All Things Beautiful.™

All Things Beautiful.™


I have had a very eventful time in Kuala Lumpur - a great mix of work and pleasure.The photoshoot officially came to an end yesterday after the wedding. I have to say it was one of the nicest wedding I have worked on. The Cyberview Lodge resort in PutraJaya was scenic and was awashed with a very quaint sense of tranquil. I was blessed to have a sprawling room with a fantastic view for the time I was there for work.

Naomi Ishida, the bride-to-be was indeed beautiful on that special day. I love capturing those tender moments and this one was of those when she broke into a smile while getting ready moments before her wedding. Maybe all things indeed are beautiful on such a joyous occasion for the union of two people.

Apart from the wedding, which I will post up more pics after I am done with them, I had a great time catching up with friends here and getting to know new ones. It is really an understatement to say that I have been very well taken care of here. And coffee always come with great conversations and the table is never short of laughter.

Thanks to some really close friends like Jon, Dion and Raymond who drives me around.I did not have to take public transport at all at the moment. Also a huge thanks to Naomi and Eric who so kindly put me up at such great accommodation. And now that work has come to an end, I am putting up at Raymond's "museum" before I head back on Tuesday. Looking forward to the dinner at Genting on Monday too! Miss the cold weather.

Missing Ryan as well, even though I don't know if he feels the same way. But, I think it's all about giving without expecting anything in return is it not? Looking forward to September when/if he comes over again.

Beauty is not a very far away thing constraint by distance. It can be right near you when you are willing to see it.

同类.™ - A new chinese fiction about Singaporean gay men.

Support Ken Ang's 同类.™


同类 will be the first anthology of Singaporean gay Chinese fiction.
Written by award winning local writer Ken Ang.
The book chronicles the lives, losses and loves of Singaporean gay men
Based on true but fictionalized accounts of gay men in Singapore.
The book is accompanied by two songs written and performed specially for the book by Tin Ang
And represents a milestone in Singapore’s gay writing.
Come and join us for the launch as we hear Ken and Tin share their thoughts and hearts about the making of 同类.
The launch is hosted by Ogachaga.

I don't know about being on the book cover of an anthonology nationwide.
But I do know the importance of showing support to local great talents.
Looking forward to attending the launch Ken.
My heartiest and most sincere congratulations to your milestone success!
Really happy for you and I am really happy I played a small part being part of your great effort.

同类 Tong Lei Book Launch
Thursday, 20th August 2009.
8:00 pm to 10:00 pm
SAME Pub, 208 North Bridge Road.

Love PlayGround.™

Love PlayGround.™

So come in and play. As the colours of temptation and fun swirl and twirl. An amusement park that colourful brings about a certain loneliness. A song by Pink named Who Knew came to mind. Maybe because it was filmed at an amusement park and speaks of her singing about a close friend that died.

Funny how the colours of places like this glows with such grandiose in the dark of the night. Do the restless or the lonely come to such a place to seek refuge, and be in the company of the like-minded? Just somewhere to go to, to hide, to discover or simply just to rest. The bright lights seem all inviting and all. Like flies attracted to the imminent luminous glow in the dark.

It's been 5 month on the phone. And suddenly, in just a mere 5 hours, we will meet, putting a face to our names. I thought of a hundred and one things that I could say when he first steps out of the gate. But at last I decided on just smiling. I think I know this person so much deeper than just first impressions.

This weekend is one I that I am going to wish will last forever. And as we all know it, it is going to end just as fast as it began. I have unknowingly walked into the doors of this playground. I don't think I am lost, but I just don't know where this ride is going to take me.

And no, I don't want to just play and I am not just here for the ride. It's a playground I intend to have fond memories of.

Fotocology Weddings.™

Fotocology Weddings.™

The Fotocology philosophy of wedding photography revolves in creating a cinematic love story with and for the wedded couple. As each scene unravels, it tells a little more about the underlying beauty of the union of this two special people. The art of narrating the story that they share and want to share with everyone they love.

Perhaps love is as elusive as many claim it to be. But love can be intangible in a photo. The juxtaposition of that strong feeling, can come through with the right mood, right timing and the photographer's legacy of great lighting, subjects, emotions and style. Maybe we can help decipher what has been written in the stars for them, that is, what I think is the job of a good photographer. To be able to relate, listen, intepret and then help portray your side or perspective of this wonderful connection.

Moments are like the jewels that make up the chest box of life. We collect trinkets of them to decorate us. Weddings are one of the memories that people like to preserve, cherish and remember for life or if not, a long time to come. As photographers, I feel like I am a messenger of that goal, to help safeguard the sanctity of what is special between them and put them onto a visual, enough for them to hold on to the beliefs of their coming together.

Fotocology weddings, will always seek happiness, for others and for itself.

Life In Mono.™

Life in mono.™

Sometimes it just is.The way it is and the way it is not meant to be. I think there are alot more things one cannot control in life, compared to the things one actually have control over.

Not everything is ideally black and white as we'd all like them to be. There are the grey areas. And while brilliant people can tell the black from black and the white from white, it is, the people that can see the grey, that fascinates me. As per an Ally McBeal episode in season 1 that says it so well.People who sees the grey, knows. They know.

There are the people that laugh when they are happy. Cry when they are sad. But it is the people that cry while they are happy and smile when the going is down that is interesting. And if you can tell sadness from happiness, or joy from the sorrow, or, if you can appreciate the bittersweetness of many things in life, then more than likely I will know you better.

I think black and white are partners in crime. They are best friends and their best enemies. After all, black is best accented against white, and vice versa. As we grow older, I think more grey sets in. Which is why, we are as stark as we first started out. We blemish a little, blend a little, become slightly more...homo..geneous...homogeneous. I like that. The process of dilution. Sterility reeks of clinical presence.

Life is a jumbo of grey, mess it up a little.

Sound of Sanctuary.™

The sound of sanctuary is a soft one in nature. One where you to slow down your pace to a gradual standstill, stabilise your breathing and prick your ears, before you can hear it. Ironically, the sound of sanctuary is the lack of sound itself.

The sound of sanctuary applies to photo taking. A picture can have two extremes. One that evokes emotions that are strong, impactful and leaves an impression. And then there are those that gives you a sense of serenity, a feeling of calm and peace. You may think, the sound of peace is only found in pictures that gives you that sense of calm. That is where you are wrong.

The sound of sanctuary is likely to be more audible and louder in pictures that are strong and impactful. That is if you are able to find it in yourself to hear that sound. Because it shows, given the chaos, the complexity, the layerings, you are able to find that centre of cool. A sound that only the discerning are able to experience and indulge in. I guess, that breeds the appreciation of an art piece or anything that is creative in nature.

This is just a silly theory of mine that I adopt when I get into the mood of looking at the works of others, or even when i snap photos and create stuff of mine. Thought it might be good for me to pen it down here just so that I remember every so often what i think about.

Having a full day studio wedding shoot on Tuesday, followed by a full day outdoor location wedding shoot on Wed. Then its a meeting with a client on Thursday for a product shoot and Fotocology admin on Friday. This week is going to pass really fast and I am packed with stuff I need to deal with. Come Saturday night, I will slow down and attempt to find that sound. I still cannot believe he is arriving Sat night.

I am nervous, excited, ecstatic and unsure all at the same time.

Breaking of day.™

I probably meant it as a figure of speech. The breaking of day. Where light is born out of darkness. Just a few days ago, my days were pretty dark, some thing bothered me. And on top of that, I spent some nights working till really late on both photo editing and admin for Fotocology. The combination took a toll on me because I was faced with some problems that only certain people can comprehend. Frank was around to listen. I heard his problems and he heard mine.

Nowadays, I don't know which I prefer. I used to think nights are so much sexier and beautiful. But of late, the breaking of dawn is exhilarating. Especially when the weather is a little dampened and the sun seems to find difficulty emerging from the gray clouds. The light rumbling and baritone shuffles of the thunder just makes it all even more cinematic. I watched the break of dawn a few days ago at a certain vantage point near Kent Ridge.

What I took away from that morning as I walked away, towards my car, before driving off was, no matter how heavy your problems are, they collect like clouds. And no matter how much you fight them, they will eventually pour. Problems will always exist. When its too much for them to bear, they rain on you. You just got to be able to deal with it. Dodge, hide, carry an umbrella, whatever. It is foolhardy to go through life thinking that everything will be a bed of roses and that if you try hard enough, problems will not arise.

What is truly important is that you have a hiding place, you have a shelter, you have someone holding a brolly for you, or at least, you know how to dry yourself up after the downpour. As with troubles and hard times, they will always pass. So even if you are wet, rest assured you will air dry come the very next day. Everything too, shall pass, with the dawning of a new day.

Let day break. Don't let the day break you.