While I confessed that my outdoor adventures and travel didn’t reach the numbers and destinations that I would love to, there’s still some nice & exciting outdoor adventures and travels that I embarked since my Scouting days till  today. Travel magazines was once a favourite of mine and I used to buy and read them regularly, always mesmerised and dreaming of the various destinations and adventures that they went/been to.

In an era of social media expansion, via the various social media channels and networks, I got to know more travel folks, bloggers, writers, they have really awesome adventures and travel experiences. Among those I knew personally is Nellie Huang, a fellow Singaporean, who owns this travel website Wild Junket, who has a great following, personality and reputation among the travel community in the world. When Nellie launched her brand new E-Magazine on outdoor adventure and travel, I requested Nellie for a copy of her 1st E-Magazine WildJunket to do a review and I was impressed by WildJunket.

Let me share with you my personal views from my review on WildJunket E-Magazine February/March 2012

- WildJunket is written by passionate travel writers/bloggers of extensive travel experiences

- Great team of contributors on Wild Junket

- Excellent and interesting content, a truly outdoor adventure and travel E-magazine

- It’s world wide focus, unlike some other travel magazines, they sometimes tend to be continent focused.

- Very inspiring travel stories and travel destinations

- Very refreshing and exciting, injecting a fresh new perspective into travel magazines

- It’s not just about outdoor adventure and travels, there are other interesting articles from food to outdoor gears

- WildJunket has a community bonding and sharing, interacting, socializing and sharing with readers, contributors, writers and editors. Which other travel magazines in the world does this ? 

- It’s available in PDF format

- It’s tablet friendly

- It’s on Zinio (my favourite E-Magazine)

- Print edition would be available in the future (pending confirmation)

Pricing and subscription 

- USD $2.95 for single issue

- USD $14.95 for 12 months subscription

In my humble opinion, WildJunket is a excellent outdoor adventure and travel E-Magazine, at this price you are paying for and the awesome content you are reading, it’s definitely worth your money and time to buy and subscribe and read it many times!

For more information on WildJunket subscription, check out their WildJunket Magazine site for more details! After reading WildJunket E-Magazine 1st issue

I was more motivated and energised again, to seek out more outdoor adventure and travel, truly inspiring and heartwarming, I can feel it from reading the adventure stories and their photographs, encouraging me to travel light and travel far – traveling beyond  the conventional tourism trail, to seek out extraordinary experiences while protecting the environment.

Traveling forward ahead, I would like to be and hope to be featured one day inside her WildJunket E-Magazine in any of her editorial departments, maybe as a Travel Guide or Photo Essay ! 

Without a doubt, WildJunket E-Magazine is definitely worth your consideration to pay and subscribe to, and Nellie’s extensive travel website and blog is definitely the best testimonial.

Last but not least, I would like to congratulate Nellie on an awesome job on her WildJunket E-Magazine! Good luck and all the best in your WildJunket travels and outdoor adventure!!

River Hongbao 2012 has many different Dragons for me to photograph and being born in the Year of the Dragon, this is very significant to me, symbolic and important! There are some great event highlight at River Hongbao 2012, here’s some of them -

- Martial God of Wealth at River Hongbao

- Collaboration with Guangxi, China

- Largest Lantern Display by Chengdu lantern masters

I met up with James and we went around snapping photos of River Hongbao 2012 before finding a spot to capture Chinese Lunar New Year Eve Countdown fireworks. This was supposed to be my sharing session with James on taking fireworks, the year of the Water Dragon truly lives up to the Water Dragon title, with a heavy downpour before the countdown fireworks start, it was so challenging with the rain hitting on the lens glass, DSLRs, winds blowing quite strongly, last but not least both James and myself, drenched while braving the downpour to capture the Chinese New Year Eve Countdown Fireworks !! The final fireworks photographs results were interesting, silky, wet with water droplets and a fuzzy feeling!! Check out more photographs from River Hongbao 2012 here on my Flickr!

It was a very wet welcome to usher in the Year of the Water Dragon !! Huat Ah !! Wishing all my readers and supporters

祝你们

新年快乐，万事如意，恭喜发财，身体健康

步步高升，财源滚滚，事事顺利， 心想事成

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

I was invited by Sentosa to a preview of the Sentosa Flowers, on Saturday 21st January 2012, thank you very much to Sentosa for their kind and warm hospitality! Sentosa Flowers 2012 starts from 22nd January 2012 to 29th January 2012 and this beautiful event promises great photography opportunities for flowers and nice for family gathering events too! There are many interesting flora and fauna on display at Sentosa Flowers – Enchanted Spring, let me take you through some of the highlights there, they are my favourite highlights of Sentosa Flowers 2012 !!

- The Pink Floral Zodiac Dragon 

Located at the Merlion Plaza, you can’t miss this beautiful, cute, giant Pink Floral Zodiac Dragon, located in front of the Merlion, this is going to be a huge attraction for visitors, local and international, wanting to get a photograph of it!

- Awakening 

This is definitely going to be another “hot” location at Sentosa Flowers, visitors would be queuing up to take a photograph of this exotic Dragon sculpture! You would be able to hold a big brush and “touch” the eye of the Dragon, when your brush gives it a touch, it would “come alive”.

- Dance of the Dragon 

Located at Imbiah Lookout, you can’t miss this great piece of artwork/sand sculpture, a Dragon sand sculpture, surrounded by beautiful colourful flowers, dancing around them, ushering in the Year of the Dragon, bringing prosperity and good fortune to all!

- Dinoland

My personal favourite at Sentosa Flowers 2012 !!! You must go there and find those cute dinosaurs!!! They are located at Dinoland, on the route up from Merlion Plaza to Imbiah Lookout!!!

There are more highlights too at Sentosa Flowers 2012, do check out the information here! Flowers galore too at Sentosa Flowers and do spot them along your tour of Sentosa Flowers Festival 2012!! There is a fun photography competition – Magic Moments, during Sentosa Flowers too, do check them out here!

For more information, check out Sentosa Flowers website for more details and information! Grab you cameras, visit Sentosa Flowers 2012 and have fun! Check out more photos here from my Flickr collection!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Looking into a brief history of Chingay, it’s all about celebrating multi-cultural diversity and neighbourhood celebrations, dating back to 1973. Over the years, Chingay has progressed and transformed from a community heartlanders celebration and performances, into an international spectacle attracting both locals and international visitors and performers to Chingay in Singapore. Chingay Parade today is a very grand street and floats parade in Asia, showcasing our rich and vibrant multi-cultural society of Singapore, as well as embracing exciting cultures and colours from all over the world.

Chingay 2012 promises to be a splashing spectacular with the theme of ”Love, Care and Kindness Everywhere”, it will take you through a very colourful and dazzling performances, encompassing love, harmony, friendship, community diversity and spirit. On the night of Friday, 3 Feb 2012 – Parade Day 1 at 8.30pm or Saturday, 4 Feb 2012 – Parade Day 2 at 8.30pm, coming to you live at the F1 Pit Building (Next to Singapore Flyer), Chingay 2012 will light up the 2 nights!

Here’s some of the Chingay 2012 Highlights 

- Dragon Dramatics

- Beautiful Cultures

- Dreams Realised – Love Our Children

- Engaging as One – Love Our Community

- Triumph Over Challenge – The Grand Finale

Chingay 2012 will be a spectacular performance, with lots of water splashing! The ticketing information is available here on their website. Do purchase your tickets and watch the Chingay 2012 performance live, you can’t beat the feeling of being there in the midst of the performances and celebrations!

Here’s some of the photographs of Chingay 2012 Media Preview – Look forward to seeing you at Chingay 2012 !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

I dropped by the evening to have a feel of the atmosphere around the Marina Bay, walking from the Esplanade around 6pm, it was already starting to get packed with people with their cameras and picnic setup. The weather was great, beautiful clear blue sky and lovely sun, I waited patiently for the last sunset of 2011 and I wasn’t disappointed at all!

After capturing the last sunset of 2011, I waited for a while to capture the wishing spheres floating on Marina Bay to be lighted up, before going for my dinner and rest, waiting for reporting time at Singapore Flyer to capture the New Year Eve Countdown Fireworks! This was a special arrangement by Marina Bay Singapore division under Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) and Singapore Flyer, who kindly made this very special arrangement for some of us photographers to capture the New Year Eve Countdown Fireworks from inside their capsule, a big Thank You to the organisations for giving us this wonderful opportunity! Do check out Marina Bay Singapore and Singapore Flyer for more information and exciting events!

Photo taken from Singapore Flyer
Thanks you Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Division of URA for this special arrangement.

Shooting fireworks from a rotating moving Singapore Flyer is very challenging and it was an awesome experience capturing the fireworks! The views of the New Year Eve Countdown Fireworks were simply awesome and breath-taking, gorgeous views of the Marina Bay and city skyline, accompanied by the beautiful fireworks lighting up the Marina Bay skyline!

Photo taken from Singapore Flyer
Thanks you Singapore Flyer and Marina Bay Division of URA for this special arrangement.

Thank you Marina Bay Singapore and Singapore Flyer for this wonderful and exciting opportunity! I would also like to thank all my family, friends, supporters and readers for all your following and support! Good luck and all the best for 2012 !

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Photography is one of the most beautiful and interesting art form in its visual sense, it can also be provocative and photojournalistic at all levels, it also allows me to appreciate arts in its other forms, such as paintings, abstract art, performances etc etc … The photography style defines each and every photographer, uniquely and individually, sometimes the photographer knows his/her photography style, sometimes, he/she might not know at all. At times, it takes another photographer to help define and update another photographer what’s their style of photography. It’s so special and unique to each individual photographer.

Looking back and reflecting my year 2011 in Photography, there have been great moments/opportunities to be invited and be part of major events photography, armed with media access privileges, with many many big thanks to my networks of PR companies, business partners, friends and alumni groups.

- OCBC Cycle 2011

- Bare Your Sole 2011

- Singapore Social Media Day 2011

- Canon Lion City Cup 2011

- VAS SG Beach Volleyball Open Championships 2011

- SCC Twenty-20 Cricket Tournament 2011

- Singapore Handball League Tournament 2011

- SCC Rugby 7s 2011

- 20th WOC World Orchid Conference Singapore 2011

- AAS 56th Anniversary Gala Dinner 2011 – Official Photographer

- Special Preview – Gardens By The Bay

Without a doubt, the access to the above list of events were a huge highlight for me, it’s not just about being very happy to be able to shoot at those events, it’s also a small little testimonial for me on how far my photography, social media networking and writing, my 3 in 1 strengths had brought me today.

As for my skills and knowledge in photography, even though I have a certain level of knowledge and skills in photography, there is still a lot for me to learn, there’s always something new to learn in photography, from skills to styles to techniques. Learning is a life-long journey and I must always keep on learning – this will also and must be applied to my photography!

The year 2011 is also a year that brings me closer to the heartlands, back to the roots and be involved in some form of community activism, with my personal projects on

- Old Places Singapore

- We Support The Green Corridor in Singapore

- Heritage, Culture, Preservation and Conservation

What defines my photography style? Ironically, maybe I know, maybe I don’t know, maybe it needs another photographer to give me a hint ?

Reflecting back at my photography in 2011, here’s my collection of photographs taken in the year 2011, shared on my Flickr ! Happy viewing !

Looking ahead for my photography in 2012, what lies ahead ? Well, I will do my sharing after I go away into my deep thoughts, thinking, “digging” through my heart and soul and brains of course, before writing it down. Stay tuned !

I would like to wish all my friends, partners, supporters, partners, readers etc etc … Happy New Year 2012 ! Good luck & all the best in the Year 2012! With blessings, great health & career growth!Good luck & all the best in the Year 2012! With blessings, great health & career growth! May your photography grows exponentially too! Thank you very much from the bottom of my heart for your support and giving me the opportunities, privileges and blessings in my photojournalistic journey in 2011 !

During the period leading up to the return and last day of the KTM Railway operations in Singapore, it gained massive interest and following, from taking photographs, trekking along the railway tracks, reminisce of the olden days, public consultation on the future of the Green Corridor and outcry over the removal of the railway tracks. I would not go too much into the details of the happenings and timeline after the return of the KTM Railway, it can probably become a mini thesis of the happenings and follow-ups, public consultations, exhibitions, discussions between different bodies. I had been documenting, photographing and writing on the Green Corridor as much as I could, do check out my The Green Corridor Collection on Flickr!

Map of the Green Corridor Stretch (Bukit Timah Railway Station to Holland Road)  - Maps attributed to OneMap by SLA, http://www.onemap.sg/index.html and CY Leong.

This Green Corridor is now officially known as the Rail Corridor, while the plans and ideas are currently still in discussion, planning and consultation between different bodies, the public and the government, the final plans for the Rail Corridor is still unknown. Most of the Rail Corridor is currently not yet open to the public again, however, there is a 1.4km stretch of station and railway land open to the public from September 16, southwards from the steel bridge along Bukit Timah Road towards Holland Road, that was announced via Channel News Asia. I had been wanting to walk this stretch and see for myself first hand how the changes were really like after the removal of the tracks, the surroundings. My business, time and other personal commitments stalled my plans, finally, I was able to set aside a bit of my time on Boxing Day, to explore this 1.4km stretch.

First and Foremost, with the removal of the railway tracks, some things once removed it will never be the same again. 

The railway tracks were covered up with soil/earth, grass is growing nicely on top of it, although not as natural as the surrounding flora and fauna, it somehow tries to fit into the greenery and surroundings, considering the factors, it’s quite good actually. There was a concern on the greenery, the wildlife and reserve, known as the Clementi Woodlands, being affected by the removal works. From my trek up and down this 1.4km railway land stretch, the damage (if any) looks minimal, the wildlife can be seen and heard, from the birds chirping away, to the dragonflies and fishes inside the small clear flowing stream and pond.

It’s definitely comforting that this stretch of the Rail Corridor still retains the aura, greenery, tranquil and natural beauty, while it’s a real pity that the railway tracks cannot be retained, I sincerely hope that this Rail Corridor or Green Corridor, will stay as a green belt, a green spine that gives Singapore a outdoor recreational and leisure area, for Singaporeans to remember her railway history, heritage and culture, along with space for trekking, running, walking, nature and wildlife studies, cycling. What exact plans/developments will the Rail Corridor be in the future ? We will know it soon in the next few years to come. Do follow We Support The Green Corridor or the Rail Corridor and look out for the updates!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

With Singapore’s limited landspace and thirst for expansion, Bukit Brown is slated for re-development, firstly, with the building of roads across this area, supposing to ease the traffic woes around there. This is only the initial stage with future plans for Bukit Brown being further re-developed into areas for housing development. There was a public outcry, it wasn’t just affecting the dead people below the ground at Bukit Brown, we are destroying flora and fauna, wildlife and animal sanctuary, and most importantly history, heritage and culture.

I was also following the developments and discussions of the Bukit Brown, reading it online via the social media channels and decided to join Nature Society (Singapore) Public Walk @ Bukit Brown on 24th December 2011 morning, led by Hang Chong of NSS, who gave us a great tour and overview of history, heritage, wildlife, flora and fauna of Bukit Brown. When I was hiking around  with the rest of the group, the lush greenery is very tranquil and beautiful, the peace can hardly be found in modern cosmopolitan busy hectic Singapore.

This was also the time to learn more about our culture, heritage and history, we can do so much more in this few areas, it was an eye-opener for me, a reminder to myself, we must always keep on learning and never stop learning, in one area, learning from the forefathers of Singapore, with their entrepreneurship, philanthropy and giving it back to society is something so precious that no amount of monetary value can be placed on it and many of them are there at Bukit Brown.

You can do a part too, support the movements to preserve and save Bukit Brown, follow them on these 2 sites on Facebook

Save Bukit Brown Cemetery – The Roots of Our Nation

Heritage Singapore – Bukit Brown Cemetery 

We are not just preserving history, heritage and culture. We are also preserving a lush greenery belt that is a sanctuary for wildlife, flora and fauna and lastly an untouched green space in concrete Singapore. There are still much for me to photograph and document and I would plan to go back there soon again, to continue with the photojournalism coverage of Bukit Brown.

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

A great time to catch up with old blogger/social media/photography friends, network with the friendly and hospitable Epson Singapore staff and of course, the friendly folks from XPR. Nice food with drinks in a cosy and comfortable environment, it was a nice location to know more about the projectors!

There were 3 projectors showcased during the evening

 MG 850 HD 

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

EH-TW8000

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

EB-435W

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

After a short presentation, we tried and tested the 3 different projectors and had our dinner, drinks and back to testing the projectors. The projectors showcased were targeted for different purposes and usage, a small technical review is available on my personal blog post!

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

Photograph Courtesy of Epson Singapore and XPR.

Beside the projectors, we had fun being photographed and had our photos printed by our lovely hosts Epson Singapore and XPR, using the Epson portable photo printer, for us to bring back home! The Epson projectors are state of the art, modern and powerful projectors, do check them out and you might find a projector that suits your needs and budget!

The Elephant Parade Singapore 2011 is visiting Singapore from 11th November 2011 to 11th January 2012, presented by ABN AMRO Private Banking and there are 162 uniquely designed and colourful elephant statues, by local and international artistes around Singapore. On a Sunday morning, 18th December 2011, there was an Elephant Parade Photography Adventure, organized by: Marina Bay Singapore/Urban Redevelopment Authority and supported by: Elephant Parade Singapore, Asian Civilisations Museum, The Fullerton Hotel. It was great fun photographing the Elephant Parade, knowing more about the Elephant cause and saving Elephants movement, the honour of meeting some of the artists along the photography adventure, listening to their sharing on how their unique designs came about and their inspirations behind their drawings and designs on the elephant statutes.

This was also a great time to network and meet old friends and make new friends, from the photography circle to the social media/blogging/twitter circle. Starting from One Raffles Quay South Tower, walking towards Marina Promontory, Marina Bay City Gallery, Marina Bay Sands, Esplanade, Raffles Place MRT, Asian Civilisations Museum and finally Fullerton Hotel. The morning rain showered us twice, however, it didn’t fail to dampen any of the photographers spirits! We just rush and find shelter that’s all and wait for the rain to stop!

At the end point of the photography adventure, we were kindly hosted by Fullerton Hotel with light refreshments, relaxing and having fun with the quiz, hosted by Juliana Tan of Marina Bay Division, who was also the main organiser behind the Elephant Parade Photography Adventure at Marina Bay.

There are still more Elephant Statues around the island of Singapore for me to capture, I would try to capture all 162 of them before the exhibition tours another country!

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Let’s all help to spread the cause, let’s save the Elephants !