From Geylang to Kallang and back

Once I said to my son that I would have liked to live during the fifties and the sixties and my son asked why. I really could not pin down any particular reason. Perhaps life would have been simpler as there would be less emphasis on making money and  focus on material signs of success. 

On a Saturday morning, we took a drive to Geylang Road where we took note of a coffee shop known for its superb mee siam and before driving on to the Kallang Riverside Park for a morning stroll.  After taking photos of the surroundings and stalking some migratory birds along the river, we headed back to Geylang for our mee siam lunch. Oh, and I also have to mention the very expensive tea and coffee and scrambled egg breakfast at a refurbished warehouse at the entrance of Kallang Riverside Park.

Comex 2011 - IT and Technology fair at Suntec City

I hate crowds and crowds make me cringe. Yet last Sunday I braved my hatred for crowded places at the Comex fair at Suntec City on Sunday. The strategy was to park at the Millenium Walk carpark and walk over to Suntec City to avoid the parking hassle. After what we went there to get a pair of sony headphones and some photo print papers. While there, I could not resist the  opportunity to check on the price of the Sony Cybershot HX100V that I had purchased a week before.  

The camera was selling at the same price i.e. $799 and so I was at least comforted to know that I did not pay more for my camera. However, the free gifts that came with the  camera purchased at the fair were twice what I had got. In addition to the extra Sony battery, the carrying case and the SD card, customers were given a foldable tripod stand, a digital photo frame and a screen protector for the LCD viewing screen. 

Okay, so I was a little regretful for not waiting before I bought my camera. Well, in life, nothing is perfect. I will have to learn to be more patient next time. Crowds do non flock to IT fairs for nothing obviously. On the other hand, I had one week of fun ahead of the fair and some of the photos I took with the camera like those of the Storkbill Kingfisher in the Singapore Botanic Gardens would not have been possible  had I postponed my purchase. 

Walking from Millenium Walk to Marina Square and onto Suntec City.

These tiles have not been changed for years.

Mild impression of the crowds because I took this photo around dinner time. The sea of humanity inside was much, much denser than what I had captured here.

The bridge linking Marina Square and Suntec City.

The fountain with the dancing lights where we rested.

We could have sat here.

After-dinner shot before leaving Marina Square.

From Waterloo Street to Parkway Parade - Canon Powershot SX130 IS

This post is for Alice. Click on the photo to access the slideshow showing photos that I took with my faithful Canon Powershot SX 130 IS. I like this camera very much because it is compact, the colours are rich and the 14xzoom (if you have enough practice and a very steady hand) gives you reasonable good shots enabling you to capture shots from a good and safe distance. I like the wide picture format that gives photos a kind of panoramic feel and the only gripe I have with this camera is that it is not very fast in focusing and shooting if you are just using the full-auto and Program modes. Other than that, this camera remains one of the  best point-and-shoot cameras that I have owned to date. It also records video in HD format and is easy to use. Check out the photos - most of which were taken with the zoom feature - here by clicking on the photo.

Sony Cybershot HX100V - my photos

This post is not about any particular place in Singapore. When you click on the photo below, the slideshow will bring you through photos that I have taken with my new camera, the Sony Cybershot HX100V.

Sentosa walk

A lion guards our city and keeps us strong. Our largest Merlion statue on Sentosa is an icon on Sentosa island where the casino and the Integrated Resorts (IR) are located. If you do not wish to gamble or to shop, Sentosa is a great place to walk around in especially when the weather is nice and cool. Click on the photo for the slideshow.

Bright Hill Pujue Ch'an Monastry

Bright Hill Pujue Ch'an Monastery 光明山普觉禅寺 is the largest Buddhist Temple in Singapore. It is a spiritual place and one feels at peace and at ease amongst the beautiful architecture and the greenery surrounding it. 

Vivocity - killing time

Vivocity lives up to its name. It is always bustling, vibrant and filled to the brim with shoppers both local and tourists. But, amid the activities that the healthy and able, be they young or old, engage in at Vivocity daily, we cannot escape the fact that some of us do experience something that the usual crowd are spared. I was waiting for my friend outside the Daiso Store on the 3rd floor when I noticed that this old man was also waiting for his family to finish their shopping. I waited for about 15 minutes and when I left with my friend he was still waiting.

While waiting for my friend I killed time by taking photos, a simple pleasure I am truly thankful for.

Punggol New Town and the end point of Punggol Road

This morning, we had to drive to Punggol town in the north-eastern part of Singapore to attend to something and with some time to spend we decided to explore Old Punggol Road to relive memories of times when we would drive to the end of the road to have seafood. We found a park that was supposed to have been completed in the first quarter of the year but till now is still inaccessible to the public. Part of the promenade was ready and the other part within the park was out of bounds. Anyway old Punggol Road still has much of the greenery and nature of before and I hope that these will be protected from property developers till eternity. Click on the photo for my slideshow.

On Tuesday which was our National Day, we went to admire some of the historical buildings around the National Museum and Singapore Art Museum (SAM). 

This was formerly Tao Nan School. Now it is the Peranakan Museum.

Beautiful arches of the Stamford House corridor where we walked through to get across to the Singapore Management University towards SAM.

Part of the Singapore Management University.

Stone tables and benches from years ago.

Buildings on the premises of the Cathedral of the Good Shepherd.

Across from the cathedral is the SMU.

Statue of Pope John Paul II to commemorate partly the visit of the Pope in 2006.

The chapel at Chijmes that is now a function hall that one can hire for weddings and receptions.

The Cathedral of the Good Shepherd from the Singapore Art Museum.

The Singapore Art Museum, formerly St Joseph's Institution, a boy's school.

The Jacob Ballas Building, photographed from the side of the SAM. Jewish architecture.

Waterloo street. One of a few interesting buildings.

The Singapore Calligraphic Centre.

 

A calligraphic piece displayed at an exhibition in the Calligraphy centre. 

An interesting clock at the Calligraphy Centre.

The twelve animals of the Chinese horoscope are represented here.

Looking out from the front of the Calligraphy Centre.

The National Museum.

School of the Arts (SOTA).

This building should never be demolished.

Going Home.

Bonus: Some of the works of Liu Kang at the SAM.

The ever-delightful works of Wu Guan Zhong.