Why grow up?

Why grow up?, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I look at this little kid and I see happiness, joy, contentment too. The little boy is so happy by a fountain splashing water on him. That is all it takes for kids to be happy.

We grow up and everything changes. Materialistically, I have had my best year yet. I have the best computer, top of the line cell phone, I traveled, etc but if you ask me, right now, if I am happy, my answer will be "no. I don't think so.".

Isn't that reason enough not to grow up? Given a choice, I wouldn't want to grow up. I would rather be that child than the fat guy behind the camera.

Should I get a macro extender?

Should I get a macro extender?, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I clicked this photo using a macro extender that fits with my normal Nikon lens. I am wondering if it a good investment to buy this piece of equipment.

I love the effect this little piece of equipment created on that calculator.

What do you think?

Super power

Super power, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

This man had a superpower I wish I had. You know what? The ability to ignore sound waves. :)

A 'do not disturb' signboard was the only thing missing.

In the 10+ minutes that I spent there, at least 50 people walked up and down those flight of stairs but this guy did not move an inch.

Either he had too much on his mind or too little. Those are the only 2 scenarios that let a man sleep as peacefully as this.

Happy without 99% stuff you own

Happy without 99% stuff you own, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

This man, selling vegetables in a semi-temporary shop in a market in Chinatown did not look one bit sad. Tourists from all over the world walk past this man's store every single day with their fancy cameras and shopping bags and so many other things this man probably doesn't own but he seems happy with what he has and it shows on his face in this photo.

Bobby McFerrin would agree with my advice to you readers when I say "Don't worry! Be happy!" at this point. :)

Depressed

Depressed, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Chinatown & Tiong Bahru have the highest number of senior citizens in Singapore.

This man, probably addicted to his inhaler, was sitting behind a Buddhist temple with a small bag of food and a big baggage of depression and memories I assume. He kept switching his inhaler from left to right every few minutes and nothing got him excited. He kept staring away every few minutes watching the world go by and then switched back to his memories and think back to the good old days of his youth I assume (again).

Do you ever wonder how your life will be when you are 65 - 70 years old? I do sometimes and it looks depressing. I think I would rather die young at my prime instead of fading away slowly one day at a time, one year at a time.

Multi-tasking

Multi-tasking, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

A photographer from the rival camp (Pentax) was taking a photo of the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple in Chinatown but couldn't resist a cigarette. I saw her take a few photos without the cigarette but then she lit this one up, took a photo or two, looked at the photos, and went back to chatting with her friends.

There is something about these artists who smoke cigarettes. They feel a lot more comfortable once they puff in a little smoke. I know a few who play their guitars and love their cigarettes and somehow once they start smoking they just get into their art and forget about the world.

This girl looked like someone from that camp.

Smoking is injurious to health. Please make your choices carefully.

Stress

Stress, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Running your own business comes with a lot of stress. Especially, small business, where you rely on daily sales to put food on your table.

I captured this in Chinatown market where this couple was in the middle of a very serious discussion. The man was doing some work on the crystal snow man, Christmas tree and some other gift articles. He was probably preparing for the festive season that will bring a lot of tourists to Singapore and, hopefully, to his store.

The lady, smoking a cigarette, looks like the dominant of the two and was not doing any of the artsy work that made the man sweat on this hot Saturday afternoon.

Slow? Me? Really?

Slow? Me? Really?, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Crocodiles defy science. Usually, anything that is heavy is supposed to be really slow. Heavier animals move slower than their lighter cousins. Lighter weighing animals find it easy to move around fast.

Crocodiles defy that theory. These cold-blooded predators are one of the fastest animals when it comes to snapping up their prey. Look at the water droplets you see so clearly. The photo was taken at 1/4000 shutter after the guy at this crocodile park provoked this giant with a stick.

Wikipedia says this about their danger to humans: The main danger that crocodiles pose is not their ability to run after a person but their ability to strike before the person can react.

Please don't buy any leather products made from crocodile skins. Their future generations will come back for revenge. Very FAST!!!

Angry Birds in real life

Angry Birds in real life, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I took multiple photos of this white rooster and trust you me, he looks angry in each and every one of those photos.

i think the green pig at the farm I saw sheltered with wood, ice and stone structures earlier that day stole this rooster's girlfriend's eggs. He asked me if I had a slingshot and I said "no" to which he said "Why do you use a Blackberry? Only if you had iOS or Android powered phone. I am so angry. Thanks anyways!" and turned away.

(I clicked this at a fruit farm in Desaru, Malaysia and love how the white hair on the red crown is so nicely captured by the 50mm prime lens I borrowed from a friend before the trip.)

I am not in love

I am not in love, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I clicked this at a recent trip to Desaru Fruit Farm. They give you a little tour of the farm when you go and make you sit thru a few sales presentation and serve lunch. This was clicked between the sales presentation and the lunch.

I was setting myself up to take a picture of the background and this girl magically appeared right when I hit the button on my camera. She walked by, checked herself out in the mirror, used the wash basin there and walked to where lunch was being served.

I love how the lens made the rough wall appear blur because the contrast with razor sharp clarity of the mirror gives it a nice effect.

I have a photo of me in that mirror too but I am sure this girl is a much better subject. :)

Fresh innovative ideas & vegetables

Fresh innovative ideas & vegetables, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Necessity, historically, has been called the mother of invention. Costs, I think, can easily take the title of father.

A vegetable vendor in a wet market took a Sprite bottle and a mini pump and turned it into this.

The vegetables on sale looked so fresh and were probably gone in a few hours thanks to low cost innovation.

Re-using that plastic bottle is good for the environment too. Win-win-winnovation.

Dead & Alive (disturbia)

Dead & Alive (disturbia), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

One of the most distrubing photos (for me), this was taken at a wet market in Kuching (Malaysia). Look at how the alive chicken is looking at the dead chicken hanging upside down. It even took a stab at it with its beak in the next frame but that one is even more disturbing.

For humans, death is a very sad & scary moment and the only time people saw a lot of dead bodies was during a war.

Death is not that big a deal in the animal / bird world I guess. They learn to live with it without getting emotional.

Emotions make us humans. Don't they?

The Mahatma gone fishing

The Mahatma gone fishing, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I can claim that I have seen the Mahatma.

Look at this man in the photo. He bears more than a striking resemblance to Mahatma Gandhi, India's non-violence champion. It would look like a photo from Gandhiji's real life when turned into black & white.

(clicked while touring Kuching river in a boat cruise last month)

Adam, Eve & lack of options...

I saw my brother put this joke on twitter. I shared it with my colleagues in the office who suggested I turn it into a comic. A quick 15 minutes with BitStrips and here it is. This is the funniest joke I have heard in recent history (last 6 months at least).

Imagine Russel Peters reading the joke if it doesn't sound funny with the characters below and remember to be creative. Always!!!

Dealing with Stupid!!!

Sharing a comic I made earlier instead of a photo today. I will leave the story out too. They say, a picture is worth a thousand words and you have 2 above so that is 2,000 words already. Don't complain that I talk too much now!!!

Hope you are not keeping your creativity inside. Let it go. Let it flow. I attended an advertising festival earlier this week and am inspired to be more creative every day.

Expect more. Expect different. Expect the unexpected.

Whats up?

Whats up?, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Curiosity is what makes kids adorable and funny.

Look at this kid's expression. He looks curious, excited, a little scared, all at the same time.

If there was a speech bubble there, I would write "why is cold water falling from that grey blob high up in the air."

What would you write?

Early bird gets the croissant

Early bird gets the croissant, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

My mate his this theory that if you wake up early on a weekend morning, your day is longer. Since we, 9 to 6 corporate labourers, live from weekend to weekend, a longer day would definitely help.

For the last 2 weeks, I have been leaving home even before the sun shows up. As a treat to myself, I have been going to Swiss Bake for breakfast. They have amazing hot chocolate that goes perfect with this Scrambled Eggs Croissant.

Zoom in and look at the details and tell me you are not craving for one at this very moment!

Pour me a drink (Beach part 2)

Pour me a drink (Beach part 2), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

(part 2 of 2)

I was waiting for my friend to get to this beach. The sun decided to take cover behind the clouds and everyone else in Singapore decided to stay in bed on this beautiful Saturday morning.

Luckily, I found a huge stick (the straw in the margarita) to do some sand art.

Weekends are all about having fun and I know a lot of people who live weekend to weekend and drink from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

This one is for all my friends who have been there at the right times. To invoke a classic AC/DC line here, "have a drink on me!!!"

Sun Rise (Beach part 1)

Sun Rise (Beach part 1), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

(part 1 of 2)

Wow. That is the most beautiful sunrise ever captured on camera. Right?

I went to the beach last Saturday to catch the sun come out and start lighting the sky up on fire. Instead, there was a massive cloud cover. The sun wasn't clearly visible till 10 in the morning.

That meant less photography and more fun at the beach. I drew my own sunrise and captured it in the "golden hour" of the morning which was followed by some very good Swiss breakfast.

The only complain I had about the weekend was that it was too short.

Not made at the assembly line (part 2)

Not made at the assembly line (part 2), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Here is 2 of 2 photos I wanted to share tonight.

These tiny mud dolls are lined up like they are standing on a conveyor belt in a factory that makes thousands of these 5 inch toys every day.

In reality, they are all hand made by villagers in Rajasthan. Handicraft is an important source of income and employment for a lot of people in Rajasthan who are toiling hard to keeping the art alive.

I sometimes like to call this magic not art because how else can someone turn mud into this beautiful toy, bring it to life with colors, add lovely decoration and move on to make more such toys that look exactly like the previous one, like the one made yesterday, like the one made last month, like the one made last year, like how the last generation used to make these. Magic! Don't you agree?

Not made at the assembly line (part 1)

Not made at the assembly line (part 1), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Here is 1 of 2 photos I wanted to share tonight.

These tiny mud dolls are lined up like they are standing on a conveyor belt in a factory that makes thousands of these 5 inch toys every day.

In reality, they are all hand made by villagers in Rajasthan. Handicraft is an important source of income and employment for a lot of people in Rajasthan who are toiling hard to keeping the art alive.

I sometimes like to call this magic not art because how else can someone turn mud into this beautiful toy, bring it to life with colors, add lovely decoration and move on to make more such toys that look exactly like the previous one, like the one made yesterday, like the one made last month, like the one made last year, like how the last generation used to make these. Magic! Don't you agree?

Happy people on mountain top

Happy people on mountain top, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Strangers are just one conversation away from becoming friends in India. This family was one such bunch.

We were at this temple on top of the mountain catching the sun set from Mount Abu in Gujarat. Our gang of 10 people and this happy family were the last ones left.

They were sitting together on the roof of this Digital Photo Studio and wanted us to take a photo.

My friend promised he will send them a printed copy of their photo and the head of the family agreed to host us on our next trip to Mount Abu. He did give us the address and directions to his crib.

I don't know if mountains attract happy people or happy people hang out in the mountains but I have always met happy people at such places.

Heavy hangs the head that wears the turban

Heavy hangs the head that wears the turban, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

A turban (called safa) is a very common wedding wear for men in Rajasthan. It is made out from a single colorful strip of cloth.

The groom wears an elaborate one and other men at the wedding wear something simple like this little kid in the photo.

His 'safa' here is bigger than his face and I couldn't stop myself from clicking this.

Tipu

Tipu, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Indian village life is very different. Tipu's father runs a men's salon in my friend's village. He was at my friend's house giving him a shave before one of the wedding ceremonies.

His son, Tipu, who normally is out there playing with his friends had no choice but to take care of the salon.

Guess what, he is 12 years old and just about 4 feet tall. His height made it very difficult to shave my beard but he did a decent job.

I hope he doesn't have to spend too much time at the salon at his age.

"Hang on. It will be over soon."

"Hang on. It will be over soon.", originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Hindu wedding ceremonies usually have the 'baarat' ceremony where the wedding procession from the groom's house dances its way to the bride's house. The groom sits on a horse (a mare). Loud music is usually played and people burst firecrackers in front of the horse which sometimes gets difficult for the horse to handle.

Here you see the horse's master trying to pacify her. She clearly looked very disturbed with all the noise and the crowd.

This was taken at my friend's wedding in Rajasthan last month.

No Chicken and Egg story here

No Chicken and Egg story here, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

What came first: the chicken or the egg? Nobody knows. Tell me in comments if you do.

Everybody knows that the warning sign above should be the other way around: "Obey The Traffic Rules to Save Life".

Per the above sign, what if you save life and the life you saved does not follow the traffic rules? See how easily I created another chicken and egg story.

Bucket List...err just buckets

Bucket List...err just buckets, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Just today I called up another photo hog friend of mine to do a photo project related to bucket lists.

The number of items on my bucket list change based on my mood. One of those that I hope happens some day is a Wikipedia entry for me for something awesome that I do.

I am sure I will get to 'check' the box next to that one and a lot of others. What is on your bucket list?

Faith in the system

Faith in the system, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I can't swim so I am not the most comfortable when you tell me to walk on a bridge made out of wooden planks loosely supported by wooden bamboos that shakes with every step you take.

Houses in this island village are built on stilts and these bridges are their roads. I have seen kids run on these, adults ride their mopeds, walk with confidence after downing unbelievable amount of beer.

They can do all this because they have "faith in the system".

Odd jobs

Odd jobs, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

In this Indonesian island village that I recently visited, people have a very different life.

I met a cop who runs a burger push cart in the evenings, a TV repair shop owner who makes more money betting on football (with whom I watched Arsenal clobber Manchester United live), etc.

Trishaw is a very eco-friendly and a very popular mode of transport here because there were only 2 cars in the entire vilage (1 ambulance and 1 private pick up truck) and people have boats parked in their backyards.

Don't you love how cool this looks?

The (boring?) life at sea

The (boring?) life at sea, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Life at sea can be a little boring sometimes.

This guy looks thoroughly bored as his mate drives the boat across long patches of blue water to reach their destination and pick up the next set of people or cargo.

Long time at sea can make you a very philosophical person introspecting a lot about everything in life.

Seeing is believing

Seeing is believing , originally uploaded by G2clicks.

If you were to guess when this photo was taken, you would say "1985", "1964", "1989", etc. It was taken in 2010 last weekend in Indonesia.

It is not your fault though. You see a trishaw, a black and white photo and a man who looks really old fashioned.

Next time, don't believe everything you see.

Thinking not looking

Thinking not looking, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

This baby orangutan's expression almost makes me feel like it isn't looking at where it is looking at. It is actually thinking about something.

I am not really sure how developed their brains are, but I sure know that orangutans are the most intelligent primates.

Wikipedia says "the word "orangutan" comes from the Malay words "orang" (man) and "(h)utan" (forest); hence, "man of the forest".

I wonder if this little man of the forest is really thinking about something. Hmmm.

Mother love

Mother love, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Baby Orangutans are usually very close to their mother Orangutans while the father Orangutan tends to be more solitary.

I clicked this at the Singapore Zoo which has a collection of Bornean Orangutan which is 1 of only 2 species of Orangutan on our planet.

Mothers are the best in all species. Love you mom.

You will never know

You will never know, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

At a recent fashion show, this model was the prettiest of them all. I mean there was no other model with a better smile.

There is something mysterious about her smile. I feel there is something she is thinking about in her head maybe someone but you will never know and I will never know. It is a little secret that will keep haunting me till the day I die / give up.

Flying

Flying, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I recently went to an open fashion show to take some photos and was on the right hand side of the ramp which is not the best place to snap some good photos.

Here is one where the model's walk was really elegant and the breeze was playing with her hair. She was almost flying.

"I live in a pink handbag"

"I live in a pink handbag", originally uploaded by G2clicks.

There is a saying which goes like this:

"Never check women's handbags. You never know what might pop out."

This cute little thing popped out of a girl's handbag in Bugis area when I was out with my buddies.

I hope that the dog is trained not to poop or pee in the handbag. :-)

Uploaded by G2clicks on 27 Mar 11, 11.53PM MYT.

Double Rainbow!!! No way!!!

Double Rainbow!!! No way!!!, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Singapore weather changes very fast and today evening was no exception. I was indoors playing pool and when I came out I saw a rainbow. We took out the camera and took a few snaps. A very normal evening.

I came home then and put pictures online and look what I saw. DOUBLE RAINBOW. We did not notice the second rainbow while snapping the photo but on the computer screen, you can clearly see a faint second rainbow to the left.

If you don't know why double rainbow is so significant, you should search for it on YouTube.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 27 Mar 11, 10.37PM MYT.

Come pick me up :-)

Come pick me up :-), originally uploaded by G2clicks.

My dear cycle has been sitting idle in the office parking lot for more than 2 weeks now. I haven't cycled since then because of the rain or a busy time at work or something else.

I am thinking of going to the office on this lazy Sunday to pick it up. The cycle has been singing 'come pick me up' for a while now and I think today is the day.

Btw, me and my bro did this experiment at Pulau Ubin where we used sand instead of the cycle stand to make the cycle stand.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 27 Mar 11, 3.19PM MYT.

My SUPER MOON

My SUPER MOON, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I was a little busy when Super Moon was out there raising tide levels and making the sky look even more beautiful.

Sadly, that meant that I could not go take any photos of the awesomely lit night sky.

On my way to a friend's place though, I did click this picture.

I will wait for the next one and hope I still have the ability to take photos the next time this happens.

Moon is always super for me thought. Did you have a fun night out when the super moon was out?

Uploaded by G2clicks on 27 Mar 11, 2.40AM MYT.

Atlas Moth / Snake Head Moth

Atlas Moth / Snake Head Moth, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

At Ubin, an island off the coast of Singapore, I saw this giant Atlas Moth.

It is also called the 'snake head' moth because the top edge of both wings look like a snake's head and I thought there are 2 snakes when I first glanced upon this beauty.

FYI, moths are different than butterflies and Wikipeidia tells me that someone who engages in active moth watching is called a mother (sometimes spelled at moth-er to avoid confusion).

You should read the Wikipedia entry for this moth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attacus_atlas) and moths in general for interesting facts(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moth).

Atlas moth surely is the mother of all moths and I mean mother in the way you know mother not the one I described above. :-)

Uploaded by G2clicks on 21 Feb 11, 12.22AM MYT.

Boat & the sun's tail

Boat & the sun's tail, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I tried capturing the passing ferry boat in the sun's tail that you see up here but I couldn't and ended up with this.

I still quite like the lonely, peaceful feel that this photo brings. It makes me want to look at it but not really sit and look at it if you know what I mean.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 21 Feb 11, 12.00AM MYT.

Sunset from Ubin

Sunset from Ubin, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Everytime I go to Pulau Ubin, I take my time and leave after sunset. Yesterday, when I went, we left earlier and that meant I caught this and a few other photos of the sunset.

I live on the east side of the country so don't get to see the sunset so much. Being out there in the middle of the sea at sunset was the nicest part of the weekend.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 20 Feb 11, 11.44PM MYT.

Politically Incorrect

Politically Incorrect, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

I love it how everything is going social. I love it how everyone wants to embrace social media. I love it that social media is becoming a part of our daily lives.

I love it even more when politicians try doing this new age stuff and get it wrong.

See what I found in the monthly neighbourhood magazine for Geylang Sarai. It says "please visit our facebook at (an email address)".

PS: I am not for or against this politician. I am not even sure who she is and what work she has done and if she is a nice person or not. I am sharing this purely to show a goof up in this magazine I was reading earlier today.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 17 Feb 11, 12.35AM MYT.

Peace

Peace, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

It was a beautiful Sunday morning at the Gurudwara. I arrived way too early because I read the timing on the wedding invite wrong.

For some reason, any place of worship, irrespective of whether it is of your religion or not, has the ability to put the mind at ease. I was out till late the night before and hardly got any sleep before getting here but my mind was totally at ease.

The 'random' mode on my phone decided to play 'Ik Omkar" to play right now which reminded me that I still haven't uploaded this photo.

This is one of my favorite photos clicked by me.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 15 Feb 11, 12.20AM MYT.

"What are you looking at?"

"What are you looking at?", originally uploaded by G2clicks.

You know how toddlers love water and getting wet. There is a nice water fountain inside Bugis Junction, a shopping mall in Singapore.

Kids love this place so much that these days I have seen parents come prepared with extra clothes, towel, new set of diapers, etc. Families spend hours on weekend at this place watching their kids splash water around.

I clicked this photo on Saturday when I was on my way to a nearby temple and had my camera handy. I love how the kid made eye contact at the perfect moment.

"Mom. It is no fun playing if you don't shout at me"

"Mom. It is no fun playing if you don't shout at me", originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Kids like doing things that their parents' tell them not to do. I saw an instance of this at Istana Park on Singapore's National Day last year.

This kid did not want to let go of this toy crocodile till his mom decided to do the "pretending to leave" trick. Ask any 10 year old toddler and he will tell you how his mom is the best at doing that.

I was a very obedient kid growing up. Right, Mom? ;-)

Uploaded by G2clicks on 14 Feb 11, 11.46PM MYT

Bollypore = Bollywood + Singapore

Bollypore = Bollywood + Singapore, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

People love Bollywood all over the world and Singapore is no exception. I think I clicked this photo of Aishvarya Rai's photo in an underpass leading to Istana Park (Singapore's President's palace).

Marina Bay Sans recently made good money by selling tickets to live streaming of IIFA awards that one could watch from the Marina Bay lobby. Now that's what I call good business.

Uploaded by G2clicks on 14 Feb 11, 11.31PM MYT.

I was that cat today

I was that cat today, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Today started with a bad headache resulting in me getting extra sleep, working from my bed, and watching weekday TV (which is massively boring btw).

This photo fully reflects exactly how I felt all day and I am even more sleepy after eating good mini pizzas for dinner.

Happy Valentine's day to all of you who are celebrating.

Lunar New Year

Lunar New Year, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

Per the lunar calendar, the year of the bunny is here. We had a good 5 day long weekend because the company gave an extra holiday on top of the holiday which fell on Thu & Fri. This plant is kept outside offices, hotels, apartments, homes, etc during this holiday where mandarin oranges are also given away to loved ones.

The sad part about being in Singapore is that there is no long holiday that people get. Compare that to Japan & Korea which have a 10 day golden week holiday. China had a nice 9 day break for this lunar new year.

In this stressful life in Singapore, we need more holidays, don't we?

Rojak Food

Rojak Food, originally uploaded by G2clicks.

In over 2 years in Singapore, I can't believe I never gave Indian Rojak food a try.

It looks awesome and tastes fantastic too. The stuff you see in this photo is all meat which I don't eat. There was a lot of vegetarian deep fried food to choose from. It is served with a sweet and spicy chili sauce.

Give it a go when you see something like this in Singapore / Malaysia / Indonesia the next time you head out for a snack.