My alumni mata, The University of Queensland, was there too, participating at the AAS 56th Anniversary Dinner, held at Raffles Town Club, held on the 26th October 2011. Our local alumni body, University of Queensland Alumni Association of Singapore (UQAAS), were there and we had 2 tables, with a great of mix of recent graduates and those who had been working for a number of years to those senior alumni graduates from University of Queensland. This dinner was graced by the President of Singapore, His Excellency, Dr Tony Tan and Mrs Tan, along with the Australian High Commissioner, His Excellency, Mr Doug Chester and Mrs Chester.

Accompanied by the beautiful classical music and singing, it was good to catch up with fellow graduates and chat with the recent graduates, social networking and exchange. Besides, it’s also good to find other fellow friends from Australian Universities graduates and catch up too!

While I was going around taking photographs, I took the time to chat with my UQAAS friends and took many more photographs of them and getting the other photographers to help too (with me inside the group photos!). Do check out some of the selected photos taken here on Flickr ! If you are a University of Queensland graduate, do check out the activities by UQAAS and by AAS too ! Check out our past UQAAS activities and events photographs here on Flickr !

 

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Making a return was great, although I wasn’t taking the Group photograph this year, it still felt good to be among the Dragon Scout Group extended family, happily taking photographs, candid moments and scouting activities. Catching up with the boys and girls, young leaders, teachers-in-charge and fellow Old Boys of Dragon Chapter, it’s home coming, warmth and helping to keep the Scouting fire and spirit, glowing bright and strong, passing it on to the younger generation, and to pass it further on to future generations.

Sharing experiences and knowledge, Pay-It-Forward, giving back to Dragon Scout Group, helping and mentoring, may all these wisdom and sharing be continued and carry on beyond the current Dragon Scout Group family, to the future generations of Dragon Scout Group family.

Onward Dragon Scout Group !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The brunch was great, the folks there were lovely, relaxed and chatty, having fun with my camera for my friends. A nice time to get together for the UQAAS Ex-Co members to discuss ideas, plans and activities for the year 2011. Moving forward in 2011, UQAAS will be planning more interesting activities and events for the graduates/members of University of Queensland.

On a personal note, there has been an increase in enquiries for my photography sharing/teaching and walkabout trips, looking at the response and camera playing from the UQAAS Ex-Co and during my networking sessions. Therefore, I am looking forward to plan such sharing and walkabout trips for the graduates/members of UQAAS.

As 2010 draws to a close, I would like to wish all my readers/followers and fellow Graduates of UQAAS, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year ! Stay tuned for more UQAAS events & activities !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The Open House was held on Sunday 5th December 2010, whereby the Chief Scout of Singapore, His Excellency, President SR Nathan, officially declared Open the Jamboree 100 & 3rd ASEAN Jamboree. I was there to help out for a while with the Opening Ceremony with my Dragon scouting seniors from the Dragon Chapter and Ventures from the Dragon Scout Group, my alumni mata.

After the Opening Ceremony was over, we the bunch of old boys and ventures went around the Jamboree compounds, met with the boys and girls of Dragon Scout Group, chatted with our Hawaiian Scout Troop 42 leaders who were here in Singapore to visit the Jamboree 100 Open House.

Looking at the numbers, from different countries and nationalities, it was a great and fun time for them. These brought back many memories of Scouting for me too and relieving the good old days when I was a young boy scout and enjoying the fun and outdoors without too much worries. Looking at the Dragon Scout Group, I am pretty sure they would be having a good time there too! Making new scouting friends from different parts of the world ! Do check out my other photos here on Flickr !

That is the theme of the 88th Anniversary Celebrations of Gan Eng Seng School Dragon Scout Group (DSG), a family that I had been with for many years since my Secondary One school days , spanning 20 years and still going strong. With such a rich, long and strong tradition and family roots in both Gan Eng Seng School (founded 1885) and Dragon Scout Group (founded 1922), not many schools or scout groups in Singapore can stand up, tall and proud of such a rich and long heritage !

Coming back for the 88th Anniversary Celebrations Dinner, it was a homecoming for me, having been out of touch with the Dragon Scout Group due to my freakish accident 9 months ago and wasn’t able to keep in touch with their activities and events. A simple buffet dinner for the young boys and girls, ventures, rovers, leaders, teachers and old boys (a.k.a Dragon Chapter) coming back together, for the gathering, catch up and connecting many generations of the Dragon Scout Group family.

Dedicating to all the young Dragon Scout Group boys and girls, continue to keep the  Dragon Scout Group fire burning bright and big, always glowing and shining, a beacon of light to all the past, present and future family members of Dragon Scout Group, remember our school anthem -

” … A dragon for fire of leadership
And ship for seeking and making progress
In word and deed we vow forever more”

Onward Dragon Scouts !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

The University of Queensland Alumni Association of Singapore (UQAAS) organised the Centenary Celebrations in Singapore, with a wonderful and fun night at the China Club, located in the heart of the Tanjong Pagar, Singapore’s Central Business District, overlooking the harbour and business offices. The ambience was great and the decorations were really beautiful, elegant and posh and the sceneries were simply beautiful. The master of ceremony was Saravanan, who hosted and opened the event, Dr Angelo Venardos, the President of UQAAS, giving a short speech and introducing the UQAAS Ex-Co members.

The buffet was really nice and had a nice spread of different dishes, everybody there enjoyed the food. Thereafter, they began to hang around, chatting and networking together. Graduates of different era coming together, of young and old, networking and sharing their UQ experiences in studies and living abroad. Wee Tong who went back to Brisbane in July 2010 for the UQ Centenary Celebrations, also shared his story too.

Led by Paul and Tammie of UQAAS Ex-Co, sharing The University of Queensland’s achievements and glories, stories of their University days, toasting to a beautiful centenary celebration, supported by the other UQAAS Ex-Co members Eric, Saravanan, Adam and Victor, who further toasted UQ 100 years with uniquely Singapore Yum Seng ! The crowds joined in too and it was really a night of fun and cheering !

There were also a great sharing by distinguished UQ alumnus Mr Loh Hoon Sun, his sharing was appreciated by those present there. The night had to come to a close, Eric, the Vice-President of UQAAS, thanked all for coming to attend the Centenary Celebrations. New friendships were made, networking between UQ Graduates of different generations, a night of fun, great food, atmosphere and ambience. This is a fitting tribute to UQ Centenary Celebrations !

Happy 100 years old to University of Queensland !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Let’s turn back the time, the groom is in the same alumni mata with me, we hail from the Dragon Chapter and Dragon Scout Group. The age difference is private

Upon meeting up with the couple, friendly and heartwarming, it was a rather quick and mutual agreement that I would be entrusted to take on their AD Wedding photography. That was in the 1st quarter of 2009 and fast forward 4th quarter 2009, their wedding journey began and so was my journey as an AD Wedding Photographer. How the whole AD Wedding went, from the start to the end, a brief synopsis of the entire event, could be found in an earlier post HERE !

Well, although the couple gave their permission to release the AD Wedding photographs for my portfolio and showcase, that would be certain photographs that would not be shown here, in order to respect the privacy of the couple. Having said that, some of the more fun photographs taken would be shown here and inside my Flickr !

As you walked through my AD Wedding Photographer journey, I hope you, my readers & followers would enjoy it ! Last but not least, a Big THANK YOU to Wei Liang & Denise, the lovely married couple !

The University of Queensland Alumni Association of Singapore, UQAAS, organised and led a fun and cosy Christmas Dinner event with other universities from the state of Queensland at the Sheraton Towers Singapore. The night was filled with great food, nice and cosy atmosphere with interesting games organised by the Ex-Co, starting with an interesting ice-breaker “local landmarks style” to form groups, gathering graduates from different eras together, followed by an Aussie / Queenslander  quiz for all to take on together with all teams getting the same score lines !

Lastly, the highlight of the games/activities segment, a beer drinking competition from the 3 different groups, each with a lady and gentleman to drink down the beer in the fastest time. Individual lady and gentleman winner from the beer drinking took home a special surprise gift of a sponsored bottle of wine from one of fellow alumni graduate, Mr Frankie Tan.

Was it the end of the fun ? Oh no, Eric took the lead and got more excess beer cans and the rest of the crowds joined in for the fun of beer drinking to see who was the fastest beer drinker without the prize !! The atmosphere was fun, the spirit was great and lively and we left for home with chocolate goodies. For more photos of our wonderful and fun and cosy Christmas Dinner, do check out the photos on Flickr !

Well done UQAAS Ex-Co for this wonderful Christmas Dinner !! Wishing all the alumni members from QLD state a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year !

Since I was asked to be part of the “Brother” contingent of 10 close friends of Nicholas, a.k.a helper, runner, best man…. We put our life, blood, sweat, tears, stomach, physical, mental, negotiation, friendship, hardship, fun, pain ….. all in the aid of Nicholas & Shirley to make their Actual Day Wedding a great event for them !

Reporting in the morning around 7am at Nicholas home, the contingent drove over to Shirley’s home, whereby Nicholas the Groom would pick up his bride, Shirley. However, before Nicholas can do so, he had to go through very severe tests, obstacles and challenges first, since we the “Brothers” are helpers, the various tasks, tests, challenges fall upon us to share Nicholas burden. Some would call it wedding traditions, although truthfully speaking, it wasn’t an old tradition but more of modernisation.

Some tests, challenges include

- Drinking a concoction of Sour 酸, Sweet 甜, Bitter 苦, Spicy 辣 juices

- “Brothers” leg hair were plucked a.k.a exfoliation

- Push Ups

- Giving Red Packets to allow the door “managed” by the “Sisters” contingent to be opened

Even though I was a “Brother”, there were times whereby I was able to capture photographs for fun and beautiful “painful” memories. Once the challenges were completed, the wedding couple would proceed to Nicholas family home for the traditional tea ceremony, to the grandparents, parents and relatives of Nicholas family. For the brothers, our main tasks were completed and we get to enjoy the food, drinks and hospitality. After the formalities were done, the wedding couple would return to Shirley’s home again for tea ceremony to the grandparents, parents and relatives of Shirley’s family. With that completed, the 1st half of the Actual Wedding day is completed.

I went over to Fullerton Hotel with the wedding couple along with Sam, to continue preparation for the wedding dinner in the night, as I am in charge of music and sound for the solemnisation and wedding dinner, the songs were already chosen by Shirley, who spent a lot of time and effort in the planning of their wedding day. After rehearsals and coordinations with the wedding couple, master of ceremony, banquet managers and hotel staff, it was a Go Go Go !! They were finally, legally and officially a married couple !!

The wedding dinner went smoothly with a little bit of time overshot, the food was great, the ambience and decoration were awesome and very beautiful. By the time the dinner was over, I was very tired and my Canon 30D broke down again, with the pop up flash stuck, it’s back to Canon service centre soon. I wasn’t able to take the night scenes of the Marina Bay from their suite 881 at Fullerton Hotel, just the day scenery. Do check out some of their wedding photos HERE !

After some rest and chatting, we left for home ….. My heartfelt congrats and best wishes to the newly wedded couple, Nicholas & Shirley !

The UQAAS was back in action again, organising another wine networking event on the 12th June 2009 at Wine Bos , located on 47a North Canal Road.

It was a night of free flow wine with nice tapas from 7pm to 9pm and we had a good turnout of fun, drinking, chatting, making new friends and sharing our future mentorship program with fellow alumni there. The weather in Singapore was pretty hot at the moment, the heat in Wine Bos were generated by our enthusiasm, warmth and laughter.

From this wine networking event, with increasing participation and alumni members signing up into our UQAAS database, UQAAS would be planning for more events, networking and social, for alumni members to interact and get together. If you are a graduate from The University of Queensland, do keep in touch with us via Facebook ! Check out more photos here at my Flickr !