I like to take humorous photos. (However, that is not to say that my swollen left foot was a funny photo.) To capture a funny photo, you need to be quite observant and have an eye (actually both eyes) for detail. Take for example this photo I took of an unusual car:
Before Chris starts getting suspicious again, let me state categorically that save for my personal watermark, the photos in this post are all 100% original. They were all taken by me and not "ripped off from the Internet" as Chris likes to put it. Can you guess how this "hybrid" car photo came to be?
I also like to take photos of funny signboards:
This signboard was sighted at the hospital where I went for the treatment of my ankle. Obviously someone, likely a smoker, wasn't too happy with the restriction.
This cafe seems to pride itself in its slow service. It might as well add "Only for the patronage of the very patient who will not fall asleep while waiting for his 'wake-me-up' coffee".
Does this hawker know that he may be driving away "newly health concious" customers like Chris?
To be fair, I also came across signboards that were quite creative in the choice of words. One prawn mee stall at Dunman Food Centre was named "Old King Koh's Prawn Mee". People of my generation will recognise that as a play of words of the nursery rhyme "Ole King Cole". The stall owner was probably a Mr Koh. Sadly, his creativity and humour seemed to have outlasted his business - the stall had stopped operating since several months ago.
Then there was this pub in Joo Chiat Place called "Old Man's Pub". Great! Finally a pub to cater specially for my generation, I thought. I was curious to know if the drinks were served by old bargirls to match the clientele. However, I did not get to find out because the pub closed down before I could patronise it. Maybe that's because they really had old bargirls, heh.
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32 comments:
That foto of the car was really good. I too tend to take notice of humourous signboards, but I don't carry my camera with me everywhere. Anyway, if I manage to get some good ones, I will contribute to your blog. Maybe you can start a series of such articles.
Thanks Chun See. That will distract me from my favorite topic... but only for a while.
Pardon this hawker for his English. There is a coffeshop stall in AMK which has an item in his menu - ROMANTIC CHICKEN.
Chun Chew - I must say that the name for the chicken item is quite original (not crispy). I bet they have another item on the menu called COWARD YELLOW CHICKEN, don't they? Haha.
Chun See - Invest in a camera phone lah. Then you can carry it everywhere and won't miss out on either good shots or phonecalls. Improves the chance of contributing good photos for my blog as well. LG recently launched a 5MP camera phone with built-in flash - very slick and trendy. Old users who find it too trendy can wrap it up in a phone cover. Too bad I can't use it in my office.
Prehaps the owner of No Sign Board Seafood Rest.is one of the most successful of the lot when it comes to sign boards.
I like the one with the non smoking sign at the hospital. Kind of cute...
i think 2MP camera is quite good already
maybe you would like to include 'humorous english' in your series, like this one from a sign outside a Tokyo bar: Special cocktail for ladies with nuts.
Years ago my Dutch colleagues got a good laugh from the guitar duck. But nowadays it seems to be the accepted translation for Pipa Duck.
its very interesting of you to take notice of these things GD.
btw, do you bring ur cam out everyday? :D
Funny post Victor, but pse don't "Talk Cock Sing Song". Oops, that's a name of a pub somewhere in town.
BTW, what has my comment on your ankle got anything to do with funny signs and posters? And pse lah victor, do move on already... the story of your sprained ankle was so "yesterday" that I think Chun See would even write a post about it in his "Goodmoringyesterday" blog. Hehehe..
And pse do not insult the intelligence of your readers ok? Fancy asking us to guess how the photo of the hybrid car came about.... The reflection is clear as crystal in that pic. You noticed too that half of the car is out of angle. Chun See can say that's a good foto some more. tsk..tsk..tsk..
And your comment about nursery rhyme. Hey, I'm sure the toddlers today are as well-versed as Ole King Cole as you are ok? Don't you know that nursery rhymes are timeless?
And isn't it sad that juz as you've become an old man, the "Old Man's Pub" has to fold up? Try knocking at the "Young Man's Pub" next door where I patronise often. You're so charming maybe they would bend the rule for you leh ....
But I must conclude that you're pretty observant and have an eye for things wacky. Ate too much fish, perhaps? So clever. Hee!
Chuck - That's an oxymoron - a no signboard restaurant with a successful signboard.
Frannxis - I agree with you that 2MP is good enough for most purposes. In fact most of the photos you see on my blog are taken at VGA resolution (640 x 480 pixels) and are below 150 kb in size each. I don't think I should start a 'humorous English' series. There are already much better sites available.
Chun See - Your Dutch colleagues are quite lame hor. Guitar ducks also can find so funny. :p
Elaine - My dear GNE, GD does not carry a camera around everyday. I thought I mentioned above that I can't use one in the office? Speed reading again eh? :) I am normally equipped with a slim Samsung Digimax L50 camera only on weekends.
Chris - You claim to be a young man but you seem to be more cheong hei (long-winded) than this old man. Just look at your comments - they are even longer than my post. I rest my case.
woops! yes i did speed read =x so sorry...
hehe
btw, i saw the article on you!! how come no uncle chris?! :( expect more visitors hehe...
Oh yah. No wonder the car length so short. No wonder the Zaobao reporter call referred to us (Victor included) as Ah Gong.
BTW, my family already have 3 digital cameras; the latest being the free gift from Courts; and not counting the handphone (quality very poor).
I Think the reporter is quite smart, adding some years to your age, turning you into an Ah Kong, and at the same impacting the headline of his acticle.
Etel - Fame and "infamy" are not my things lah. Unlike Uncle Chun See and Uncle Victor, I don't blog for an audience, you know? I blog mostly to let off stem and to amuse myself. And I'm also not Ah Gong leh. Besides, I'm NOT that old, ok? So perhaps you should drop the "uncle" in front of my name. Juz call me Chris :P
Chris - Do not throw smoke. There are better places to let off steam.
Haha. Chris, it looks like you have met your match in Zen.
Zen, my retort to Chris is in my comment which I hid away on Elaine's blog. It is reproduced below for all to enjoy:
"So paiseh but thanks for advertising for me GNE. It was in zbNOW section of 31 Oct's Zaobao. And Uncle Chris was not featured, not because nostalgic blogging is not his cup of tea but more because he thinks he is still very young. Can even dare to ask you to drop 'Uncle' when addressing him. Some people just don't know what is the meaning of shameless. :p"
Hello Zen, the only smoke I know is the HAZE which, thankfully, has disappeared. Victor can say what he wants, but I think this Chinese culture of calling every tom dick harry and victor UNCLE (or every jane mary and anne Aunty for that matter) leaves much to be desired. The westerners who come to Singapore are always amused by this fact. When formality is called for, a simple Mr or Sir, or Madam would do. Just my take.
Right, Mr Koo?
Right, Uncle Chris.
*leaving a comment to prove that comments have been read but author decides to continue calling chris UNCLE CHRIS*
=D
You know what's an OXYMORON, Victor? It's when you put two words of contradicting meaning side by side each other, such as:
Deafening Silence
Blinding Light
Dull Monkey
Open Secret
Pretty Ugly
And.... Uncle Chris, of course. It juz does not add up. UNCLE is juz so old, whereas CHRIS is ... well... pretty ugly, I mean young.
:P
chris - You must know that you pal Victor is a great military strategist who employs "borrowing s knife to kill someone"
evan: i just made my explaination to you in your blog comments... go see it. :)
Chris - By the way I think the haze you mentioned is unlikely to beat your 'steam'
Of course, I know what an oxymoron is, Chris. One example was given by Chuck above: "successful signboard of the no signboard restaurant". There's another very good example in you. No, not Uncle Chris but you are a very good example of the word without the "oxy" part. Muahahaha.
Watch your word Victor. In case you're not aware, you are currently living in a goldfish bowl, with the media glare focused on your blog. So, this calling of name may not necessarily serve you well, u know. "Ah Gong" can any how scold people is it? :P
Zee - Now I'm really STEAMED.
Zee=Zen
Chris - Good to steam but not a steamed fish, with eyes missing.
That's sooo funny Zen. I'll pass the fish eyes to th celeb blogger now, who's abviously basking in his 2-minute fame (he's lucky - kids in KIDS CENTRAL only get 1 minute!) Did I mention that I love fish tail too? The nasi lemak fish (kuning?) But it must be fried till crispy. :P
D'ont be too swell headed. I would like to pour some cold water. Please remember 'pride goes before a fall' and 'a big tree will gather wind(Chinese)'. Be careful with the fish bones - hee hee.
Zen, you were advising Chris with your last comment, weren't you?
As for me, I am fully aware that I am riding on Chun See's fame. Everytime I am featured, Chun See is too. The writers probably pulled me in as a "filler" because they knew that if they only featured Chun See, readers would get sick and tired of reading about him after a while, haha.
In any case, fame is not what I am looking for. That's why I don't have my photo on my blog.
Yes for Chris but more as a reminder to myself, the first surgery I experienced as an adult was having a stuck fish-bone removed from my throat,at SGH. On another occasion a GP at AMK had to remove a smaller fish=bone, stuck in my throat while eating Nasi Lemak during lunch time. I think fish hates me.
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