Mr. Sanguine's Home

Ever wanted a temporary email account to avoid spam when you're signing up for a service? I just found an excellent easy to use service which does just that. Check it out at Dodgeit.com. No set ups, no passwords, no hasssles.

The many weekend anglers at Jamaica Bay, New York pose a hazard to wildlife in the area. This fishing tackle snagged an unintended victim when it went for the bait. Seabird hookings are common occurences and often result in entanglement deaths should the line or hook not be removed immediately.





Shot at an African safari? I think not, this one was at the Singapore Zoo giving me the What-You-Looking-At look.

I made this image of a spider devouring its mosquito prey while out on a romp around the airport.

Continued from Aviation Photos 3



Bali, Indonesia
Evening departure out of Bali Nghurah International Airport.



Chino, California
At the annual RC Jet Fly In. This trophy winning RC jet looks almost life size in this pic but is actually only about 1.5 meters long. Seen here taxying out onto the active runway for takeoff.



Bangkok, Thailand
Vietnam Air Airbus A320 arriving in Bangkok while a Bangkok Airways Boeing 717 departs.



Singapore
A Swiss Airbus A340 comes to a halt with its engine thrust reversers fully deployed.


More images featuring special liveries are available at Aviation Photos 5.

It's just been brought to my attention that the thumbnails on my blog are not displaying correctly on PC platforms running Internet Explorer. The way the thumbnails are resized causes the images to be rather jagged. The full size pics display correctly when clicked. The thumbnails show up correctly in Macs and anything else not running IE.

Until such time I can go back and correct all my previous posts, the current thumbnails will have to stay. Will be mindful in my future postings and I'll be creating thumbnails through another more tedious but effective method. Unless you readers want to help me out by switching to a Mac. :)

Sash bears another side of herself with this moving entry in her blog.

"I never told you because I just wanted the few times we had together to be happy and free of these banal little irritations. I just assumed things would get better with time. I never told you because I needed to preserve my dignity. I was a strong, confident woman who didn't need anyone else in her life, who had a string of people who loved to spend time with her, who went through men like water. Why was I being over-sensitive and needy and pathetic like this? Absolutely out of character. I had to disown that part of myself."

Read it here.

This is my virgin sighting of the new Airbus A380 as it waltzed around at low level during Asian Aerospace 2006 today. The show organisers have no regard for photographers as they chose to schedule the flying displays at the worst possible time of day, high noon. The sun angle is way too high, casting unwanted shadows and not lighting up the subjects properly. I do apologise for the quality of the shots but I thought this particular subject was special enough to be shown, regardless of the lighting conditions I had to work with. So, I present the one and only opportunity you'd be able to see an aircraft in Singapore Airlines livery doing low level aerobatics.



After a lively takeoff roll and rotation off Runway 02C, the aircraft banked to the left towards show center. It left its landing gear down as it passed the showline and began its retraction process then. That's a lot of wheels on this big fella, 22 of them to be exact.



In a right turn, pulling away from show center. The agility of this massive airplane is impressive, especially at such slow speeds and low altitude. The pilots put up a fancy show.



Coming for its final pass overhead show center. The A380 seemed to take up the entire bit of sky over the show grounds. Amazing...



During its 10 min routine, the aircraft entered a series of steep turns, with bank angles of 60 degrees or more. Following up with rapid climbs and descents. Its size belies its excellent maneuverability and the crowds were thoroughly impressed, I know I was.



A final glimpse of the giant before it leaves the show grounds. Singapore Airlines will be the launch customer of this airplane when it takes delivery of the first aircraft in Nov 2006. This particular display aircraft was specially painted in the airline livery for Asian Aerospace only.

It's been a while since I've been to a wedding, and so it was with eager anticipation that I drove up to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday to attend the wedding of a colleague. Now this was my first ever Malaysian wedding and I was curious to see if there were any differences from the rather sedate affairs I'm used to in Singapore. My observations...

• Wedding guests dress better on the whole, especially the women


• Guests actually arrive on time


• Everyone is less inhibited and willing to make a fool of themselves

The father of the bride is pictured above belting out a string of evergreens on the Electone. Apparently he decided to play for most of the night, most of the songs unrecognisable to me as they sounded the same after the second one. The ipod came in handy.

Dinner conversation at my table, I didn't know half the folks, centered on which female guest is engaged and to whom, which young lady was single and available and which female preferred other females. This sort of talk went on for hours.

All in all, it was quite a fun affair. Looking forward to my next one... whenever that might be as Mr Sanguine has hardly any single friends or acquaintances remaining.

Are the virus free days of the Mac OS X coming to an end? The first ever Trojan written for the Mac has just been discovered and it's causing a great deal of concern in the virus-free-up-till-now Mac world.

Whatever you Mac users do, don't open any file with the filename "latestpics.tgz". I can't imagine installing a virus scan on my platform, the thought is just unfathomable.

Taken during a recent evening walk around my home.

This is a continuation from Aviation Photos 2.



In the Air, Sea of Japan
With the sun just peeking over the horizon, this Airbus A340-500 makes its long trek from Los Angeles to Singapore, a journey in excess of 18 hours. Singapore Airlines pioneered commercial ultra long haul routes with the launch of the Los Angeles service in 2004. Its other direct destination is Newark which currently holds the record for the world's longest scheduled commercial flight.




Los Angeles, California
Approach end of Runway 25L in Los Angeles International.




Chino, California
An old North American T-28 Trojan undergoing restoration at a workshop in Chino Airport.




In the Air, North Atlantic
Pilotless cockpit in flight, crack of dawn over the North Atlantic.



More pics found over at Aviation Photos 4.

Paralleling the US move to rename "French Fries" to "Freedom Fries", the Iranians have deemed it necessary to do the same to Danish Pastries sold in Iran. All this because of a bunch of stupid, ignorant, insensitive cartoons and an unrelenting Danish government. Where is the love folks?

Kenny Sia of kennysia.com discovers his 24 year old head is losing a couple of strands.


Click Me!

(Unauthorised manipulation of Kenny's image by me. Will be glad to remove the image or reapply his hair if he asks)

I'm in the midst of reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. The chapter discussing geology and volcanic activity was particularly interesting.

Have you ever wondered why Yellowstone National Park has so many active geysers and hot springs? That's because it's sitting on an enormous bed of molten rock about 200km deep and 72km across, roughly the same dimensions of the park itself. A supervolcano if you will. Apparently this has been known for a while but it wasn't till the 1960s when scientists began to wonder where the valcano's caldera was. Volcanoes possess two forms of caldera, the readily identifiable conical peak of Mt. Fuji is one, and the other lesser known type formed by a massive explosive rupture. Yellowstone is of the latter type.

A NASA experiment with high altitude photography of the park finally yielded some clues as to where the caldera might be. The scientists, to their horror, discovered the reason why they had been unable to find it. The park was in fact the Yellowstone caldera, nearly all 9000 square kilometers of it. The crater was found to be almost 65km wide!

Measurements have concluded that Yellowstone blows once every 600,000 years or so. The last known eruption was 630,000 years ago and it appears that the supervolcano is due for another big spurt anytime. Considering the last eruption was thought to be 1,000 times the strength of the somewhat recent eruption of Mount St Helens, imagine what an eruption in this present day would do to the Earth and its inhabitants.



Mammoth Terraces, Yellowstone National Park
by Ron Niebrugge

I never knew all this when I was at Yellowstone several years ago. It's hard to imagine that beneath its idyllic surroundings lies a time bomb ready to annihilate humankind. It's a very sobering thought and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it after reading the chapter in the book several weeks back.

The book is a fascinating and fun read even if you don't have a yearning for the sciences. If anyone wants to borrow my copy after I'm done with it, drop me an email.

Just a quick note to let everyone know of a mobile phone scam that's been going round lately in Singapore. If you're a M1 or Singtel subscriber, there might have been recent charges to your account which may have been faked.

Subscribers who have received SMS greetings over the recent Chinese New Year period from the short number 77330 will have been charged $1 per greeting. The service is from a company called mTouche, and the charge would have been levied even if you've not subscribed to their greeting service. mTouche has been fined by IDA in the past for the same offence but they seem to be doing it again.

Do check your recent statements carefully. So far it seems only M1 and Singtel customers are experiencing this problem but subscribers to other networks should review their statements just to make sure.

The best thing you can do if you've received these extra charges is to send a complain to IDA at info@ida.gov.sg. Don't bother calling mTouche as they've disconnected their phone lines as of this morning. The telcos are also claiming they are unable to do anything about charges levied by a third party.

This is a continuation from Aviation Photos 1.



Bali, Indonesia
Wholly owned by Qantas, Australian Airlines provides a level of service a cut above its larger parent. Plying mainly to holiday destinations in Asia, the airline is known for its friendly and prompt cabin service even though it operates as a low cost arm to Qantas. This Boeing B767-300 is lining up for an evening departure out of Bali. I love how the orange livery glows in the low setting sun.




Frankfurt, Germany
A ightly loaded Airbus A330-200 in early rotation for a short european hop.




Singapore
I snapped this during Asian Aerospace 2004 as an entry to a photo competition which was running during the airshow. I figured that as the contest was being judged by the aviation-unsavvy editors of the Straits Times that I'd just try to include some human subjects they'd be able to relate to. I titled this Bald Eagle but I think the irony was lost upon the judges (and I suspect some of you too). Nonetheless it managed to clinch the 3rd prize (along with publicity in a full page article in ST!), not bad for my first ever competition eh?




Los Angeles, California
The little bizjets also use Los Angeles International as a base, along with the big guys.




In the Air, South China Sea
This is the auto pilot panel, it functions as the interface between the pilot and his machine. Turns, descend, and climb commands can be initiated from this panel. You'd have to push the right buttons of course. The airplane is currently maintaining an altitude of 32,000 feet and Auto Pilot 2 (there are 2 on this aircraft) is doing the work. Navigation work is currently performed by an on board computer which is flying a pre-programmed route.

More photos found in Aviation Photos 3.

Click Me!

This catchy television ad by Guiness won the Epica 2005 award for film production. noitulovE (Evolution) was produced by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO, London. Check it out.

For those who know me, you'd know that my journey into photography began some 20 years ago when my dad gave me my first Nikon. With that camera, I found a marriage of sorts when I merged my love for all things aviation with photography. I used to spend countless hours at Changi Airport as a teenager, hanging out by the fenceline to catch the metal birds on film as they came and went. All the time dodging the airport cops who patrolled the perimeter roads. That seems like a real long time ago and it's not something I do regularly now though I still engage in aviation photography from time to time, usually on my constant travels.

I thought it appropriate to start a series of posts of aviation images I've captured over the years. My rate of shooting did increase a whole lot when I picked up my first digital SLR some years back so you'd see more of those featured. Been too lazy to scan my old negatives but there are some gems in there, I think.



Los Angeles, California
This image of a Southwest Boeing 737-700 was made towards the end of a long day. Parts of the evening sky was lit up by dramatic light from the setting sun. I zoomed into one bit of the sky and waited for the airplane to float into view as it made its approach to the runway. It's not often I get to shoot in light like this, it's a photographer's wet dream come true.



Los Angeles, California
Well, it's a bird but not a metal one. I shoot on and off at Los Angeles International at times and this image was captured while hanging around at one of my usual spots around the airport. During a lull in aircraft movement, I was taking a series of shots of the gull as it was fluttering around me. This must have been the 4th shot in the series when it suddenly flew in front of a huge Chevrolet billboard. With a bit of creative cropping I managed to achieve the desired effect. Many folks who have seen this shot often ask me how I managed to shoot from such a low angle and where this field is located.



Bali, Indonesia
Garuda Airbus A330-300 on short finals into Bali's Nghurah Rai Airport. Bali is special to me, not just for the warmth and friendliness of its people, but also because of its beautiful scenery and laid back sensation I experience everytime I'm there. The airport is wonderful for photography with its runway stretched out into the sea, a photographer can get some pretty dramatic looking scenes there.



Mojave Desert, California
Spaceship One made aviation history on June 21, 2004 when it became the first manned flight of a private spacecraft to break out of the Earth's atmosphere (an altitude of 62 miles). This image shows Spaceship One slung underneath its mothership White Knight as it barrels down the runway for the historic launch.



Los Angeles, California
The park by the In n Out hamburger joint near Los Angeles International is a favorite hangout for aviation enthusiasts. One can get pretty up close and personal with jets arriving from the westerly approach to the airport. The big guy on the right is watching another big fella on short finals.


That's it for now, I'll be posting more over the coming months.

More photos in Aviation Photos 2

Apparently Mr Sanguine's Home is placed No. 1 in Blogshare's Top Stock pick, apparently chosen because of the low p/e ratio. Whatever that means.

Good thing I own every share on this blog, I'll go get a blook deal now. Might as well ride my hour of fame before the list refreshes itself in the next hour.

I picked up this second hand large format printer this afternoon after a search through Ebay Singapore. The seller, a professional photog, and I inked a deal with a quick SMS exchange, and a meeting was set up at his working studio.

As I drove past his shophouse studio off Serangoon Road, I was overcome by a strangely familiar feeling. I think it must've been the sight of his car parked in the driveway. Told myself, "Nah, this can't be.". Parked the car, and walked to the front door... and lo and behold who should I find? My next door neighbor, from my apartment, smiling at me.

We not only live in a tiny puny island nation where you meet folks you know every three steps you take, but even our cyberspace suffers from that strange sense of familiarity.

The Epson 4000 Stylus is a tad older but is still a great printer to use... doubles up as a coffee table too.

Ken Malloy Harbor Park, Los Angeles

This is a continuation from my earlier post. I apologise if it's been a bit late and disjointed. I thought I had better tell the rest of the story, though it's no guarantee I'd be finishing by the end of this post. Here goes...


Previously, I mentioned that the couple was "extended" a helping hand in relocating to more permanent housing. This relocation effort came about in early Dec last year during one of my visits and I'd like to expand a little on that experience. I was in two minds about going down to Changi Beach to visit them as it was drizzling and I wasn't looking forward to the 1 hour bus journey that lay ahead. I prayed about it and felt moved to go so I finally set off mid afternoon for the visit.

On reaching the beach, I couldn't find them in their usual spot. I knew they were being harassed by the park rangers and had to shift the tent continually to pacify the rangers. Took me a while before I found them at the far end of the beach, they had just moved to the new spot and were in the process of pitching up their tent. After a quick update, I found out that they had been given a stack of application forms in order to get the paperwork going for their new rental flat but were unsure as to how to fill them out. They had not been extended any assistance with the application process.

I stepped away from the beach to make a phone call and at that instance, I noticed a large group of official looking folks making their way to the couple's spot on the beach (see picture above). Counted at least 40 persons, and they all descended upon the hapless couple. Turns out there were park rangers, public relations administrators from NParks, police officers, social workers, reporters and photographers. A heated discussion ensued between Cik Nik and one of the park rangers. They started to confiscate some of the couple's belongings and you could see tears rolling down Cik Nik's cheeks. It was a sad sight to behold and it must have been quite overwhelming for the couple to have this much unwanted attention heaped upon them so suddenly. The presence of so many officials was rather oppressive and clearly meant as a show of force. Needless to say they succumbed to the harassment and had their tent taken away. It was at this point when I whipped out my camera to capture the heart wrenching scenes. The NParks folks and police tried to stop me but with the newspaper photographers clicking away, they had no valid reason from preventing me doing likewise. I only had my manual panoramic camera loaded with very slow film at the time so I apologise if the shots didn't turn out that well. It was kinda hard focusing manually and under such poor lighting conditions. I'm diverging here, sorry, but it's the photographer in me doing the talking.


There wasn't much else I could do at this point. The couple had been left with only some clothes and without shelter, everything else had been taken away.

It took almost a month from the time all this happened before their new rental flat was ready. The wait was due mainly to the many administrative hurdles that had to be crossed... rental deposits, background checks, submitting a ton of application forms... I would've thought the process could have been sped up a little, considering the two of them had to seek refuge under one of the many open air pavillions on the beach, exposed to the rainy December days.

As mentioned in the first post. Their story did have a somewhat happy ending. They now live in a small single room flat in Kallang Bahru. Jemilah had been working for a month as a cleaning lady but has since lost that job. Cik Nik is still unemployed but hopes to start as a taxi driver next month. Their flat is very sparsely decorated and they lack basic appliances like a stove and refridgerator but they've somehow made do with what little they have and seem happy. My visits to them have been less frequent now as they learn to grow to be more independent.

I don't think their story will ever end, at least for me. I just got back from a visit to them this evening and Jemilah looks like she's lost quite a bit of weight. I think they have been missing meals as I didn't see much food in the flat. It's so sad, I will post my thoughts on that in another instalment. Sigh...

If you're a Xpan user, you'd know what this is.

Putting up this severely underused lens for sale. More pics and details on my thread at ClubSNAP.

Drop me an email if you're interested.

*UPDATE* Lens has been sold.

The friends and us were living it up in the land of the big cloud recently and while visiting the Akaroa region, we had the opportunity of staying in a charming B & B in Kahikatea. The owners used to breed llamas and this was the first time I've been up close and personal with one.

They're rather stupid creatures really, which is why I stuck this picture up today cos it reflects my current mood. They're always turning away from the unfamiliar and as long an unwanted presence is out of sight, it's all right with them llamas. Shying away...

These images were captured on my trip to Calcutta to shoot the photo documentary on Calcutta Rescue.



Fish monger near Howrah Bridge.


Couple of guys who forced me to take their picture after their cricket game.


Cleaning up in the morning.


The men are using tooth sticks made from the wood of Araak trees to clean themselves. The medicinal qualities of the wood provide whitening and cleansing effects and has been used for many centuries.


Fish monger near the Howrah Bridge.


The flower market at the eastern end of the Howrah Bridge bustles with life in the early morning hours. The colors are abundant and almost overwhelming. This effect of masking out other colors except for the rose bouquet is commonly used in wedding photos, wanted to see how it worked for this flower merchant.


Open refuse dumps are a common sight throughout the city. A crew cleans this one when it piles up high enough.


It's quite common to see males relieving themselves in the open.


Laundry day.


This sliver of sunlight in St. John's Church kept this photographer occupied for at least half an hour.


Barber at work.


This pehlwani wrestler took a break from his studies as an accounting student to learn the sport.


His wrestling partner struck a pose which I couldn't resist not photographing.


Roadside stall.