Row, row, row your boat

I haven’t had the chance to shoot in a long long while. Chanced at an opportunity to go for a dragonboat race, and decided to take Dad’s camera out for a spin.

Conditions weren’t exceptional. Heavy clouds loomed over the skies, and there seemed to be some kind of a haze that was plaguing the afternoon, but thankfully the vibrant colours at the race made up for it.

I don’t know why, I’ve always liked to take pictures during dragonboat races. Maybe I take heart in youngsters like us being so passionate about such a traditional activity; although, dragonboating seems to be celebrated more as a sport than a tradition. Maybe, also, because I find dragonboaters especially spirited during the competitions. It’s their chance to shine as a team after months and months of hard work.

White, black, red, and yellow

SMU dragon boat

At the Marina Barage. 
Absolutely beautiful place, especially the green field overlooking Singapore’s city skyline.

See what I mean about being spirited?
Wilson here cheers as the girls’ team fights to get to the finish line

Old birds / supporters

Pep talk

Visualisation

 
Apparently, they have to go through a “visualisation” run before the race, so they will know how it’s like during the actual thing. I wish I could capture the heaves and grunts that they were making, it’s like they’re actually rowing and they’re using alot of effort. May seem ridiculous, but you can see it in their faces – they really want to own it.
See what I mean, again, about being spirited?

Green green grass of home

Congrats after the race

Boys’ team

 
Warm up strettcchhh

Warm up run

(=

Girls’ team getting ready to move off

  Guys’ team locked and loaded

 
All in a day’s work

Ruffley. Yellow. Green. Flowery.

Every Sunday night.
Kat: What should I wear tomorroww…..?
Bry: Yellow!
Kat: No..
Bry: Ruffley!
Kat: No..
Bry: Green!

Next day.
Kat: Oh no.. what should I wear tomorrow…?
Bry: Ruffley!
Kat: shakes head
Bry: Yellow!
Kat: Acks.
Bry: Green!

Next day.
You get the idea.

It’s not that those are his favourite tops. It’s because that’s the extent that he knows of my wardrobe for work, and he has a name for each one of them. We added a ‘flowery’ to the list today.

(=

I can’t believe it’s almost a year ago.

Take me on a trip I’d like to go someday
Take me to New York I’d like to see LA
I really want to come kick it with you
You’ll be my American boy, American boy

You know how sometimes, certain songs or smells take you back to a specific period in your memory?

Happens to me alot.

This song takes me back to Alaska. Specifically, to one evening when we were driving downtown in either Anchorage or Fairbanks and I was sitting in the first backrow of the van. Everytime this song comes up, it brings me back to that specific memory. I can even see the buildings that we were driving past in my memory, and the musky smell of our van.

Ahh, the memories.

The endless roads of Alaska

Cleaning the windows of our trusty van

f.u.t.u.r.e.

I’m conflicted.

I don’t know to look forward to the future, like I always have;

or to fear it.

f.a.i.t.h.

Faith.

I love this word. It’s a word that holds promise and hope, yet it does not connote wishful thinking. It evokes even the slightest beam of light during the darkest hours.

Chanced upon this quote the other day –

Live life with choice, not circumstance;
Live with faith, not feeling.

Don’t really get the second part of the quote, though. How does one live without feeling? But I totally concur with the first part.

Life revolves around choices, doesn’t it? Choices that are life-long; choices which consequence might haunt you 10 years down the road; choices which you’re glad you’ve made; and choices which you wished you’ve never.

I thought, for a 24-year-old, I’m considered grown up. There’re times when I’m pretty comfortable with what I perceived to be an adult life; and there’re times when I think that I’m really just a kid.

 Just when I thought I know how emotionally upsetting life can be, it dishes something entirely new to me. Now I know that despite being 24, I’m still small; I still can’t handle certain things in stride.

And faith? I wish I have as much of that as I’ve hoped for.

Hort Park

Venue: Hort Park.
Date: 24th May 2009.
Weather: Scorching.
Kat thinks: Verrry pretty place. Very garden-in-the-city.

Thyme plant growing in a beer jug

Rosemary plant. It looks scrawnier than my mum’s plants though.

 
Kat and Bryant

Red and yellow and pink and green

We came to a butterfly garden of sorts. 2 butterfly gurus let us in though it was after-hours. (=

And what’s best? We witnessed the ‘birth’ of a butterfly! Enclosing, they call it.

Words escaped me, I could only laugh

One forum article on My Paper today commented on the Phua Chu Kang campaign that rallies for people to be more considerate when boarding MRT trains.

To quote some of the passages,

For example, Phua Chu Kang is quoted as saying: “Don’t’ play play! Let me come out first.”

It is incorrect to say “don’t play play”. Rather, the correct sentence should be “don’t fool around” or, in this context, “don’t block the exit”.

The next sentence “let me come out first” is also incorrect. The correct sentence should be “let me go out”. When you tell someone that you are getting off a train, you should say “I’m going out”, not “I’m coming out”.

I would suggest a better phrasing: “Please let me alight before boarding.” …

What a joke. Can you imagine Phua Chu Kang saying “please let me alight before boarding”?? What is so Phua-Chu-Kang if he speaks perfect English??

Forum pages house the most outrageous comments, really.

Angels can hear

Someone must have heard my prayers as I dropped a lucky draw slip into the postbox in hopes to win a Canon 5D.

Much to my delight, my dad went to get a camera for himself. On the same day that I found that out, I was going to get a second-hand semi-automatic camera that I’ve saved up every cents for myself.

The someone must have known that I’ve never had much luck with lucky draws, and granted me something else instead; so to the someone who has heard my prayers, my thoughts and my hopes, thank you thank you thank you.