Black & White 100 Project - 90 of 100

"Uncle Soh" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton Classic 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

Uncle Soh is one of those characters who make our kopitiams (Hokkien for "coffee shop", which is a very Singaporean term to address a local eatery that obviously offers more than just coffee or tea) more colourful. He isn't particularly mobile, but after a lifelong career as a sailor, and at the age of 92, that is not unexpected.

He uses a small, red shopping cart to put the stuff he's bought from the supermarket — "for his grandchildren", he says — as support. Instead of yelling for the attendant to take his orders, he uses a whistle, and he uses it loudly. He may not seem friendly, but I've always managed to engage him in conversation, even if the chat isn't deeply personal, and always share a cigarette or two with him.

Maybe that's why he didn't say no to me taking a photo of him, in a spot he regularly occupies at the kopitiam. Some at the joint find him a bit of a nuisance, given his penchant for using his whistle like an overzealous football referee, but I'll miss him when he's gone. 

Black & White 100 Project - 89 of 100

"Shopping Cart" — Leica M2 and Canon 50/1.4 LTM on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

Found this shopping cart abandoned at a corner of a graveyard, itself also abandoned, and I had to take a photo. There is something creepily tranquil about finding this at a place where it doesn't belong, sitting amongst dead leaves. I still wonder how it got there and why it was left there.

Black & White 100 Project - 88 of 100

"Tsk Tsk" — Leica M6 and CV Nokton Classic 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

I have a confession to make: I'm bothered by the pervasiveness of mobile phones, and the near ubiquitous obnoxiousness associated with compulsive mobile phone usage. The term "Crackberry" is a perfect description of what seems like an addiction to the devices. I am a big proponent of technology, and mobile phones have made our lives easier, but it seemed to have overtaken us.

Somehow I don't feel they are mere tools anymore, when they shouldn't be any more than that. Like this gentleman here. When at the art gallery, study the art, not your mobile phone. That's the least we should ask for.

Black & White 100 Project - 87 of 100

"Car Park, Esplanade, Singapore" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton Classic 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

This is one photograph I like but I cannot quite explain why I like it. I like the greys and strong blacks, the emptiness on the left side, and even the slight industrial feel of the ceiling. It's steadily growing on me every time I look at it, and that makes it good enough to share with you.

Black & White 100 Project - 83 of 100

"Just Like Adults" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton Classic 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

I was on the way to KK Women's and Children's Hospital with Karen and Ayrton when I spotted these two adorable kids in the queue for a shuttle bus. By this time, in no small part due to the rain, two confused lines had sprung up for the shuttle bus, and I was in the next queue. No one would admit they're in the wrong line, and no one budged. 

None of that bothered these two. They were happily standing in line, in the rain, with rather inadequate protection against the elements. But they were happy. And far more mature than the adults in the resulting fracas to board the bus, where an elderly woman chastised a younger woman for cutting the queue (she hadn't), and in retaliation the woman brusquely jammed her pram, devoid of a toddler at that time, into another woman's pram to stop her from boarding. 

It was an ugly scene that I don't want to see again, so I'll stick to paid (as opposed to the free shuttle service) transport next time. These two kids calmly boarded the bus, calmly, and continued their activities. Adults would do well to learn from children sometimes.

Black & White 100 Project - 82 of 100

"Toshi Kazama" — Leica M6 and CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

I had written about Toshi Kazama a few weeks back; he is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable man I know. Despite all that he went through, his compassion and respect for human life shows through, and it is infectious. And he remains, at his core, a photographer, and one who was happy to smile for this portrait. 

Who said equipment didn't matter? If not for the M6, we'd never have had that conversation, short as it might have been :) A simple moment that makes this one of my favourites, and his gentle smile and strength of character is unforgettable. I'll have a print of this ready for Toshi if he visits again.

Black & White 100 Project - 81 of 100

"Slim Pickings" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

Karen and I were at Borders Parkway, trying to snag some bargains; and like most of our attempts at trying to snag bargains, inevitably fell short. This gentleman had better luck, and had settled down next to depressingly empty shelves and stacked palettes to look through his potential purchases.

He seemed content, even if the increasingly void store saddens me. Businesses that are closing down always invoke sadness, but bookstores even more so. Even a mostly soulless store like Borders.

Black & White 100 Project - 80 of 100

"Standoff" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

This couple appeared to be in a tense negotiation of some sort. I think it'll end more amicably than peace talks in the Middle East, but at the time, it didn't seem to be less tense! 

I find it interesting that body language can betray as much as the spoken word, and how it influences people around you. The tension helped to carve out a lot of room around this couple, and passers-by were consciously giving them the space they thought was needed to clear the air, in spite of the growing crowd at this very popular shopping area.

Black & White 100 Project - 79 of 100

"Broken Wall" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

I made this on a rainy day; the decaying wall had given way, allowing access to an apparently abandoned and unmaintained Muslim cemetary. There is something about urban decay that captivates me. Structures that seem impervious when built, given a long enough timeline, eventually do, in a way that mirrors our lives. 

And just like our lives, even if some parts have crumbled, the rest of us lurch on. Sometimes meaningfully, sometimes redefining our meanings. But it'll leave a mark, a sign that we aren't quite complete.

This photo did not appeal to me at first, but it drew me in enough for me to want to show it.

Black & White 100 Project - 77 of 100

"A day in the neighbourhood" — Leica M2 and CV Nokton 35/1.4 SC on Kodak Tri-X. All rights reserved.

This is a pretty typical scene in a Singaporean housing estate when I was a wee lad. A neighbourhood barber, a provision shop, residents milling around catching up on the gossip or just taking refuge from the relentless great fireball in the sky. The fast pace of development in Singapore may mean this is something that will only be recounted in textbooks rather than lived out in the flesh.