MEMORIES OF SINGAPORE

clarke quay on the first evening back

ropumpkin — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 11:38:38 +0000

there is no order in my posts . i just look at my pictures (almost 3000) and i decide on one that tells me something .

first evening in singapore 2008 i went for a walk and i came to clarke quay mostly because i thought that a friend is working there . well , he was working there but he was no friend … hehehe … although the place is nice , spectacular , with great views of the CBD , the historic buildings and of course the river quay with all the restaurants … i don’t have a connection with it . i don’t really like it . it’s nice , touristic and all but i don’t feel for it . it was my first night back to singapore and i was kind of a mess … hehehe … i was like laughing and crying at the same time . still had some hope (the first night , ok) and very nostalgic . everything was great … except for the sadness .

not a really good idea to go there and not a good idea to do … well , what i did after that . anyway , i went back to the hotel at around 1 in the morning and that’s how it started . the pattern of walking like crazy the whole day , stay up late doing nothing , being tired and getting to realize i can’t hope anymore . nice place , all the lights , all the noise and fun… not for me …

esplanade

ropumpkin — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 21:23:35 +0000

definitely click on the pictures to see them bigger

how not to like this place ?

the esplanade is full of life even when it’s empty and quiet . and i love it more when it’s empty . yes , it’s the amazing architecture , yes it’s the great view of the CBD or the marina , yes it’s about the arts concerts , exhibitions and everything else , yes you can do a lot of things there and you can take great pictures but it’s more than that . it’s the feeling of the place , the way that it made me feel . everytime i went there . including the countdown for new year 2007 (not a great idea , it was different back then before they built the stage and i didn’t know where to find a good spot) . well , maybe not the countdown , maybe the new year is not such a big deal for singaporeans coz it was so plain , so boring , so fake , like something they had to do , they had to be there and in 10 minutes everything was done and everybody went home . nevermind . in june 2008 i’ve been to esplanade 3 times in 10 days and it’s the only place where i stoped , relaxed and spent a few hours doing nothing , listening to some rock band rehersal , enjoing the sun , the view and hoping for a miracle . it didn’t happen … hehehe … but it was ok

oh , and i saw some pictures from the time they built the place , the way it was before . so different , fascinating . i wish somehow my city will find the strenght to change (in a good way) the way singapore did and does . sometimes it’s too much (at least for me) but the things they do are amazing .

of course i have some special places in singapore where i like to go , maybe someday i will make a list or a top but i can tell you that esplanade it’s one of them .

iconic cbd 2008

ropumpkin — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:14:35 +0000

so … this is singapore . the iconic view of the CBD in 2008 . it was june , i was in singapore for the holiday and i waited for the evening to take this picture from the esplanade roof .

so strange . i felt kinda strange being there because it was different . i was alone , actualy more than that , i was lonely … hehehehe … and looking at this great view and knowing that it’s the last time i would ever see it live and knowing that it’s nothing and nobody for me in this beautiful place made me sad . singapore is just the way anybody who had the chance to go there would tell you that it is . amazing . like no other place . but you need to be there more than the usual 3 days or one week vacation . explore . singaporeans will tell it’s small and there’s not much to see . but from the outside , it’s the best place to start enjoying asia . for a european , it’s perfect if you want to discover what asia has to offer because it’s a melting pot . singapore is not perfect , especialy from a political point of view , but it really depends what you want from life . for me singapore was the best time of my life . it was perfect for me . and for a while it gave me everything that i needed . and it gave me love . the second time there , last june , it was different , i was different . it was like visiting an old friend after a long time , after you lost contact . colder , stranger … but the feelings were still there .

thank you singapore !

tiong bahru plaza

ropumpkin — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 13:03:13 +0000

this is where i used to live in singapore , most of the time anyway . yeah , right , not in the mall but 3 minutes away . i loved the location , bus stop in front of the building or in front of the mall , mrt , food court , cinema , mall , bank , a park , and it’s not that far from orchard road . actually i used to walk a lot around this area and for a long time i used to walk back from work (parkmall) . this mall is not that great but being so close to home i was here a lot . mostly i remember the good part and i have great memories , all kind of memories . i was lucky to find this place and i can’t wait to see it again . it would be painful now cause i don’t have anything anymore from what was great back then but it would bring joy and refresh a lot of beautiful things .

portraits

ropumpkin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 16:01:00 +0000

my 3 favorite pictures from the people portraits album . i think these are the best ones but let me know which one you like and why .
i don’t really like to take pictures of people , especially close-up portraits although sometimes it can be very rewarding . i posted 21 of my best portraits from singapore and now i wish i could’ve take more . i always look for the beauty or the irony when i take a picture , when i can capture something that makes me smile or cry is when i enjoy it the most .

sale

ropumpkin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:44:00 +0000

it didn’t come out the way i wanted to . i was hoping to freeze the two ladies in red and blur everybody else . but it’s still ok , you can get the idea . it’s about the crazy place in the basement of the ngee ann city / takashimaya mall . it’s the place where they have a lot of fairs and sales and shows . it’s sooooo crowded ! singaporeans are addicted to shopping , you have to buy something all the time . this picture was taken before the chinese new year and everything here is about traditional cookies and food . the two ladies are giving free samples and we were laughing that if you go for a tour of the place you’ll be full , no need for diner anymore . we used to go there a lot because of the gramophone music shop nearby so saw all the clothes , shoes , kids , sweets , sports , holidays and other fairs . but we never bought anything … hahaha .

oh , i love the food court there . a bit more expensive than others but a lot of great food . yummy .

taxi driver

ropumpkin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:33:00 +0000

little india again .

malay , indian , chinese .

the way the driver is checking them in the rearview mirror is the reason for taking this picture .

i never took the time to just sit and wait somewhere for the right picture . i wanted to but it never happened . i really enjoy when i just see something interesting and i hurry to take my camera and capture the moment . and then move on . so many interesting subjects that we miss every minute because we just don’t look .

the touch

ropumpkin — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:06:00 +0000

i consider this one to be one of my best pictures ever .

taken in little india on a crowded street , full of life , colors , sounds , smells and feelings , it looks like a classic painting .

the two ladies that are frozen in good focus are the main characters that have a story to tell . the way the young one touches the old lady and the look on her face can tell whatever story you want . everything else is blurry , everybody is busy , doing their own things but in the middle of this something happens .

little india is an amazing place . first time i was taken there by an indian friend and i was overwhelm by the crowd , the buzz , the colors and the sights , the sounds , the scents of food and spices , the narrow sidewalks , the shops , the costumes … everything was different from the rest of singapore where i’ve been before . it made me dizzy and i had to come back some other time to fully enjoy the place . everytime i wanted to escape the too organized city i went to little india for a different view .

confusion

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:37:00 +0000

girls or boys ?

i don’t know if they saw me taking the picture but they look like they are posing .

romania and eastern europe is not open-minded about gay and lesbians . probably because during communism , officially they didn’t exist .

i was shocked to discover how many you can find in singapore . in the beginning i thought people are joking but then my eyes started to open . and what’s interesting is that is more about girls . “butches” . girls who try to look like boys , with strange haircuts . why so many ? i don’t know but i don’t think that in other countries is like this . in the company where i worked i met at least 8 . it doesn’t bother me at all but it’s just something that you notice about the local way of life . people are not really different wherever you go in this world but some things come in different proportions . we are “one but not the same”

tired

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:24:00 +0000

a biological attack ? no , just indian workers sleeping . i think it’s on selegie rd at an hdb complex .

i didn’t noticed any construction site nearby , i don’t know where they were working but they were on a break and they look very tired . people from india , sri lanka , pakistan are coming to singapore for a better life for their families back home and they have to do the hardest jobs , mostly in constructions . a lot of constructions in singapore , a lot of immigrant workers . sometimes you can see them sleeping in the most unexpected and awkward places and positions .

it’s a bit symbolic because the colorful singapore is in the background (the kids playground) but to get there you have to pass the bodies of tired poor immigrant workers

away

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 18:13:00 +0000

i like this picture although it doesn’t look like much . she was waiting to cross the orchard rd . it was a very hot day , maybe before hari raya . the traditional dress together with the i-pod but mostly the look on her face made me snap the shot . she seems somehow lost , confused in the middle of the crowded orchard rd , her mind is away somewhere . arranged , elegant , not pretty but she definitely has something … hahaha … or so i want to think

burning

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:52:00 +0000

tanjong katong rd . it was a day off and we went there to bring back my “childhood” in singapore , the first few months when i used to live on this street . we walked from paya lebar mrt station all the way to parkway parade . i’ve done this a few times after i moved because i wanted to feel again like in the beginning when i was charmed by singapore . the last few months there i wasn’t so “in love” with the city , my mind was set already for going home and many things in singapore simply and easily irritated me .

my friend saw this man and tell me to take the picture .

i remember that i didn’t know anything about the chinese rituals of burning “money” , i heard about it , i thought it’s real money and i thought it’s more like an old tradition . but i saw it’s quite common . after that i thought it’s just on special holidays . but no , it’s more than that .

tanjong katong it’s not in the best shape but things are going to get better . they renovated the sidewalks , changed the light poles and trying to make it look good . some great places near by , east cost rd , joo chiat rd .

a lot of “my first” in singapore happened around here . my first meal (i think it was black pepper chicken with fried rice) , my first tiger beer and all the little everyday life things that you do when you live in a totally different country .

raj

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:35:00 +0000

approximately the same place like the previous one . crossing the street on selegie rd . i came from the opposite direction and i couldn’t get my camera on time to take the shot from the front .

the raj took his family / suite for an evening walk .it was so funny even though his face was fierceful … the costume , the look , the attitude everything was contrasting with the modern city . it’s very interesting to see little things like this , customs and traditions still surviving in the modern society . i admire singapore for this , so many things to see , multi cultural , multi ethnic , traditional , religious , but in the same time very ambitious to be number one in the world , the first in everything .

ride along

ropumpkin — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:20:00 +0000

this used to be my way to work . from the bus stop in front of the peace centre walking all the way to bugis parco .

when you see a large group like this you can assume they are from china … hahaha

if you only see a few , they can be from wherever . i never took a ride but it doesn’t look comfortable if there are 2 persons because it’s quite small . i saw some huge australians who can barely fit on the sit and the poor guy on the bike looked very tired … hahaha …a lot of times the tourists didn’t seem to enjoy the ride … sometimes they have a very loud and annoying sound system , sometimes they look very rude and uninviting just like their “relatives” the taxi drivers . why the taxi drivers are the same everywhere in the world ? hahaha

young at heart

ropumpkin — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 23:04:00 +0000

inside bugis junction . i don’t remember when and how because i was there everyday for a few months and i don’t know how come i was having the camera but i saw this lady outside and trying to get my camera ready i followed her inside . she was walking very fast that’s why it’s a bit blurry . i had to take the shot cause the lady was like 50 years old but she’s dressed like a 15 years old . very fashionable … too much if you ask me . fashion is quite wild in singapore and if you go in some malls , well known for trendy clothes and accessories you can see some very interesting persons , great subjects for a photo album .

i don’t really like bugis mall , i don’t know why , i mean they did a wonderful job renovating the place and some parts are great but i never had the , i don’t know , the “feeling” when i was there . it’s not the usual mall though . it’s very nice to go there in the morning , around 10 , when the sun is shining . not for shopping , just to look around .