Nailed It.

Once in a while you see your passion and a hobby get somewhere, and there is nothing but a thankful grace that comes along with it. 

This is one of those times when faith - and I am as agnostic as they come - is returned in full fervour. An opportunity came up through a missed one for someone else, and a friend believed in me enough to fill that role.

The first two shots in this collection won her and her partner the Best Cover Photo and the Best Flat Art Photo awards in the recent Pink Room Cup 2013.

I'm the last person in the world to know about nail art and shooting these was the toughest photography gig I've ever undertaken. Lighting was not at all optimal, and all I had was tissue paper for light diffusion. Also, one 'non-DSLR' camera.

Now imagine you had to shoot these nails that also belong to Willabelle Ong of Pale Divison fame.

Fortunately it all worked out. Laughs were had. Stories were shared and I had the most interesting conversation with Willabelle's grandmother that will stay with me for life.

Hell I don't even recall the part where I took photographs that day - only the interactions I had with everyone present.

Along the way you discover your detractors will far outnumber those who believe in you because you too choose those you place your trust in. When those who believe in you ask of you, think thrice before you even consider saying no. This pays off in more ways than you can imagine.

To the wonderful Ying and Jenrine at The Nail Artelier, the lovely Willabelle and her grandmother, and one very accommodating lovely company and makeshift assistant who goes by channers

I'm thankful and I shall hope for more of such exquisite experiences.

A View To A Krill

Sometime recently I dipped my feet into the further vastness of the world once again and spent a wonderful time aboard yet another kelong. If you're a stalker, you may remember *this one* I was on earlier this year. I'm a big fan of doing nothing away from the likes of all of you.

Off the coasts of Changi, this commercial kelong is owned by a friend's father and hosts a range of mainly grouper fish and some new additions of the lobster variety.

It rained and the weather was dreary, but genuine warmth emanated from our hosts and BBQ pits full of only the most amazing meats you can score in town. I am just more than grateful for the hospitality and kindness.

The fact that there was plentiful beer and alcohol to accompany the effortless conversations tipped the scales over 9000.

I could do this forever.

Thanks for dropping by, here are a tonne of photographs I should have curated more but can't be arsed to because I can.

 

tumble on.

I spend a lot of time too at lupcheong.tumblr.com.

Do drop in for a visit some time. You're always welcome.

Enough.

This evening I met a lady walking her dog. It was a very distinct Tibetan Spaniel, not so much that it had just an eye left, but because I had helped re-home it two years ago via a dog rescue when it was saved from the brink of death, presumably from a stray cat attack when it was still a puppy.

She'd brought it home, sent it to the doctor's for surgery upon surgery, and nursed it back to health.

This evening, the little dog I saw was a fully recovered, satisfied, and happy little fellow with an owner who would become emotional just talking to me about it.

This is enough.

I'm done.

Most Interesting

I have a younger brother who's pretty gifted in many ways. Some might argue he's the better son, many see that he's the taller one, a great many would also regard him as the more learned brother of us with a current cumulative GPA of Almost Perfect in Law.

He's still my younger brother who ran to hide behind me whenever mother needed to whoop his ass. I don't care what you say about his muscles now.

That said, I dare say he's one of the most interesting persons I know so far. At a tender age, he made it into the Gifted Education Programme, an event which surprised the entire primary school we both were in at the time, but a move that was highly encouraged for someone of his calibre.

Fast-forward to today and he's acing Law after a rather tumultuous period which saw him grow up into quite the fellow now.

He broke a school record or two in the sports he participated in. He's gotten more scholarships in the past few years than there are immigrants to Singapore. A winner's trophy in Law-related competitions here and there now decorate his humble living space. A good heart lies within as he volunteers his help with unfortunate children born with mental retardation. Some young ones have been fortunate enough to have him as a tuition teacher as he earns extra keep to not stress the family's already strained resources. He plays the acoustic guitar, but chose to sing in a school event like it was our bathroom. If anyone says guys can't multi-task, the Macbook Air and Samsung Galaxy S3 that I suspect is wired to his consciousness would prove everyone wrong.

Also, he cooks a mean meal and crochets and makes bracelets and now does woodwork for leisure.

As far as I'm concerned, the lot of us might as well give life up so he gets more oxygen necessary to flourish further.

Maybe I'm over-selling him because we share blood, but if anyone deserves a scholarship to read Law in a university in the United Kingdom, it's him. No, seriously, if you do know of any decent, comprehensive scholarship to read Law in the UK, please do drop me a note in the comments space below. Helping out a real bro here. Thank you.

Dremel, oh Dremel. He's good with wood.

Perfecting the art of Excellence Wherever.

He duplicated a ring of mine in wood.

A Google Nexus 7 tablet stand etched with Winnie the Pooh for my mother.

What have you done today?

A Cuppa In The Rain

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