Saturday, May 02, 2009

Gwee Li Sui's notes: to praise or not to praise?

Sure, i've seen the notes that Gwee Li Sui has written on the Aware saga. He made it to the Straits Times even with his note entitled "Christians against Aware Takeover." They are all over facebook pages of many people i know. More than 600 people 'like' the note and it has gathered an equal amount of responses to it.

In case you do not know what i'm referring to, click here for his first note and here for his follow up.

I've had a few days to ponder over it. More than a few people have also directed me to the note with enthusiasm. I wonder: was it wise for him to write the note the way he did.

Now i wish to make it clear that i question his notes not for the sake of attacking Gwee's person but because i believe no view should go unchallenged. Gwee's notes are no exception. Just like Gwee, i want to make it clear that i have been a Bible believing Christian for a good many years as well. I share the same faith as Gwee does and i am sure the same hope for a good resolution to this saga. At the same time, I wish to offer a counterperspective here, that perhaps people have been too quick to praise Gwee for the notes he has written.

I think i am at a stage where i have little hesitation in saying that Gwee should have written the notes in a more reconciliatory way. I found the message of the first note very polarising, all the more so when Gwee makes the charges that some Christians feel that "their faith has been hijacked and their views ignored."He further asserts that "an appropriate Christian response is to resist the actions of these Christians."

To his credit, Gwee acknowledges in his second note that "healso received less appreciative messages" some of which "charged [him] with having sown discord and embarrassed Christianity in front of non-believers." He then rhetorically questions if he made "one too many assumptions."

Amongst other points in Gwee's notes that i take issue with, there are two issues in particular that jump out at me and cause me great discomfort. Both issues are in reference to his first note.

1) Christians have already been divided on this issue. Some are in support of Josie Lau's ex-co, and some vehemently against it. Indeed something must be done to address this polarising of views within the Christian community in Singapore, but the message in my opinion should be one of unity rather than division. It is to me unacceptable to argue that "an appropriate Christian response is to resist the actions of these Christians."

Should that really be the appropriate Christian response? I do not want to go into deep theological discourse here, but i think this very assertion itself should be worthy of a healthy dose of scepticism. Let us not forget that the Church is a body of Christ. When one part suffers, the whole body suffers along with it. We are told that when someone strays away from the truth, we are to bring him back. Christ tells a few parables also on how he refuses to forget about even one sheep that is lost. Throughout the Bible, the message is one of reconciliation, unity and love.

It therefore puzzles and saddens me to see Gwee write such a statement. To be fair, he does not qualify what it means to "resist the actions." He could very well mean a mere passive non-supporting of Josie Lau's ex-co (which at the time of writing has been dissolved). But that certainly is not clear in his note. Merriam-Webster defines resist as "to exert force in opposition." It seems to imply something more than a passive standing aside. I do not seek to speculate on what Gwee could have meant nor do i want to read different meanings into his writings. But my point is simple: by calling for resistance without qualification of what that resistance entails could cause confusion and indeed further division.

We could see Christians distancing themselves from Josie Lau et al. Or perhaps Christians will now start to see the Church of Our Saviour as being rather unorthodox in their beliefs. I see no overarching concept of unity being promoted here. I see rather, potential for causing division amongst Christians, especially since Gwee's notes have been read by so many.

2) Secondly, i think Gwee engages in language that is very sweeping and overtly rhetorical. He states in his list of implications that if we support Josie Lau et al, we effectively "condone its quasi-corporate act of infiltration, with related strategies of secrecy, disinformation, moral coercion, and fear-mongering."

Now surely whilst there is a grain of truth in this statement, it is rather over-the-top. Notably, the term "infiltration" according to merriam-webster connotes a gradual entering and not a quick takeover as was what happened. It also has the implication that the organisation being "infiltrated" did not know of the inflitration. However, it was quite clear that in the run up the the AGM, AWARE did have a record of those who joined - they just did not pay attention. Is this really infiltration? Further, i question what "moral coercion" and "fear-mongering" were committed. now these are really strong terms to use. There was persuasion, argument, but was there "coercion" in the sense that people were really compelled to act against their will? Regarding "fear-mongering", i question which act in particular Gwee is referring to.

Gwee is also keen to use the slippery slope argument. He asks rhetorically " What is to stop any religious or ideological group from doing the same to any social institution at every level? In the long run, who do you think loses?"

I think there is a simple answer to this: a properly drafted constitution of the organisation. Assuming Josie lau et al had not been defeated in the EGM, it would have been a good lesson for all out there to pay attention to how their constitutions are drafted. Where there are inadequacies, they should be fixed; where there are uncertainties, legal advice can and should be sought.

And finally, but certainly not least, his second last paragraph is startling: "Support the new ex-co, and, if they stay and behave as predicted, you will be directly responsible for undoing the trust that many Christians have taken years to build with their non-Christian friends. This is a trust built on mutual respect. You will have made the Gospel of Christ more difficult to hear for years to come because people will think that they know what it is about. You will have created a new generation of Christ-haters."

I think this statement is premised on too many assumptions, assumptions that are not necessarily true. The first assumption is that the "trust (which is built on mutual respect) that many Christians have taken years to build with their non-Christian friends" is a trust that is easily broken. I would like to think that friendships are a little hardier than that. I can support (but i do not) in principle what Josie Lau et al were doing, but certainly there is space for opposing views within friendships.

The second assumption is that Josie Lau et al's views equate to the Gospel of Christ or that people are likely to equate that with the Gospel. that again, whilst plausible, is questionable. I fail to see how people in "years to come" are likely to be so influenced by this one event.

Finally, i object in the strongest possible terms to assert that "You will have created a new generation of Christ-haters." I cannot see how this can be substantiated in any way.

Concluding, I acknowledge one's right to freedom of speech and therefore am not saying that Gwee should not have published his note. He had every right to do so and i will not criticise its publication. But i think he should have preached a message of unity and not one of division that i saw his note to stand for. Whilst we do not agree with what Josie Lau et al did, we should in no way distance ourselves from them - we all belong to the same body.

One qualification: perhaps I have interpreted Gwee's message wrongly in which case i apologise unreservedly. Also, you will notice i engaged in some word interpretation here. I do this not for the mere purpose of engaging in semantics, but because i want to encourage the responsible use of speech. The wrong use of certain terms can indeed convey a wrong message and i would loathe to see Gwee being taken to task for alleged defamation.

Friday, April 24, 2009

CTLS End-of-Semester River Cruise and Dinner - Spring 2009

And so today, CTLS came to an official close. What was different this time around as compared to last semester was that we had a great river cruise. I found it quite amusing - i had been to London two times previously and i'd never done a cruise on the Thames, something that is rather touristy.

It was a great ride, the weather was awesome and the company no less fantastic. Cruise pictures are here and the dinner photos will follow once i'm done editing them (they're harder because of white balance issues -.-)

#1 - We assembled at Festival Pier from which we were to board the cruise ship
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#2 - Bryan, Virginie and Duncan
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#3 - Niccolo, Bruno, Guido, Fabricio, Giancarlo (everyone's name ends with an 'O' !)
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#4 - Mohan, Fabricio, Alejandro, Qiyang
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#5 - Here, on the boat, Caterina and Virginie
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#6 - Iva, Guido, Niccolo, Rebecca
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#7 - Clarisse, Michelle, Ella, Michelle, Iva
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#8 - Ari, Isabel, Hannah
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#9 - Patrick, Alejandro, Bryan
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#10 - Clarisse, Myself, Ella
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#11
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#12 - Michelle and Iva
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#13
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#14 - photo with tower bridge behind!
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#15 - the loving couple. Michael and Iva (:
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#16 - with the noisy Singaporeans..
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#17
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#18
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#19 - David Cole, Scott Foster, Stephen Waddams, Gary Bell
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#20 - Alison Duxbury and.... (oops don't know his name)
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#21 - Caterina and Maria
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#22 - Group shot!
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#23
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#24
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#25
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#26
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#27
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#28
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#29
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#30 - Lisa, Scott and Valerie
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#31
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#32 - with Prof Waddams!
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#33 - and desiree...
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#34
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#35 - Ian and Desiree
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#36
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#37
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009


#38
From CTLS End-of Semester River Cruise and Dinner - 24 April 2009








Sunday, April 19, 2009

Letter criticises TOC for use of “divisive labels” in article

Kudos to Zheng Xi for agreeing to publish this letter of mine on TOC. It is admirable of him to take pains to give opposing views an outlet to be heard. Also, take a look at the comments page on the TOC website - just scroll down. I've realised that there is a present sentiment against what is perceived to be "homophobic" and "fundamentalist" Christianity. This is no less a call for Christians to wake up to the changing society around us to respond to such claims with truth and love. I've also come to an increasing realisation of how apology and theology should not be divorced. Both can stand alone. But it is only when both are coupled that a powerful apologetic can come forth.

Letter criticises TOC for use of “divisive labels” in article

Sunday, 19 April 2009, 11:15 pm | 321 views

Dear Sir,

I refer to the report: “TOC Report: 150 call for vote of no confidence” by Choo Zheng Xi.

I write this letter in response to two objections I have about what the author of the article wrote. :

1) Christian Fundamentalism

Firstly, I object to the pigeonholing of AWARE ex-co members as “Christian Fundamentalists”, a term which the author employs in his article. After quoting a statement by Angela Thiang about her stance against homosexuals, Mr Choo then makes the logical leap (and a huge one that is) in the very next line to conclude that AWARE is now run by a group of “Christian Fundamentalists.”

I take issue with making this huge leap because (i) nowhere in the article is there suggestion or evidence that the ex-co is now Christian fundamentalist, (ii) an anti-homosexual stance does not equate to Christian fundamentalism.

True, Jenice Chua and Angela Thiang had both previously attracted attention for their anti-homosexual stance. But is that evidence of Christian fundamentalism? Is that a good ground for labelling them as such? How is the Author sure that they are Christians in the first place? And even if they are Christians, why must they be pigeonholed as being “fundamentalist” as opposed to “misguided” or “uninformed Christians” or “Christians who may not be totally familiar with Christ’s teachings as a whole.”

Attaching the “fundamentalist” label on them just results in tarring public perception of their reputation because “fundamentalist” as a term carries with it a negative connotation. A glance through some of the comments on TOC using the search function to look for the term “fundamentalist” would perhaps make this point of mine much clearer.

Mr Choo needs to be more aware of the implications of using certain terms before using them loosely as he has done.

2) Christianity and Regressiveness

The second grouse I have is Mr Choo’s quoting of the Glass Castle Magazine’s editor, Jolene, whose view is that Christian fundamentalism leads to effects that are “regressive to women’s rights.”

Firstly, I think that there must be more justification on Mr Choo’s part first to show why Christian fundamentalism leads to a regression in terms of women’s rights. Simply putting a quote there will not do. Again, we see here a large logical leap that it unjustified. It seems as though the Author has made the erroneous assumption that Christianity is against women having rights or worse, that Christianity leads to a diminution of women’s rights – both of these are untrue.

Many questions follow from his quoting of Jolene’s views:

- What is the Christian stance on women’s rights?

- Does it in the first place negatively affect women’s rights or does it promote women’s rights?

- Is Mr Choo even aware of how Christianity views the issue of women’s rights? If he does not, is he therefore justified in making such an equation between Christianity and regression of women’s rights?

One perspective that I hope Mr Choo will consider is that Christianity holds women in high regard. The Bible affirms that women are equally valued, equally treated and share the same divine image of men. Husbands are to love and honour their wives just as they love themselves. Let it also not be forgotten that the Biblical accounts of Christ’s resurrection sees women as the first ones at the empty tomb.

From this and from other articles on the TOC website, it seems to me that TOC is trying to side with the old committee of AWARE. Based on what Mr Choo wrote and based on the lack of evidence, it seems very contrived for him to try and link the new committee to anti-homosexual and “Christian fundamentalist” stances, both of which are deeply dividing terminologies.

Concluding, I wish to urge against the use of such divisive labels such as “fundamentalist” as it is unhelpful in promoting civil discourse. Even if one believes bona fide that someone is a “fundamentalist,” perhaps there are other less offensive terms that can and should be used.

Yours Sincerely,

Tang Shang Jun

—–

Editor’s note:

TOC apologizes for any offence caused by the terminology employed in the article in question and highlights that it was not our intention to criticize the Christian community as a whole.

Susan Boyle: Nothing less than a middle finger in the face of convention

You must have been living under a rock if you do not by now know who Susan Boyle is. And if you do not, please enlighten yourself by clicking here.

So Boyle has been watched by more than 26m viewers worldwide since her storm of a performance on Britain's Got Talent. Let's weigh up the facts about Boyle: she is 47 years old, a Church volunteer, never been kissed, far from being slim and svelte, has hair that probably has never been professionally done, and dressed well, like a 47 year old would be when she appeared on TV.

When she was asked who she would like to be as famous as, her reply was "Elaine Page." Simon Cowell, cynic as he was smirked cynically. He couldn't believe this old woman could dare to give such an audacious answer. The crowd too burst out in laughter when they heard her reply. no one would believe that such a lady would ever be famous. After all, she did not fit in the stereotype of what a star would be did she?

"I Dreamed a Dream" was her song choice. What a choice! Of all the easier songs out there, she had to choose a song from the longest running musical in the world that requires much skill to pull off. But when she started singing, no one was laughing anymore. Sure, her voice was not as smooth or as professional sounding as any Les Miserable stage performer. She sounded far from being Patti LuPone or what you get on the Les Miserable soundtrack. But what one cannot take away from her is that she stole the heart of the audience. By the end of the performance, the audience was on its feet, two judges were up and applauding as well.

Her performance was nothing short of a middle finger in the face of convention of stereotypes. That this 47 year old lady could pull off such a feat was no small achievement. It was nothing less than a testament to the power of human dreams, the fairytale of an unknown to a superstar story, a testament to her late mother and a slap in the face to remind us that success should not be predestined by the exterior appearances of one.

Susan Boyle, i hope you win this competition

Friday, April 17, 2009

Don't be unAWARE

Zheng Xi has written a piece for The Online Citizen in which he highlights the fact that 150 people have called for an Extraordinary General Meeting in AWARE. The problem: a group of relative unknowns has somehow taken over the reins at AWARE. That's not my bone with this article of his. My main objections are that Zheng Xi is wrong about two specific issues:

1) Christian Fundamentalism

First off, i object to the pigeonholing that Zheng Xi employs in his article. After quoting a statement by Angela Thiang about her stance against homosexuals, Zheng Xi then makes the logical leap (and a huge one that is) in the very next line to concluding that AWARE is now run by a group of "Christian Fundamentalists."

I take issue with making this huge leap because (i) nowhere in the article is there suggestion or evidence that the ex-co is now Christian fundamentalist, (ii) an anti-homosexual stance does not equate to Christian fundamentalism.

True, Jenice Chua and Angela Thiang had both previously attracted attention for their anti-homosexual stance. But is that evidence of Christian fundamentalism? Is that a good ground for labelling them as such? How is Zheng Xi sure that they are Christians in the first place. And even if they are Christians, why must they be pigeonholed as being "fundamentalist" as opposed to "misguided" or "uninformed Christians" or "Christians who may not be totally familiar with Christ's teachings as a whole."

Attaching the "fundamentalist" label on them just results in tarring public perception on their images because "fundamentalist" as a term carries with it a negative connotation.

Zheng Xi needs to be more aware of the implications of using certain terms before using them loosely as he has done.

2) Christianity and Regressiveness

The second grouse i have is Zheng Xi's quoting of the Glass Castle Magazine's editor, Jolene's view that Christian fundamentalism leads to effects that are "regressive to women’s rights."

Firstly, i think that there must be more justification on Zheng Xi's part first to show why Christian fundamentalism leads to a regression in terms of women's rights. simply putting a quote there will not do. It seems as though Zheng Xi has made the errorneous assumption that Christianity is against women having rights or worse, that Christianity leads to a diminution of women's rights.

Many questions follow from his quoting of Jolene's views:
- What is the Christian stance on women's rights?
- Does it in the first place negatively affect women's rights or does it promote women's rights?
- Is Zheng Xi even aware of how Christianity views the issue of women's rights? If he does not, is he therefore justified in making such an equation between Christianity and regression of women's rights?

3) What is the TOC up to?

I must conclude.

What is the TOC up to? From this article, it seems to me that TOC is trying very hard to side with the old committee of AWARE. It seems very contrived and forced for Zheng Xi to constantly try and link the new committee to anti-homosexual and "christian fundamentalist" stances, both of which cause deeply dividing and polarising views.

It is arguable that the TOC was never meant to be objective in the first place,. However, it is questionable whether the antithesis of objectivity is biasness, as i perceive the TOC to be now, as compared to merely providing a source of alternative news.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Happy Easter, but first....

Easter dawns. And a flurry of activity begins again as people prepare to buy gifts, make Easter eggs and bunnies, and for most, to enjoy a long weekend and a good rest. “Happy Easter!” You wish each other as you go around. Or “here’s an Easter gift for you. God bless!”

Recently an email went around my schoolmates. It was started by a friend of mine asking if we should contribute money to buy Easter gifts for our program directors. One of the replies to the email was particularly poignant. It read: “Cool, I'm up for it. 50 pounds should be plenty enough. Not sure how Easter is supposed to work though, so I'll be happy to follow anyone's lead.”

I was amused, and yet saddened that people who buy gifts for each other do not know “how Easter is supposed to work.” What is Easter supposed to do in the first place? Is it supposed to do anything at all?

Easter is about the death and resurrection of Christ. More specifically, Good Friday is about the death of Christ and Easter Sunday about Christ’s resurrection. From my conversations with friends who are either agnostic, atheist, or belong to another religion, I have realised that many of them do not know the basic tenets of Christianity but yet have no qualms about denying it. I wonder, how does one deny what he does not know?

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. God shaped the world like clay in a potter’s hand, lovingly creating every nook and cranny of the universe. Man and Woman were created. Our destiny, Man’s destiny was and is perfection. Man walked openly in the garden of Eden with God.

But the serpent tempted Eve and she ate the fruit from the tree that she was not supposed to eat from. She gave some to Adam as well. At this point, sin entered the world. Man wanted to live life his own way, and not by God’s way. We ignore God and tell him to stay in His corner of the world. We rebel against Him. This rebellion is what the Bible calls “sin.”

God is a perfect God and cannot stand sin. Because we have gone our own way, God essentially allows us to do so. We are therefore separated from God unless something or someone else comes along the way. God stands against us in his wrath and judgment.

But because of His love, God did not leave us to wallow and die. He had a plan to save us. It is poignant that whilst the fall of man was recorded in Genesis 2, the prophecy for a Saviour King was made just a few lines later in Genesis 3, where it was foretold that Christ would come to save us. From the time of the Israelites, the priests had to constantly sacrifice lambs for the sins of the people. But lambs would never be enough as they are essentially different from humans. How can a lamb ever pay for the sins of humans? It can – if the lamb was the perfect sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ Himself. Christ had to come as a man because it was then that He could experience everything that we experience, every temptation we face, every desire we had. And yet, though He was tempted, He had no sin and was crucified for us.

God accepted Christ’s death as full payment for our sins. We can make a fresh start no matter where in life we are or how horrible we are before. For Christians are not Christians because they are perfect, but because they recognise that they are wicked and evil and are in need of a Saviour.

Where does this leave us? It leaves us with a choice of two ways to live. Option 1 is to continue living as we are in denial of God. In doing so we condemn ourselves to eternal separation from God without love and without life. The second option is to accept Christ as our Saviour. God will completely accept us as we are made right before God.

I can do no more than quote from the brilliant words of C.S Lewis, himself an ardent atheist turned Christian:

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic – on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg – or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”

Jesus Christ came not to make bad people good: He came to make dead people live. My prayer for you this Easter is that you will be just like Lewis. You may have struggled and militated against Christianity all your life, denied God and cursed Him, but at the end of it all you still find yourself pondering what your life is lived for. Lewis struggled for a good many years like this. But in the end, he gave in and admitted that God was God. I pray you will too.

Easter is not about eggs, or gifts or toys or even a good reason for a weekend trip away! It’s about the death and resurrection of Jesus. For this reason, I gave no reply to the email. Let us remember the true meaning of Easter this year and for years to come. May you consider Christ in your heart. Happy Easter.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

100 frames of Spain and Portugal - 6 to 16 March 2009

Sorry for the late posting of pictures. I've been rather busy lately with my papers. Anyway, we had a great time in Portugal and Spain. Porto and Lisbon were really pretty, both of which had UNESCO World Heritage Sites in its territory.

Porto

#1 - The World's Oldest Bookstore
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#2
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#3
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#4 - walking around to some gardens
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#5
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#6 - and of course, we went to visit Port producers by the river
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#7
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#8 - we had Port tasting after the tour. Port is so sweet that i couldn't imagine drinking more than one glass
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#9
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#10 - Jolin, who has a low alcohol tolerance, got kinda drunk
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#11 - at breakfast the next morning. we stayed at a hostel that was ranked #3 in the world in 2008!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#12 - along the streets of Porto
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#13
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#14
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#15 - Qiyang and Kim eating Portugese Egg Tarts. Most of the egg tarts we tried were not very nice. mostly cold and hard
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#16 - this is the Francesinha, kind of like a signature portugese dish that is topped with a salt-laden sauce.
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#17 - taken by the cathedral
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#18
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#19 - view of the River, the UNESCO World Heritage River Bank
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#20
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#21 - this is perhaps my favourite shot this trip
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#22 - we found this on the sand
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#23 - at night, we went to have typical portugese food: Grilled anything. Grilled Squid, Fish, Chicken etc. But in this case, we had grilled seafood which was salty, but excellent otherwise. probably the best meal on our trip
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#24 - here you see the typical Portugese rooftops. They are all built in such a way that you can walk across the city on the rooftops of houses!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#25 - this was at the castle that we visited
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#26 - along the castle walls
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


Lisbon

#27 - at Lisbon, we went to Belem, another World Heritage site
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#28 - who's that guy on the floor?
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#29
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#30 - this is a famous monument supposed to commemorate the founder...who is....i can't remember. oh well
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#31 - and again, the blue-shirt makes an appearance
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#32 - Random lighthouse
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#33 - A Cafe! right in the middle of nowhere!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#34 - We then proceeded from Belem to Cascais, which is another World Heritage Site. This is just a view from a bridge over which we crossed
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#35 - that will be my house...when i make partner :p
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#36 - This is the world heritage site called Hell's Mouth. Here we see people fishing
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#37 - and it was really really hot...
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#38
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#39 - blue shirt again! in the most dangerous places.
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#40
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#41 - it's another day and this time, we go to Sintra, another World Heritage Site. This is at the gardens, the name of which has eluded me. that's kim dying of heat exhaustion
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#42
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#43
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#44
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#45 - this is the Palacio de la Pena
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#46
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#47
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#48 - just a random shot i thought would be fun to do
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#49 - waiting for the bus and kim is...playing with my camera
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#50
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


Madrid

#51 - we only had one day in Madrid, perhaps just as well because Madrid isn't the most exciting of cities. We first went to the Park. Another one of my favourites
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#52 - and then we found a mini lake in which we went to rent a row boat!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#53 - Mo, Kim and myself were on one boat
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#54 - Kim up to her antics again
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#55
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#56 - and again...
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#57
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#58
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#59
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#60
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#61
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#62
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#63
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#64
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#65 - Mo, basking in the sun
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#66
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


San Sebastian


#67
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#68 - there was nothing much to do in San Seb other than...climb up some hill...and the beaches of course
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#69 - Kevin was sick during the San Seb leg. how can we tell? just look at his hair
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#70
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#71 - what happens when Kim steals your camera
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#72
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#73 - enjoying a beautiful sunset
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#74
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#75 - the next day, we decided to head for the sand!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#76
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#77 - and soon the shoes came off
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#78
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#79
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#80 - and people started wanting jump shots
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#81
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#82 - Kevin...refused to join in
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#83
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#84 - shipwrecked...
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#85
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#86
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#87
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#88 - liveview came in useful to snipe a shot of an old man fishing
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#89 - whilst on the beach, a guy suddenly came around with a ferret!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#90
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#91 - pretending she has a slingshot
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


Bilbao

#92 - And finally, we ended off in Bilbao, sleepy city with little to do.
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#93 - guess what. that river transport thingy is a world heritage monument!
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#94
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#95
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#96 - Kim, writing a postcard home
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#97 - to the Kwekies. did i mention she lives one street away from me? and hence the Faber heights address
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#98
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#99 - And we saw a magnificent sand sculpture on the way back to our hostel
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009


#100
From Trip to Portugal and Spain - 6 to 16 March 2009











































Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Mallorca in pictures: 20-23 feb 2009

The trip to Mallorca was a most unexpected one. We initially intended to go to Malta. But we took too long deciding and there were no more cheap Ryanair flights. Then we wanted to go to the Canary Islands but again we took too long and Ryanair had no more seats left. And so we decided on Mallorca, a most unexpected place given that few of us had ever heard of it before.

It turned out to be a great decision. Well, it wasn't the most exciting of places with the most things to do. But we weren't looking for that kind of holiday. We just wanted a cool and chill break, with nothing much to do except enjoy the sun and the sand. And the sun and the sand we got! The weather was cold but we were blessed with great sunshine.

The photos that follow represent one of the most enjoyable photographic holidays i've had. Part of the reason is the great weather and great sunshine. And another part is that we weren't rushing anywhere all the time which gave me more pause for thought when it came to shooting.

And did i mention how wonderful the sigma 30/1.4 is? I left my tamron 17-50mm at home this time, quite an unusual thing as i consider that to be my main lens. But the sigma was brilliant.

Day 1

#1 - Our great hostel room. the beds were comfy altho we could feel the springs through the mattress. But the toilets and whole place was clean. The only complaint: smoking is not banned indoors in Spain and so the corridors reeked of smoke
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#2 - The seafront that was done up beautifully by the Mallorcan authorities
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#3
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#4
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#5 - here we sat down for a cheeseburger within 30mins of our arrival
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#6 - Weijia showing off his 'cool' degreed pseudo raybans
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#7 - by the beach enjoying a beautiful sunset
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#8
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#9 - Kim laughing at michelle doing pseudo-yoga
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#10 - only to join in herself
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#11
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#12 - concussed on the bus
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#13 - Our first night's dinner was at a 50-year old restaurant which was recommended in Lonely Planet. In front of me is a plate of Rabbit
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#14 - Weijia and Kim enamoured by the sight of the flames :p
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#15 - And this is the ice cream that Weijia ordered for dessert. It came in this container and it's called "Punky"
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#16 - Everyone takes their turn with it
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#17
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#18 - Kim's greedy face.....
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


Day 2

#19 - Day 2 and we went to Cuevas Drach, a cave site in another part of Mallorca. called Porto Cristo. We were not allowed to take photos inside and so i had to shoot from the waist and hence the crooked and poor shots
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#20
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#21
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#22 - we then walked to the seafront in Porto Cristo. To me, it looked like a poor man's Monaco
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#23 - perusing a map...or rahter...pretending to do so
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#24 - we then headed back to our hostel and we caught a bit of the End of Winter festival. Basically there is a procession of people and floats that mark the end of the winter and the start of spring
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#25 - and the chao beng poses beside the police car
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#26 - we bought a snack called "Diver" (which we nicknamed "Drogba") from the super mart and went back to the hostel for a snack and a break before heading out to the beach again. Weijia here is trying to impersonate the face on the biscuit
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#27 - Michelle doing the same
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#28 - no idea what mohan is doing here
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#29 - we went back to the beach. here are more shots of the coast
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#30
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#31 - we sat down to play cards
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#32
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#33
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#34
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#35
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#36 - and some decided to study instead
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#37 - this was posed....
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#38
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#39
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#40
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#41 - and the sun set on us
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#42
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


Day 3

#43 - The third day and we were going to Soller, another town in Mallorca. But we dallied too long and missed the early train. So we went to town and saw the cathedral first. Compared to the others i've seen, the cathedral in Palma was rather uninspiring
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#44 - The customary jumping shots
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#45 - weijia with slow elevation
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#46
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#47
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#48
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#49 - 2nd attempt...(check out kim's face)
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#50
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#51
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#52
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#53
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#54 - another part of the coast in Palma
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#55
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#56
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#57 - inside the cathedral grounds
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#58 - the roadside druggy
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#59 - Placa Major
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#60 - and we finally got on the train to Soller. it was a scenic route and a very vintage kind of train
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#61
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#62
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#63 - kim grinning like a child on seeing lemon trees
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#64 - and we arrived at Soller...
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#65 - we then took a tram to the Port
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#66 - spiderman..
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#67 - at Port de Soller
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#68
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#69
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#70
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#71 - we then realised there was nothing to do so we did what we always do best - eat
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#72 - sweet shot
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#73 - and to our pleasant surprise, there was to be a festival at Soller as well
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#74 - along came the floats and performers
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#75
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#76
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#77
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#78
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#79
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#80
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#81
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#82
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#83
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#84 - ouch
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#85
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#86
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#87
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#88
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#89 - this is one of my favourite shots. this girl was very obviously enjoying herself hurling confetti at everyone
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#90
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#91
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#92 - and she spots me with my hugeass camera...
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#93 - ready...
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#94
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#95
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#96
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#97
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#98 - the aftermath of getting assaulted by confetti
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#99
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#100 - and we joined in the fun after the procession ended.. (:
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#101 - it was getting rather hot (tho it was still 15 degrees)
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#102 - and some of us decided to be palestinian
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#103 - and now we had fun taking photos on the rail
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#104
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#105
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#106 - Title of this photo is: the cool people and the tai-tai
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#107 - "Mr Gopalan, if you want to see your son alive again, transfer $1m to...."
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#108
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#109 - pretending to be the train
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#110 - Titanic?
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#111
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#112 - and kim decided to throw rocks into the sea
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#113 - weird face....
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#114 - weird face again...
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#115 - Weijia shows kim how it's supposed to be done
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#116
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#117
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#118 - kim tries again
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#119 - i was shocked when i saw this photo. Shutter speed was 1/1000, aperture f/2. and yet Kim's hand is blurred? What speed was she moving at?
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#120
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#121 - it was my first time seeing a pebble beach
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#122
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#123
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#124 - another one of my favourite shots
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


Day 4

#125 - the final day and we hung out on the beach for the final time
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#126
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#127
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009


#128 - a dog is man's best friend
From Mallorca 20 - 23 Feb 2009