When I get overly stressed, I tend to tell myself that stress is a matter of perception. Sometimes, it works. Other times, the anxiety just refuses to go away. What has helped me the most is knowing that the storm will be followed by calmness. That gives me a lot of hope, and makes enduring all the pain worth it.
Two more weeks to the end of my university life!
A line can only be as straight as its context. How true is this? It all depends on one’s perception… and culture.
Based on the psychological theory of holistic and analytic ways of thinking, Asians would tend to agree with the said statement. However, Westerners would beg to differ. What explains for this difference? Asians tend to associate a given object with a context, while Westerners tend to view an object and a context as two separate things.
Personally, I don’t know what way of viewing I’ve been adopting. In Singapore, the Western influences are so large that it leaves my Asian way of thinking muddled up. At times, I am guilty for using the term “global citizen” to excuse myself from this confusion.
From the initial plan of joining the Tête-à-Tête language table in Dunlop Street (Singapore), I decided to drop by Little India earlier for a photowalk. Soon, I realized that 330 p.m. was too early for an afternoon shoot! Besides the scorching heat, the stark contrast between the street and the shade didn’t help at all.
Above are the only portraits that I took. One is of a shopkeeper; the other is of a magazine stall owner. These photos do leave rooms for improvement.
With the many visitors Little India has on Sundays, there are many moments that one could capture. Today, I’ve caught only two of the many.
