I welcome New Year 2022 in a very different way, no fireworks just photographing commercial ships berthed off the coast of East Coast Park firing their flares into the sky when the time strikes 12 midnight with photography friends Belinda, CK and William. Although I didn’t get my money shot of a lightning strike hitting the Straits of Singapore along with the flares, my 3 other friends got their money shot! 

In case you missed it, here’s my Reflecting 2021 (Photography and Travel) and also my Reflecting 2021 (Technology, Business and Personal) on my other portal/blog. Today marks the start of a brand new year, a new hope and a fresh new beginning.   

I am taking a rest during this New Year long weekend break, consolidate and prepare myself for a new year ahead. I would be sharing my yearly theme soon, along with some of my plans, thoughts and views for this year 2022. 

Happy New Year 2002! Stay safe and healthy as we continue battling this ongoing global pandemic! Let’s spread love, kindness, compassion to the people around us, our society and around the world!

The post Happy New Year 2022! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Photography 

Business

Running any business, no matter whether it’s a small, medium or big business, it’s just very tough, very difficult and very stressful. Throw in a global pandemic situation that further transformed into an economic crisis, the magnitude increased exponentially. No educational textbooks can really teach you everything about running and operating a business, let alone a photography business. 

While I didn’t exactly started off properly in my photography business a few years back due to some unforeseen circumstances, when this global pandemic wave hit us in 2020, this was a major setback. I didn’t know exactly know what steps to take, it took me a while to navigate, adapt and change my photography services portfolio. 

In a harsh and brutal analysis, switching photography genres and services can be playing catch up with fellow photographers in those particular fields. Considering the ongoing and near future impacts of this global pandemic situation, I have switched my photography genres services as well as adding digital marketing/social media marketing into a digital agency setup. Therefore, I established TGH Digital Studio earlier in the year and I am working to expand on this in Year 2022. 

Personal/Leisure

Although I didn’t put more time into my personal/leisure photography as I would love to, I was glad to rediscover the art and wonder of nature therapy/forest therapy, a.k.a. Shinrin-Yoku (森林浴) – forest bathing. Entering into the world of nature, green spaces and the great outdoors was my haven for refuge during this particular period whereby I was in a rut, in a really bad emotional and mental health well-being. 

A big thank you from the bottom of my heart to my photography outdoors explorer friends that trekked together with me exploring forest bathing and offering me priceless and unwavering support and encouragement during my downtime. 

Travel 

Exploring my own backyard / Domestic 

The good and bad thing about us being unable to travel overseas, is that we explore our own backyard. For me, even though I have been regularly going out to explore my own backyard, it feels good and refreshing to re-explore my own backyard again, documenting and updating my collections.   

The bad thing to me is, everyone is now a hiker, cyclist, nature lover or heritage and conservation advocate probably because they can’t travel out of Singapore for their regular holidays. While they probably have good intentions, their actions and ethics prove/shown otherwise. 

International 

At the start of 2021, I was cautiously optimistic that I would be able to travel out again around Q3 or Q4 2021. However, I got myself thrown into a spiral downwards into a rut due to various situations happening in mid 2021. The travel situation in the earlier part of the year wasn’t that optimistic as well. 

As time progressed into Q3 2021, there were vaccinated travel lane (VTL) arrangements between Singapore and a list of countries, opening up the possibilities for people to travel out. However, there were still many uncertainties with this ongoing global pandemic situation. The emergence of the new variant Omicron has put international travel back to a slowdown again.

As a co-host of Travel Talk on Twitter (TTOT) community chat on Twitter taking place every Tuesday 9:30am GMT and 9:30pm GMT, I learned a lot more about the international travel and tourism situations from fellow travel and tourism friends and networks. 

I was reminded on this life lesson, “Travel can be a privilege”, a constant reminder to myself. During this global pandemic crisis, this quote is even more prevalent, revealing the widening gap between the rich and the rest.

There are still many travel uncertainties, rules, restrictions and lockdowns can change at the snap of the finger by the respective authorities of the country. I also have a tight financial situation due to my photography business being affected by this pandemic. 

When can we really truly restart tourism again? I would share my thoughts and views in another article in January 2022, an update to my earlier articles “When can we Restart Tourism?” and “World Tourism Day 2021”. 

Last but not least

Year 2021 had been a very turbulent year of many ups and downs, disappointments and heartaches from unnecessary expectations. There were many life and business lessons handed out to me, priceless and painful.

Do visit my TGH Technology and Business Portal/Blog too! I have also published a reflection, thoughts and views article in my technology, business and personal segments.

Signing off Year 2021 with a beautiful sunset to say goodbye to Year 2021, good riddance to bad rubbish. It’s been a very painful time, very difficult and tough, mentally, emotionally and financially for me personally. I will learn, remember and apply the good and bad lessons from this year. I will also make sure that I will never let myself fall as low as what happened to me in 2021. 

Year 2022 is starting soon, a new year, a fresh and brand new start in an ongoing global pandemic situation. I would share more about my plans and directions in the Year 2022 for my photography and travel segments inside my upcoming Theme and Goals for Year 2022 article. 

To all those who had pulled me up when I was down at the bottom, as well as those who supported and encouraged me throughout this very difficult Year 2021, I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart, no amount of words can show my utmost appreciation towards what you all had done for me. 

It’s time to say Goodbye Year 2021 and Welcome Year 2022.

The post Reflecting Year 2021 (Photography and Travel) appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

This Malay Heritage Centre x Very Small Exhibition support World Mental Health Day, marks the first time that VSE has lit up a National Monument. This will also be VSE longest ever “momentary” installation which typically lasts for a few hours to a few days. Visitor can visit MHC to view and enjoy this beautiful light-up from 10th October 2021 to end November 2021. MHC has extended the opening hours of its compound to 10pm daily. 

The subject on mental health, mental health awareness and mental health matters are areas that made me aware and concern about mental health. I went through a period whereby my mental and emotional health were not in a good shape and condition, especially in the past six months from May 2021. The ongoing global pandemic didn’t just affect my business, it also took a huge toll on me, my mental and emotional health. I wrote more in-depth on my personal experiences dealing and handling with mental health awareness in my article “World Mental Health Day 2021”.

We are in the midst of battling this ongoing global pandemic, we are not out of the woods yet. The situation is still very tough and difficult for many of us. I would like to encourage all of you to please take good care of yourself, your mental and emotional health well-being. Help each other, support each other, please be kind, please don’t judge. 

Let’s all unite together and we can make it through this global pandemic crisis better, stronger and more resilient.

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The theme for World Mental Health Day 2021 is “Mental health care for all: let’s make it a reality”. The governments around the world has acknowledged and recognised that more needs to be more on mental health services. Do visit their pages if you would like to know more!

If you have been following and reading some of my articles on my technology and business portal/blog, as well as here on my photography and travel portal/blog. My mental and emotional health were not in a good shape and condition, the impacts on running a small sized photography business in this pandemic period took a huge toll on me. On top of that, there were deep personal matters and issues that spiral me downwards into a rut.  

With the help of a few friends that helped and pulled me out, I started to lift myself out from the bottom. This wasn’t an easy recovery journey, times are still very difficult and challenging with this ongoing global pandemic, many of us are emotionally and mentally fatigued. 

During my recovery phase, I went to the outdoors, immersed myself into nature/greenery, the peace and tranquility. I discovered an inspiration to work on a photography therapy zine project with a playbook element. This inspiration came from my nature therapy walks during Q2 to Q3 2021 when I went trekking into nature and outdoors, with my camera and lenses, photographing landscapes, light rays, bringing me peace and tranquility. This is an ongoing work in progress, part of my plans/projects for Q4 2021. 

Through my photographs and writing, I would like to share some points/things that could be featured inside my photography therapy zine, based on my own personal experiences dealing and handling with mental health awareness that might be useful for you this World Mental Health Day 2021. 

Journal

Keep a journal, write down your thoughts, feelings and emotions. You can even draw, sketch or doodle. Maybe you can paste photos that meant something personal to you inside the journal.

Outdoors / Nature / Trekking / Exercise 

My haven when I felt down and out, trekking in the outdoors into nature and green spaces is my saviour. The peace and tranquility, it’s so therapeutic. 

Talk to someone 

If you really need to, please please find someone that you can talk to. Someone who is willing to lend you a shoulder to lean on, a kind and attentive listening ear, that will not judge.

Read books / Find a new hobby / Rekindle your old hobbies

We are too engrossed and glued to our technology gadgets and social media platforms/channels. How about going back to reading books? Or find a new hobby? Have you always wanted to go back in time and rekindle your old hobbies? 

Of cute dogs and cats 

If you have followed me on my Twitter or Instagram, you would know how much I love dogs and cats. These lovely pets provide great therapy to us humans when we are down. 

Last but not least

Please take good care of yourself, your mental and emotional health well-being. Please don’t judge, please be kind, help one another. 

Let’s make it a reality: Mental health care for all, no matter how big or small the resources, means and efforts. 

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Photography by Isaac Ong

I am not going to share P2HA restrictions photos or talk much about the restrictions in place, the stacked up tables and chairs at kopitiam, cafes, food outlets or the taped up benches and tables at hawker centres, like what I published previously here. However, I would still continue documenting and photographing P2HA whenever possible. 

Photography by Ryan Cheng

Our mental and emotional health/well-being are receiving further and bigger impacts from the ongoing COVID-19 fatigue along with cabin fever. It’s more than a year now since 2020 when the global pandemic hit us, everyone is feeling very tired, it’s taking a big toll on our mental and emotional health. We can see more people around us getting depressed with news of three murder cases within a week in Singapore doesn’t bade well on our current mental and emotional health/well-being. My mental and emotional health/well-being took a hit in the earlier P2HA, I was depressed, in a rut and I was blessed to have friends who pulled me out. 

Through my own photography therapy, trekking into nature and outdoors for forest bathing, I found solace, peace and tranquility again during this ongoing battle against this global pandemic. While this was’t an immediate recovery, it was a slow and steady pace for me. If you are feeling mentally and emotionally burnt out, feeling depressed, you are not alone, you’ll never walk alone, you have your family, loved ones and friends beside you to help you through this.

Please speak to someone that you can trust, go for physical and exercise activities, get into outdoors and nature, return back to your hobbies. You can also do/start something new too. Mental health matters, your mental health and emotional health matters. Take good care of yourself first and you would be able to help other people, from your family, loved ones, to friends and others in the society that have fallen through the cracks.

I am working on a photography therapy project at the moment, I hope that my upcoming humble photography therapy book/zine can help you or play a small role in improving your mental and emotional health/well-being. 

Is there light at the end of the tunnel in this ongoing battle with this global pandemic? Initially, it seemed like we can see light at the end of the tunnel yet the return of P2HA again dampen the whole recovery journey. This is definitely a long and lengthy battle against this global pandemic COVID-19 with many turbulence of ups and downs, this dip might derail our recovery efforts towards a new normal. Let this be the time to unite, be strong and work closely together to continue our fight and recovery journey against  this global pandemic. 

Return of P2HA – Please Take Good Care!

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As I looked back in time on my stories that I wrote, “Start of Circuit Breaker in Singapore – 7th April 2020” and “Begun the Circuit Breaker has in Singapore”, there were so much things happening and taking place during that time when we entered into Circuit Breaker mode. It was a very difficult and stressful time for everyone of us here in Singapore. 

I didn’t take many photographs outside during that period due to the circuit breaker. Most of the photos were shot at home or from my window looking out and around my neighbourhood. I was reviewing the Canon EOS M6 Mark II during that Circuit Breaker period.

What do you remember from your circuit breaker period in Singapore? Here were some of the photographs that I took during the Circuit Breaker in Singapore that started on 7th April 2020. 

We are not out of the woods yet in our fight against COVID-19, not just in Singapore, around the whole world too. While the situation here in Singapore has improved over this one year time frame from 7th April 2020 to 7th April 2021, we cannot let our guard down against our battle against this ongoing global pandemic. 

One last message, we DO NOT WANT another Circuit Breaker! Everyone of us here must play our part and continue our fight against COVID-19. Slowly, we can get back to a more normal lifestyle again soon. 

The post Do you remember 7th April 2020 – Circuit Breaker in Singapore? appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Ever since I was inspired by Fernando Gros article on having a yearly theme (his yearly theme for 2021 is Imagination) instead of our usual goals settings and objectives, I wrote and published two articles, Theme and Goals for Year 2020 (Photography and Travel) and  Theme and Goals for Year 2020 (Technology and Personal). I can’t imagine how much it would have changed just two months after that when the global pandemic COVID-19 started to hit the whole world. 

If you are interested to learn and know more about setting a yearly theme, you have to check out “How to Choose a Yearly Theme” by Fernando Gros. 

My approach to the yearly theme is slightly different, I have two themes for Year 2021 and they are Recovery and Rejuvenation. How would these two themes come into my photography and travel segments? 

Photography

Photography Business

On my business side of photography, another challenging year looms ahead. Basically, adapt, adopt and change, rebranding and repositioning. Photography training is on the cards too. 

Personal Photography 

On my personal side of photography, I am planning to produce and publish more zines since the launch of my first zine – TGH Photography Zine Vol 1 – SG55 Special Edition, they could be special themes or projects based zines from my personal projects. 

15th Anniversary photography blog milestone 

April 2021 would be the 15th anniversary of this photography portal/blog! More information and details on this milestone celebration coming soon. 

On both business and personal photography fronts, if there are suitable collaborations and partnerships to build up on top of my existing ones, I am open to discussions. At the current moment, I have build up networks of videographers, video editors, editors for my content writing, digital marketing and social media marketing partners. 

Travel

International Travel 

Based on the current global situation and pandemic status at this juncture in time, international leisure travel is not likely to open soon. An optimistic view would be international travel reopening in the third quarter of 2021, the harsh reality is most likely 2022 instead. 

Meanwhile, I just prepare my travel research and travel networking on destinations that I highly want to visit when international travel and tourism recovers. 

SingapoRediscovers a.k.a. Explore your own backyard

No doubt that Singapore is really a small country by land size, we do have our own nature areas, heritage, culture and outdoors areas. I have started revisiting places in Singapore that I haven’t visit for some time. Now is the time to be a traveler in my home country, to continue my SingapoRediscovers a.k.a. Explore your own backyard. 

Stay tuned for more local travel photography stories (and pocket travel guide) of Singapore!

Why these two themes “Recovery” and “Rejuvenation”?

Recovery

Year 2021 to me would be the year of recovery from the impacts and damages by the global pandemic COVID-19 to the world. This is not going to be straight forward or linear, it’s likely to be turbulent, roller coaster ups and downs. With the vaccines in place, the world has started its recovery mode, this is going to take time, it’s not going to recover immediately with the snap of a finger. 

Rejuvenation

There are many a times whereby I had been emotionally and mentally drained last year 2020 during the global pandemic situation. Going hand-in-hand with recovery is rejuvenation, putting new energy to what I am doing in this year 2021. 

As we start the slow journey in recovery in the year 2021, rejuvenation is also crucial, we need  to inject new energy into our heart, mind and soul as we start our recovery journey.

Please also visit my Theme and Goals for Year 2021 (Technology and Personal) article! 

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How did this name “Proposals for Novel Ways of Being” come about?

Go back a few months back in time, do you remember the initial name of the global pandemic that is now universally known/classified as COVID-19? Proposals for Novel Ways of Being bears reference to the earlier name of the virus “2019 Novel Coronavirus”, a sombre yet hopeful reminder that this COVID-19 is not the world’s first global pandemic or the first crisis the world has encountered, nor will be it be the last. This would be a reminder for the human race, the society, to seek, adapt and adopt new ways of being.

National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum have come together to launch a new local initiative of unprecedented scale and scope, a project that see museums joining forces with 10 other local art institutions and independent art spaces and collectives to present a series of exhibitions and programmes, in both physical and online environments, featuring the works of over 170 local artists and cultural workers. Presenting “Proposals for Novel Ways of Being”, a united response by the visual arts community to the changes brought by the global pandemic COVID-19, a wide range of art experiences exploring new ways of living in a world forced to change by this pandemic and imagining new possibilities for the future.

Elaborating on the compelling reasons behind the development of the Proposals for Novel Ways of Being initiative, Dr Eugene Tan, Director, National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum says, “As we grapple with the “new normal”, we consider how art can respond to the global pandemic and propose new possibilities for our changed world, as well as how it can inspire hope in these times. As national art institutions, we ask ourselves how we can show solidarity with the local network of independent art spaces, institutions and collectives to engage and support members of the art community, and how we can highlight the role that art can play in times of crises such as the current pandemic.”

The Programme Partners of Proposals for Novel Ways of Being include seven institutions: ADM Gallery, NTU School of Art, Design and Media; LASALLE’s Institute of Contemporary Arts Singapore; National Gallery Singapore; National Museum of Singapore; NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA Singapore); Singapore Art Museum; STPI, and five independent art spaces and collectives: Coda Culture; Grey Projects; INTER-MISSION; soft/WALL/studs; and The Substation.

To support the wider network of art professionals and practitioners, Programme Partners have invited independent guest curators to each propose projects that involve up to 15 artists based in Singapore. The projects presented can include new commissions or existing works, and may take the form of physical or digital exhibitions, and include programmes such as talks, performances and community engagement events.

Audiences can look forward to

• Coda Culture’s exhibition, which brings together artists who produce works using found objects;
• National Gallery Singapore’s range of works by a diverse group of emerging contemporary artists, which embody poetic contemplation;
• National Museum of Singapore’s series of digital works created in collaboration with artists and creatives, which respond to the pandemic;
• NTU CCA Singapore’s showcase of experimental works by artists who engage with sound, bodily movements and performances;
• Singapore Art Museum’s presentation of contemporary artworks that reflect on the passage of time and various acts of care-taking; and
• soft/WALL/studs’ suite of interconnected activities and projects that navigate the themes of (dis)repair, maintenance, and cultivation by artists and curators, presented on digital platforms and at their physical site.

For more information on Proposals for Novel Ways of Being, please visit novelwaysofbring.sg and keep a lookout for the various exhibitions and programmes taking place soon between August 2020 and February 202.

As a fellow creative in the photography circle, I am able to relate the situation that other arts and creative industry folks are going through. Let’s give them the support and encouragement during this difficult time arising from the global pandemic situation.

We are all in this together as a nation. The journey ahead is still going to be more turbulent and choppy. Let’s all be #SGUnited together facing this global crisis and overcome it!

* Information and picture courtesy of National Gallery Singapore and Singapore Art Museum and Ogilvy Singapore *

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First quarter of 2020 was cautious, start of a new era, a new decade, cautious on how the economy would pan out with potential slower growth and concerns for market downturn. As for my photography business, it was a slow start and I was realigning business plans and strategies. On my personal/leisure photography front, there were a few major community events (Chinese New Year 2020 at Chinatown, Light to Night Festival 2020, River Hongbao 2020, Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2020, Battle for Singapore 2020 tours, Arts in Your Neighbourhood 2020) that I attended before Covid-19 spread changed the whole landscape.

As we all knew, second quarter was circuit breaker plus extended circuit breaker in Singapore. In a nutshell, working from home (WFH) and home based learning (HBL) were a new normal, some businesses took a huge hit, closure of businesses, job losses, retrenchments, pay cuts were commonly heard during this period. For photography businesses, we experienced the impacts and we were not able to conduct our business. This period was really stressful and difficult, on both professional and personal level.

Moving out from extended circuit breaker, phase 1 of post circuit breaker in June followed by phase 2 shortly after, this marked the start of a slow and much needed recovery to kickstart the economy again. Things are not and will not be the same as before pre Covid-19. Safety measures and strict regulations are in place for businesses to follow and implement. On the other hand, the severity of this current downturn has affected the whole economy, any business deals and transactions will not be back up fast and furious as businesses are looking at budget cuts and cost saving measures during this very difficult and challenging period. Personal and leisure photography during that period was pretty much confined to home and they could be viewed inside my Canon EOS M6 Mark II review article.

On the topic of travel, international travel is not in any of my immediate plans, I can only dream and plan for H2 2021, keeping my fingers crossed that a vaccine for Covid-19 would be available and the world can slowly start to return back to normal, although it will be a new normal for the world. I would leave the discussion on impacts and changes to world tourism and travel for another day, in another article dedicated to this discussion. 

Domestic travel, in the context of Singapore and its land size, doesn’t really ring a bell at all probably for many people, versus countries that have different states, prefectures and their citizens can travel interstate or across the country to visit.

However, while Singapore is really small in land size, we can do something about our own domestic travel/tourism, it’s just not domestic tourism per se, reference to other parts of the world. I am looking at doing my own “Explore your own backyard” theme instead, basically, it’s a continuation of my years of exploring my local neighbourhoods, just to compile, update and present in a manner that I would need to plan first.

Back to the my photography business in the post circuit breaker period, some changes are taking place, plans and strategies have gone back to the drawing board to navigate and manoeuvre during this very difficult and challenging waters ahead. The Covid-19 pandemic has definitely open up the case for business diversification that some people may not agree even in this modern and constantly changing world, they still believe in only specialising in one industry/skill/business.

Some keywords for you to ponder, digital agency and content creation, travel marketing, digital marketing, filmmaker.

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For fellow photography industry professionals, we can resume our photography business and please observe all the authorities rules and regulations in the running of your photography business operations. Professional Photographers Association (Singapore) [PPAS] has a resource page for photography production in Singapore during COVID-19, photographers, please read this throughly before starting to operate your photography business in Phase 2 post circuit breaker in Singapore.

How we conduct and operate businesses, our working environments, leisure spaces etc are going through a massive change, we are going into a new normal, not just for Singapore, the whole world is going through this as well. The whole world is moving into a new era of a new form of normal, changes to both work and leisure are inevitable.

I would like to urge the people of Singapore not to rush out, swarm the shopping malls and dining venues, and totally forget about safety measures and personal hygiene. Please remember to practice safety social distancing, practice good personal hygiene, no big group gatherings yet.

We are still some time away from a vaccine being available for COVID-19, let’s not let our guard down, the fight against this pandemic is still ongoing. Yes, we would love our life to return back to normal pre-COVID19, that is not possible, we will enter into a new age of normal instead in this new decade.

Moving forward in Phase 2, the world economy is facing a very challenging and difficult time ahead. It has been a very tough time and it’s not going to get easier, I am taking steps to rebuild  my photography business during this economic crisis and pandemic.

It’s a long road to recovery ahead, we all need to be united together in this recovery journey and define our new era.

A special TGH Photography x Canon EOS M6 Mark II Explorer Series Production. Photos were shot with Canon EOS M6 Mark II, check out my review article!

For more information and articles links relating to Phase 2 post circuit breaker, check out the articles below

• https://www.gov.sg/article/moving-into-phase-2-what-activities-can-resume
• https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
• https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/
• https://www.mti.gov.sg/Newsroom/Updates-on-COVID-19
• https://safedistparks.nparks.gov.sg/
• https://www.spaceout.gov.sg/

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