Beijing 2012 with Olympus OM-D E-M5

Loving my first mirrorless micro 4/3s camera - the Olympus OM-D E-M5. It's light and the lens available are of amazing quality. Though the prices of the lens are similar or more expensive compared to my Canon lens. So no savings there...but the weight and handling of the camera is worth every penny. Perhaps with the next release, I can let go of my DSLR and have both bodies as my travel photography companions.

Here are some of my black and white filter pictures I took in my recent trip in Beijing.

Return to the Great Wall

Mutianyu Great Wall

The last time I was in Beijing climbing the Great Wall was about 14-15 years ago. It was repeatedly told to us from the local guides at the wall as well as fellow visitors, that there is a Chinese saying "不到长城非好汉" - meaning "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man". So for this trip...we became men 3 times over as we went to Badaling Wall, Mutianyu pass as well as Jinshanling. The view was spectacular despite having climbed once many years ago. So am I 4 times a man? Haha


After about 80,000 steps,and about 2000 shots later. I realised that the OM-D is a great travel camera and my Air Jordan 1 Low is a great travel pair of shoe; having climb Angkor Wat and its temples 4 years ago and this time it even managed a run down the Great Wall.

Singaporean These Days

...are damn Guniang.

And this is the proof.
Cut hair call police.
The mollycoddling mother and child team 

Back in the days when I was schooling. Never wanted my parents involved in the shit and stunts I pulled in school. One unfortunate incident when my mom had to register for my sister in primary school and the Vice Principal exclaimed to my mother, " LL is your son?". And of course, I had a earful of questions when my mother came home.

In my time, no one wanted their folks in school. Everyone had a reputation at stake to uphold. These days, all we hear are kids calling for mommies. When I left secondary school for about 5 years, I heard incidents of my junior scouts calling in their parents after they did push ups as punishments. OMFG! We once did 1000 push-ups, non-stop because a fellow scout letting our troop flag touch the ground. I suffered cramps for hours and I was pretty sure the ground had a hole dug out as well.

In my recent gathering of JC classmates at my place, 20 sweet years of memories....a prison officer mentioned a funny incident. That one of those hooligans or gangsters these days who got jailed for gang related fighting, was overheard saying: "If I don't get my milk today, I complain to my mom!" OMFG!

Seriously, Singaporean men these days..I am pretty ashamed of their farking "macho-ism". Is it just the kids in Singapore or has everyone gone soft these days?
Parents - seriously stop your mollycoddling! You don't know the repercussions you have in your kids' lives in the future. They must be strong enough to learn to live on their own. Spare the rod, spoil the child.

47 years of what?

So National Day just breezed by..though I was in Singapore these couple of years, before that I was away during National Day period for 5 consecutive years. I doubt missing National Day made me less patriotic; but definitely the quality of Shitty Times/Papers these days have diluted a lot of nationalistic pride.

So besides having BBQ on a roof top of a wife's friend condo and watching the partially blocked fireworks - I have missed 7 years of the parade on TV. Did I miss much?

Food for thought with a quote by George Carlin.

Saw this on limpehFT's blog - love that guy, not just because we were actually schoolmates.

But he made a whole lot of sense which many Singaporeans need badly.

New toy - OM-D

Loving my new Olympus EM-5 - National Day at 730am