Behind The Lens (Editorial Section)
The first sound is not the flame. It is the metal ladle touching the side of the wok, a small, hollow note that carries across the half-awake floor of Hong Lim Market & Food Centre.…
The knife lands softly before it cuts. I hear it before I lift the camera. A low wooden sound, not sharp, not rushed. At Maxwell Food Centre, the lunch crowd is already pressing into the…
The evening air at Old Airport Road Food Centre is thick and warm. It wraps around me the moment I step away from the open street. I walk past the bright neon signboards, letting the…
The afternoon heat settles heavily over Tiong Bahru Market. The frantic noise of the lunch hour is completely gone. I sit at a corner table near the open balcony. The green tiles reflect the warm,…
The sky outside is still a deep, bruised purple. Inside the food centre at Toa Payoh Lorong 8, the air is cool and heavy with the scent of damp concrete and raw ginger. I sit…
The red plastic chair scrapes against the tiled floor. I set my camera bag on the empty seat next to me. The afternoon heat at Old Airport Road Food Centre is thick. A slow ceiling…
The wet market floor at Tekka Centre reflects the deep blue of the pre-dawn sky. It is exactly five in the morning. The main overhead lights are still off. A heavy, damp quiet hangs in…
The asphalt is slick with leftover midnight rain. It is 4:30 AM on Balestier Road. The city is completely silent, wrapped in a heavy, humid darkness. I stand on the corner across from Sing Hon…
The glass of my lens fogs over the second I take off the cap. It is 6:15 AM at Maxwell Food Centre. The heavy, cool air of the morning clashes immediately with the immense heat…
The bamboo strainer hits the edge of the aluminum pot with a hollow, rhythmic thud. It is two in the afternoon at Hong Lim Food Centre. The frantic lunchtime crowd has finally vanished. The heavy,…