Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin: Recently Added Galleries and Collections

Thailand Oct 2009

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

23rd October - 25th October
I flew to Bangkok, where my buddy is currently stationed, to join him for a weekend of self-drive photography escapade.

The place where I most wanted to see via my lens is a market located on a live railway track in the town of Mueang Samut Songkhram, known locally as Mae Klong, about 70km SW of Bangkok.

I first knew about this unique market a few years ago in a TV documentary. Since then, I had put it down on a mental note that I must visit it some day. That 'some day' had finally arrived.

Of course, having the whole weekend to slowly partake in the joy of photography, we visited many other interesting places at our own leisure:

Amphawa Night Floating Market
The Death Railway in Kanchanaburi
The Death Railway at Tham Krasae
The Death Railway at Hellfire Pass
Erawan Waterfalls at the Erawan National Park
Kanchanaburi War Cemetery
Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, etc.

More will be uploaded in the next few days. Stay tuned.

Others

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Here is where I'll place pictures of other birds that cannot hold a gallery on their own for the time being.

[Back to "Birds"]

Slideshow Collection 1

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Little Tern

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) is a seabird of the family Sternidae. Aptly named, it is the smallest specie of only two resident terns here in Singapore. In the breeding season, its bill changes from all black to yellow with a black tip.

The following story happened in Tampines Mountain Biking Trail where I frequented for my macro photography. It all started when my friend spotted two eggs lying on a path of the cycling trail. Words soon spread after he posted the sighting in a local nature forum. I personally counted 20 plus birding photographers descending on the scene in the following days, at different times. It was a secret no more.

A few days later, another egg was laid but the joy was short-lived. First, an egg went missing, then another one ensued. Worried, some photographers began to encircle the solitary egg with rocks, Stonehenge-like. After about 25 days' of anxious wait, a cutest chick spotting a greyish-white with black marking down feathers, was hatched on Father's Day!

This story would be perfect if I could show you pictures of the young tern's first maiden flight, with the proud parent birds hovering above and egging the youngster on. Alas, it was not meant to be. On the eighth day of its hatching, I received a SMS from a friend that the little chick was found dead underneath a rock! There were no witnesses, so no one could say what actually happened for sure.

A few suspected foul play while some said it was just an inevitable incident waiting to happen as the trail was frequented by cyclists, joggers and trekkers. Since day two, the chick had been actively exploring its surroundings. It might have been trampled on by accident and the culprit placed a rock over it in the aftermath. Your guess is as good as mine.

Hatched: 21st June 2009
Departed: 28th June 2009

This gallery is in fond memory of the cute, 8-days old, up-and-running little chick. Life is short indeed. Adious Junior!

[Back to "Birds"]

Large-tailed Nightjar

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A Large-tailed Nightjar (Caprimulgus macrurus) is a nocturnal bird with a prominent white throat patch, large eyes and a wide gape designed to catch insects in flight. It has a greyish brown plumage which is a great camouflage when nesting among dead leaves and twigs on the ground.

A common resident with a distinctive "honk honk" call that commences at dusk. The call may continue well into the night with irregular stops and starts. It launches itself in acrobatic forays from a favourite tree perch or post and may be found in many urban areas with sufficient insects. It feeds on moths, other night-flying insects and is especially fond of flying termite swarms.

Nightjars don't make a nest and simply lay 1-2 mottled buffy/pinkish eggs on the ground in a shallow depression. They nest in the open, usually in a shaded area, under a tree or bush. The eggs are well camouflaged and look like pebbles. Eggs average 8-9g, the first egg is usually heavier and larger. Both parents take turns brooding the eggs which hatch in 16-18 days. [Back to "Birds"]

Night Canvas

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to Night Canvas, my very 1st series on Nocturne Photography which is the light-painting of night scenes.

As I 'paint' the night away using artificial lighting with or without coloured gels, subject realism is not too major a concern of mine here. Instead, the interesting play of various types and colours of light, interlacing with shadows and reflections, conjures up a surprising mixture of exciting emotions as well as moods.

Although this may not be everyone's cup of tea, I hope you can view this gallery with an open mind. Just treat this as a manifestation of my subconscious mind working on overdrive in dark, deserted and sometimes, eerie places.

Let your imaginations go haywire!

[Back to "Nights / Nocturnes"]

Lepidoptera

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(butterflies and moths)

Crab Spiders

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hymenoptera

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(bees, wasps, ants, sawflies)

Jumping Spiders

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Diptera

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(mosquitoes, black flies, midges, fruit flies, blow flies, house flies, long-legged flies, robberflies)

TTP Rotation 360 Backpack

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(Reviewed: 17/4/2009)
I got hold of this bag just two weeks ago and had it loaded up with most of my macro photography gears; to go 'hunting' for insects and spiders amongst the lush greenery of my neighbourhood park as well as the verdant vegetation of a mountain biking trail park.

I have heard so much about this unique and innovative backpack from Think Tank Photo that allows me to access my main gears without having to take it off my back first. It does not only offers me the comfort of a backpack but also the added convenience and quick accessibility of a beltpack. Enthralled? You should!

Appropriately named as the Rotation 360, it consists of an upper compartment and a beltpack that rotates through a rectangular hole at the bottom of the backpack. When necessary, the beltpack can be removed and use on its own merit. A separate carrying strap is also supplied. What more surprises can the designer 'conjures' up?

The answers lie ahead...

[Back to "Reviews / Gears"]

Eneloop Mountainbike Carnival 2009

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Date: Saturday, 28th February - 1st March
Venue: Tampines Mountain Biking Trail

This year's 100km MTB Marathon race came with a few surprises. First, there were more racing categories to last the whole day, catering for different skill levels and age groups. Next, the main 100km MTB Marathon was turned into a night race. Lastly, there were two mountain biking legends; David 'Tinker' Juarez and the 'Founding Father of Mountain Biking' - Gary Fisher!

Race Categories (in starting order):

Dirty Duathlon Sprint
Dirty Duathlon Full
Speed Dual Trials
Short Track (Open, Elite)
Kids Race (C, D)
Super D
100km Marathon Night Race

Unfortunately, last year's 'Pitter Patter' curse was back again. Due to fierce thunderstorm over the race site, the 100km Marathon Night Race was stopped at 8.45pm. Below was the result for those who had completed 6 laps.

100km Marathon Night Race Mens Solo

#52 - Frederick Reyes Feliciano, PH (2:52:10)
#6 - Eusebio Zaldua Quinones, PH (+01 sec)
#2 - Nino Surban 'Philippine Team', PH (+1:32 min)
#1 - Tinker Juarez 'Monavie Cannondale', US (+4:13 min)
#4 - Lim Yew Meng 'T-Clan', MY (+9:02 min)
#5 - Zamri Salleh 'Team Toshiba BikeLabz', MY (+16:51 min)
#41 - Matthew Powell 'Team Ay Up Lighting', AU (+17:38 min)
#21 - Lex Nederlof, NL (+26:16 min)
#15 - Calvin Sim 'Chapter 2 Cycle', SG (+26:54 min)

[Back to "Sports / Games"]

OCBC Cycle Singapore 2009

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Date: Sunday, 22nd February, 2009
Venue: F1 Pit Building

With OCBC Bank as main title sponsor, this was Singapore's first mass participation cycling event on public roads. The route took participants through the streets and iconic landmarks of Singapore such as the National Stadium, the Singapore Flyer and the F1 Pit Building.

Different categories catered for every cyclist from beginner to professional:

The Super Challenge 50km
The Challenge 40km
The Community Ride 20km
Mighty Savers Kids Ride 5km
Ladies Open Criterium
Masters Criterium
Mens Open Criterium
Elite Criterium (65 Elite Riders)

Elite Criterium Results

David Pell, Australia (1st)
Ricardo Van der Velde, Netherlands (3rd)
Manan Anuar, Malaysia (9th)
Ho Jun Rong, Singapore (38th) - Bravo!

King of the Sprints - Alan Marangoni
Best Asian Rider - Manan Anuar

[Back to "Sports / Games"]

Singapore Kite Day 2009

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Held on the 14th & 15th of February at a big, open field next to Oasis LRT station in Punggol. I went down on a very hot Sunday afternoon and saw many beautiful kites in the air.

The wind conditions were not too favourable to launch the big show kites higher into the blue sky. The smaller kites had no such problems though, and many people came just to have fun.

The event was organised by Punggol North CSC together with Coral, Cove, Meadows, Meridian, Oasis, Oceanus RCs and Singapore Kite Association.

[Back to "Events / Shows"]

Kata 3n1-20 Sling-Backpack

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(Reviewed: 10/1/2009)
My first fling with a sling bag was with the Tamrac Velocity 7 a few years ago which I finally sold due to my growing gear list. I began my next dalliance with a Lowepro SlingShot 200. My flirtations with sling bags were at most, a bitter-sweet affair.

The SS200 was the first bag that I had used extensively till its shoulder strap broke. The padding in the shoulder strap did not extend all the way into the main body but fell short at the seam. That was the weakest link and my constant jerkings of the strap during usage finally produced a small tear which grew larger over time.

Unwittingly, instead of sending it for repair, I cut into the bag to salvage the foam paddings and external pockets. My next sling bag was the SS300 which I sold within 4 months. The natural tendency to fulfil its heavier load carrying capacity almost broke my back.

Many moons later near the end of 2008, I chanced upon this new bag from Kata that could morph from a right-handed sling bag to a left-handed sling bag and even morphed to a backpack. 3 in 1?!!

[Back to "Reviews / Gears"]

Singapore SX Championship Rnd 5 (2008)

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After a few postponements, the 5th and final round was eventually held on the 6th of December at the Circuit@Tuas MX. I went there bright and early to capture the splendour of the dirt bikes before they were dirt-covered and mud-splattered later on in the day. As expected, the races were adrenalin-pumping, fast and furiously exciting. Weather was cool with slight showers past noon time. No blue sky though; what a pity.

SuperCross Expert

#4 Larry Blair (75pts)
#187 Tyrone Cotty (66pts)
#934 Matt Cooper (58pts)
#171 Atli Magnusson (55pts)
#2 Mohd Amin Bin Khalid (52pts)
#1 Kwok Wing Kit (46pts)
#114 Peter Grinsted (44pts)

SuperCross Novice

#73 Nazreen Abd Karim (64pts)
#13 Daryl Tan (62pts)
#75 Khairul Nizam Bin Anwar (62pts)
#22 Khairudin (59pts)
#411 Keith Allen Loh (49pts)
#99 Zulman Bin Mashonain (49pts)
#7 Shah (44pts)
#160 Junaidi (43pts)
#2 Muhammad Nur (38pts)
#250 Kurt Karussi (34pts)
#171 Tay Hui Khim (22pts)

MotorCross Novice

#54 Darren Seng (72pts)
#72 John Tan Kok Tai (69pts)
#44 Hirlie Haslee (58pts)
#8 Mohamad Syahman Bin Ahmad (56pts)
#250 Kurt Karussi (49pts)
#43 Didi Mohamad Suhardi (48pts)
#3 Mohammad Ismadi (42pts)
#130 Mohammad Noh (30pts)
#160 Mohd Sarmidi Bin Sarkini (30pts)
#2 Muhammad Nur (DNS)

[Back to "Sports / Games"]

Singapore Biennale 2008

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

11 September - 16 November 2008
The theme for the 2nd edition of the Singapore Biennale is 'Wonder'. This international contemporary visual arts exhibition exposes people in Singapore as well as visitors from abroad, to the issues dealt with by contemporary art, and to the various modes of expression used by artists from all over the world.

SB2008 features 137 artworks by 66 artists and art collectors from over 36 countries at three main venues - City Hall, Marina Bay and South Beach Development. In addition, Containart Pavilion has been constructed on the Central Promontory Site at Marina Bay. This structure of stacked sea fleet containers houses other exhibits under its roof. Some works are featured at the Singapore Flyer and the Esplanade Bridge. One is on the facade of Raffles City Shopping Centre.

[Back to "Events / Shows"]

Singapore Enduro Open & Oldfart Enduro Challenge (2008)

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

68 riders, 35 bikes, 2 adrenalin-pumping hours of dirt bike racing through mud, rocks and marsh grassland terrain. That was the wild settings for the Singapore Enduro Open (Ironman & Team) 2008 held on the 9th of November at Circuit@Tuas.

Singapore Enduro Open (Ironman)

#114 Larry Blair - 21 laps
#67 Kelvin Chia - 19 laps
#3 Craig Govan - 19 laps
#13 Daryl Tan - 19 laps
#101 John Tan - 18 laps
#88 Darren Tan - 18 laps
#5x Alan Liang - 18 laps
#2 Eric Chia - 16 laps
#7 Terrance Tan - 14 laps
#15 Md Izwan Annur Ajemi - 13 laps

Oldfart Enduro Challenge (Team)
[2-Man Team]

#25 Fairullah / Muhd Shamri - 16 laps
#188 Shahriz / Md Jeffri - 15 laps
#28 Mohd Alde / Riduan - 14 laps

[3-Man Team]

#111 Yusri / Zulman / Azahari - 14 laps
#411 Keith Allan / Razmy / Elfy - 13 laps
#41 Mohd Faizal / Mohd Idris / Norzahari - 10 laps

[4-Man Team]

#11 Ahmad Zahid / Muhd Firdaus Ibrahim / Mohd Ahsurin / Muhd Fadli - 9 laps
#1 Emily Ng / Charmaine Tan / Juvena Huang / Nurhidyawati - 8 laps (WoW!)
#82 Chen Jin Cheng / Kang Wei Jie / Ken Lim / Ben Tan - 7 laps

[Back to "Sports / Games"]

Night Festival 2008

angronnie@hotmail.com (Into-the-Light with Rumplestiltskin) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

18–19 and 25-26 July 2008
The Night Festival was an extravaganza of theatre, music, dance and visual arts at the heart of Singapore’s arts and heritage district.

Studio Festi
International performing arts company known for staging large-scale outdoor extranganzas of dance, acrobatics and pyrotechnics. In this Night Festival, the sky was literally the limit as Studio Festi pulled out all stops and transformed the Museum grounds and SMU Campus Green with soaring dancers, helium-balloon ‘planets’, flying ship and piano.

The Electric Canvas (ext to 2-3 August)
Sydney-based lighting effects company that specialises in large-scale light projections on historic buildings. For this Night Festival, they transformed the façades of the National Museum of Singapore (NMS) and the Singapore Art Museum (SAM) into fancy works of art.

[Back to "Nights / Nocturnes"]