Accidental Tourist - 2014 Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk - Tiong Bahru walk

This is the 2nd photowalk that I managed to do over the past few months to continue shooting in my little island - the previous walk is captured in my earlier blog entry and now the "Scott Kelby Worldwide photowalk" held on October 11, 2014. 

This photowalk has a constant on my photo calendar having gone for my first worldwalk back in 2011: 

• 2011: Oct 2 - walk around Marina Bay area of Singapore - walk leader was Bernard Goh - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206379519/

• 2013: Oct 5 -  Civil District Trail of Singapore - walk leader was Wilson Wong - https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/sets/72157627682277461/with/6206451967/

For Scott Kelby's walk, (Wilson Wong as walk leader) it was a nice little stroll around familiar Tiong Bahru neighborhood where I did several walks earlier i.e. 

• OH! Open House event in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/oh-open-house-at-tiong-bahru-singapore.html
• Air Raid Walk again in 2012: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2012/02/tiong-bahru-air-raid-walk-on-4-feb-2012.html 
• Escape to Nostalgia in 2011: http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2011/05/escape-to-nostalgic-side-of.html

Interestingly, there is a link back to my earlier walk that I did which I only realised now...there is a "Kim Cheng Street" (formerly known as "Kim Ching Street" in this Tiong Bahru neighbourhood which is named after Tan Kim Ching, who was a prominent member of the Hokkien clan back in 1800s. More info available here: http://tiongbahruestate.blogspot.sg/2007/08/tan-kim-ching-1829-1892.html. Coincidentally, he was the 1st leader appointed for the Hokkien Thian Hock Keng Temple that I visited for the earlier walk (http://accidentalsingaporetourist.blogspot.sg/2014/10/accidental-tourist-500px-photo-walk.html). 

Here are some captures of the neighborhood (and its resident cat): 

 More photos can be seen from my Flickr page at https://www.flickr.com/photos/magtyfoto/15317716527/

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!


 

Accidental Tourist - Taking a Boat Ride down Singapore River with Singapore Shutterjourney PhotographyGroup

One of the most touristy things to do in Singapore is to take a cruise down the Singapore River and Singapore Shutterjourney Photography Group did just that over one of the weekends in July coining the event "The Accidental Tourist". 

A bunch of shutterbugs keen on taking photos that can only be sighted from the boat/ water level gathered at the Clarke Quay before cruising our way down to the Merlion and looping back to the same location. The entire journey was quite a treat and armed with my trusty Ricoh, these are my photos for the day. 

Photo that can only be taken from the Boat

Bemused tourists looking at us (pseudo tourists) 

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond! 

Accidental Tourist @ Ann Siang

Had a nice romp around Ann Siang Hill with my very first Photography teacher or Lao Shi last weekend and I simply had a BLAST! Just back to basics and a whole lot of fun! 

Many thanks to my Lao Shi, Steven Yee (Photovivo; www.photovivo.com) for continuing to share your knowledge about the beautiful art of photography! 

Simple yet Impactful 

can't fail with Reflections!

Simple yet Effective

Can't wait for my next Architecture guided tour with him on this Saturday! http://www.photovivo.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3919  Am sure that it is going to be just as fun! 

Some brick and mortar facts: 

• Ann Siang Hill, located off South Bridge Road, was the site of the house and estate of Chia Ann Siang (谢安祥; 1832–1892), a wealthy Malacca-born Hokkien Chinese sawmiller. 
• Located beside the former Telok Ayer Bay, it was one of 3 hills (the others being Mount Wallich and Mount Erskine which were eventually leveled) collectively known as Telok Ayer Hills.
• The Chinese used to call this area qing shan ting. The early Chinese immigrants visited Ann Siang Hill when they wanted to send money home to their families in China, as it was the traditional site of remittance houses.
• Letter writers and calligraphers also had their businesses at the five-foot way of the shophouses to help the illiterate immigrants write letters home. 
• Most of the houses in Ann Siang Hill and along Ann Siang Road were built between 1903 and 1941. 
• Ann Siang Road, which has elegantly restored shophouses today, was once the traditional home of clan associations and exclusive social clubs.

Incidentally, his 120 year-old tomb was only recently discovered in the greater Bukit Brown area by the good people at Bukit Brown.com (http://bukitbrown.com/main/?p=5085 and http://www.asiaone.com/News/Latest+News/Singapore/Story/A1Story20120923-373261.html) 

If you are keen to explore about this area, NParks has a beautiful walking trail map downloadable at http://www.nparks.gov.sg/cms/docs/ann_siang_hill_park_final_lr.pdf

Directions to Ann Siang
By MRT: 
Walk down Temple Street from Chinatown MRT (Exit A) Station - after you see Sri Mariamman Temple, you can walk towards the opposite road called Ann Siang Road

By Car: 
Won't recommend driving as parking spaces are limited and the traffic police lady is quite active in the area

By Public Bus:
Via South Bridge Road Nos. 61, 166, 197
Alight opposite Sri Mariamman Temple and walk up towards Ann Siang Road

Till the next time, onto the world and beyond!

Accidental Tourist - Taking a Bus ride

Taking a bus is easily one of the most mundane and uninspiring tasks that one has to undertake in everyday life. However, through the help of Allan of the Singapore ShutterJourney PhotographyGroup, I have re-discovered an old liking for bus rides when the bus ride itself was  an adventure & the destination un-important.  

On 31 October 2012, after a hearty dinner at Seah Imm Food Centre (a food icon in itself), a bunch of 17 camera strapping individuals boarded bus no. 30  from Harbourfront, home of Sentosa, our fun filled island before riding past the former Tanjong Pagar Railway Station at Keppel Road and accessing Singapore's beautiful cityscape with Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Flyer flanking on each side of the bus. 

From there, it heads down to Fort Road via the East Coast exPressway (ECP). Thereafter it will weave past the roads of Tanjong Katong and Sims Avenue before reaching its final destination at Bedok interchange (one of the suburban areas of Singapore). 

The bus traveled slowly but surely filled with commuters who are more interested in sleeping than admiring the views of the nation. However, on this fateful evening, they had in their company an extra 17 of us and making hell of a lot of noise in getting our paparazzi pictures of everything & everyone that happens to be on that same bus. We did a roundabout & went back to Harbourfront the same way as we came before bidding our friendly bus driver adieus! 

Will definitely encourage this frivolous & lovely excursion for those who feel that they are all too familiar with Singapore or even for our overseas friends as nothing beats a bus ride around town. 

Till the next time, onto the world & beyond! 

Accidental Tourist- Singapore Flyer at Dawn

Was adventurous & decided to take some dawn pictures…the best photo opportunity came along with the “First Light” festival that was organized by The Arts House over the weekend at the Singapore Flyer.

After a groggy wake up at 4.20a.m. followed by a quick taxi ride - I actually considered taking a bus until I found out that nothing moves on the road at that time except for the taxis…I reached the Flyer at 5a.m. We managed to get our tickets almost immediately & proceeded to queue for the capsule. Figured that will be able to catch the break of dawn on top of the Flyer if I only board the capsule at 6.15a.m. At first, thought I had miscalculated as the sky was still dark when we boarded the capsule. Then, the sunrise came from the east & it was beautiful….I picked 4 photos this time as this is my 1^st attempt at dawn….

1st picture -the view of the CBD & MBS casino at dawn. At first I thought it looked like my night shots but I think the blue sky made the difference!!

2nd picture -the sea view. I LOVE the blue sky & how it reflects on the water!

3rd picture – view of the boardwalk along the F1 circuit. I LOVE the sky (no longer blue but a few shades of orange & how the (to be completed) building on the right side of the photo seems to fit in - just in-between the railings...

4th picture – There's something about the reflective view of the CBD & MBS casino

in this picture that speaks to me...

Onto the world and beyond!

Accidental tourist in Singapore...Intro

This is a write-up of me being an accidental tourist in the place I grew up in: Singapore. This came about as I was fiddling with my newly purchased DSLR (Nikon D90) and hoping to find interesting topics to photograph in the little island that I call home.

Will be restricting my photo assignments to the various spots in Singapore & (hopefully) finding 3 photos that says the following:
1. an establishing shot (overall picture photo)
2. medium shot (preferably one that leads up to a story)
3. a final close-up shot (for a conclusion to the location)

At every location, I will like take tons of photos but will eventually be restricting myself to show 3 photos for each location. I am still an amateur in using photography to express my feelings so please forgive me for out-of-focus shots.

Onto the unknown & beyond!